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We are planning to make a coast to coast tour with a motor home starting in New York and end up in San Francisco. During that drive I want to stop somewhere rent some OK MTB, FS, and make some tours with the family, the kids are 15 and 17. I do most of the biking at home but the rest of the family have some experience with easier trails. It should be in some nice surroundings with nice views.
Coming from Sweden I have no idea where to go, so the question is;
Where should we go?
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I would suggest the Silver Comet Trail in George and the Chief Ladiga in Alabama. You don't need to be a super biker in order to do them and the surroundings are pleasant. The only caveat would be don't try this in July or August.
torgrot
Most of the classic mountain biking I know of is in the West. Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, etc. Moab, Utah is very different in that there is alot of riding on sandstone that gives incredible traction. Additionally, there are some decent bike rental shops in the area, or at least there used to be. The East Coast has some very good single track but no one trail really stands out. You might be better off checking out ski resorts. You and the kids might enjoy the downhill however your wife may not. Take a look on youtube for vids of mtb rides. There are alot of extreme ones like this one in Oregon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ky18ZIaZY0) but also some more casual rides. Your choice of where to ride may be more dictated by bike rental availability.
Having originally come from Europe (Netherlands) and having traveled extensively throughout the USA before may family moved here permanently, I do want to ask a few simple questions:
1. How long do you have to go coast to coast? - I mean no offense, but I have come accross quite a few Europeans that didn't quite comprehend the actual size of the USA. NY to SF using the most direct Interstate roads is 2900 miles and 44 hours of non stop driving. according to Mapquest. If you have were to drive 5 hours a day, it would be 9 days of driving. To put it in perspective, Stockhold to Magala Spain is 2400 miles and should take about 34 hours. If you have a month to do it, then go for it. You will pass through some truly amazing country side. If you have two or three weeks you may want to limit some of the driving.
2. What are the top places you want to see? - For instance, do you want to see Yellow Stone national park, Grand Canyon national park, what cities other than NY and SF would you like to see along the way? Any side stops will add hundreds of miles if to your trip. You need to figure out that the family wants to see and then direct you travels according to that. The West has some amazing places to mountain bike. Due NOT underestimate how hot and dry it can get here. I remember coming from Northern Europe and not being used to drinking loads of water. Even then walking short sections of the rim of the Grand Canyon we were amazed how quickly you dehydrate. Without a doubt the scenery in Utah will completely "blow away" your teen age kids. It is completely unlike anything you will find in Europe or Scandinavia.
If you find that coast to coast is too much consider flying into NY, seeing the sights and then fly out West. Then you could start your driving possibly much closer to some of your key destinations. I live in the North East and you could easily spend two to three weeks just in this area alone and not be bored. As I stated above if you want to see countryside that is unlike anything you will see in Europe or Scandinavia then definitely go West. You will not be dissapointed.
Happy riding,
André
Having originally come from Europe (Netherlands) and having traveled extensively throughout the USA before may family moved here permanently, I do want to ask a few simple questions:
1. How long do you have to go coast to coast? - I mean no offense, but I have come accross quite a few Europeans that didn't quite comprehend the actual size of the USA. NY to SF using the most direct Interstate roads is 2900 miles and 44 hours of non stop driving. according to Mapquest. If you have were to drive 5 hours a day, it would be 9 days of driving. To put it in perspective, Stockhold to Magala Spain is 2400 miles and should take about 34 hours. If you have a month to do it, then go for it. You will pass through some truly amazing country side. If you have two or three weeks you may want to limit some of the driving.
2. What are the top places you want to see? - For instance, do you want to see Yellow Stone national park, Grand Canyon national park, what cities other than NY and SF would you like to see along the way? Any side stops will add hundreds of miles if to your trip. You need to figure out that the family wants to see and then direct you travels according to that. The West has some amazing places to mountain bike. Due NOT underestimate how hot and dry it can get here. I remember coming from Northern Europe and not being used to drinking loads of water. Even then walking short sections of the rim of the Grand Canyon we were amazed how quickly you dehydrate. Without a doubt the scenery in Utah will completely "blow away" your teen age kids. It is completely unlike anything you will find in Europe or Scandinavia.
If you find that coast to coast is too much consider flying into NY, seeing the sights and then fly out West. Then you could start your driving possibly much closer to some of your key destinations. I live in the North East and you could easily spend two to three weeks just in this area alone and not be bored. As I stated above if you want to see countryside that is unlike anything you will see in Europe or Scandinavia then definitely go West. You will not be dissapointed.
Happy riding,
André
Best advice yet. Not that there is much, but it is still good :).
Absolutely see the Grand Canyon. It is beautiful. Visit the South Rim, near the town of Tusayan.
http://www.danielmoth.com/images/jGrandCanyon_SouthRim.JPG
I hiked down that trail in the background. (this is a random pic I found online)
Ohhh to have a european holiday schedule. WOW but to narrow the US down to a few weeks. As i have been lucey enough to have spent many months in the EU it is nice to see someone coming here and not for Disney world and New York City.
http://www.nps.gov/
This link should help you.
Thanks for your suggestions so, keep on.
Our plan is to stay out for 5-6 weeks and probably to stay in the northern part of the country. One of the goals of the journey is to get a feeling of how big and varying USA is, thats why the coast to coast drive. The kids are brought up with a caravan after the car on every holiday so this will be the grand final of family holidays. Later on they will spend their holidays with friends rather than mum and dad.
So far I don't have any "must" places. I want to see Minnesota just to know were all Swedes ended up hundred years ago, and some part of the Rocky Mountains and probably Yosemite. Normally we don't plan our holidays. Last year someone said Italy and we drove away, after a couple of days in the car we reached Italy and then we looked at the map to find out were to go. And we found a lovely little town called Torebole where we spent most of the holiday.
So for now I'm just looking for some spots to put on the map and then we will decide along the road where to go.
So, keep on suggesting your hot spots, we will do some hiking by foot also.
The Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches and Las Vegas area of the Southwest should be a week of your journey. It is like nowhere else that I have been and very different from the northern parts of the US. It is worth a dip down there, especially if you can come down that way through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. When you get into southern Utah, you may see some of the polygamists although they may be a little scarce nowadays.
Without doubt, go to Moab, Utah. It's right beside Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and not far from Mesa Verde and Capitol Reef National Parks and Monument Valley (which you will recognize from about 1000 movies).
I took a trip like this with my family a couple of years ago, and going into it we viewed Utah as a place we had to drive through to get to California. It ended being one of the best places we went.
BTW, the picture under my name was taken just outside Monument Valley.
Also, if you're looking for general ideas, here's a log of what my family did.
http://kaylors.blogspot.com/
I know it's probably not so interesting reading a stranger's vacation diaries, but you can glance through and see where we went. It was the greatest trip I can imagine.
I'll echo what everyone said about Moab, UT. Moab's famous for its tough rides, but there's several easier trails out there too. Off the top of my head, there's a trail out there called Klondike Bluffs that's fairly non-technical, yet still has some of the sandstone that made Slickrock famous to ride (but it's much, much less steep)...plus you get the bonus of seeing some dino-tracks!
One thing for sure... things are dirt cheap over here..... bring an extra suitcase... from tennis shoes, to clothing to anything you might imagine... when compare to back home ... dirt cheap i tell you....
One thing for sure... things are dirt cheap over here..... bring an extra suitcase... from tennis shoes, to clothing to anything you might imagine... when compare to back home ... dirt cheap i tell you....
He's right about this. When my wife and I were young (and poor) we made our way to Europe, and she lost her shoes (don't ask), it was 3 days of our food allowance for another pair. CHeapest we could find. Things are cheap here compared to there.
He's right about this. When my wife and I were young (and poor) we made our way to Europe, and she lost her shoes (don't ask), it was 3 days of our food allowance for another pair. CHeapest we could find. Things are cheap here compared to there.
I know you said not to, but I am asking for myself and likely others....:roflmao: How did she lose her shoes.
Sounds like a fun trip. I think you'll enjoy the Northern part of the US. Just a few spots I'd put on the map would be Toronto, Chicago, the Mississippi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Decorah, Iowa (OK, so it's my home town but it's nice!). Glacier NP is fantastic but a bit out of the way.
The Moab area is fantastic but the entire Southwest US will be VERY hot in the summer. Plan on being outdoors early morning or evening and possibly driving during the middle parts of the day.
Almost any ski town will have bike rentals available and will probably have lots of trails nearby that should be great. I'm sure there are rentals in Moab as well. The slick rock trails are truly a great experience on a bike.
Interstate highways make for easy travel but are pretty boring after a while. Getting off onto smaller roads will give you a much better feel for the USA even though you'll be moving a bit slower.
One route to consider would be to go through the NW and go to Yellowstone/Teton, Glacier, then across Idaho and Washington to Seattle and Vancouver (beautiful!). Then down the coast to San Francisco. You'll miss the desert country of Utah and Grand Canyon but the weather will be cooler. There is much to see and do in Oregon and Northern California.
The scenery in Utah is like nothing else in the world but the temps can easily reach 40C in the summer.
the amish in western pensylvania and ohio.
Almost any ski town will have bike rentals available and will probably have lots of trails nearby that should be great. I'm sure there are rentals in Moab as well. The slick rock trails are truly a great experience on a bike.
There are definitely rentals in Moab. They're not cheap, but some of them offer some NICE rentals. One shop's "low-end" rentals include bikes like the Trek Remedy and RM Element...and their high-end rentals include the Yeti 575, Pivot Mach5, and Intense Spyder. Bling!
And to add to the ski-town thing, a lot of ski resorts offer mountain biking in the summer. You can take a lift to the top and ride down, and some also offer xc trails. Here's some stuff in Colorado: http://www.thefixbikes.com/bikes/assets/images/spots.htm
the amish in western pensylvania and ohio.
Ha, I know this post was meant as a joke, but if you do pass through Amish country, stop at a Pennsylvania Dutch farmers' market and pick up some hot apple dumplings, homemade friendship bread, chicken pot-pie (or chicken and dumplings), and possibly a whoopie pie. And anything with waffles...ice cream and waffles, chicken and waffles...whatever. And then work it all off with a bike ride through the Poconos. There should be rentals in Jim Thorpe.
If the goal is mountain biking, there should be lots of options in Pennsylvania. I know State College has trails, and in a *lot* of places the roads are rough enough that a hardtail isn't a terrible idea for road use. There will be horrific climbs, even on roads. If I could only hit one place in the state, I'd probably pick Gettysburg or Hawk Mountain. Both have *very* good hiking with lots of options for scrambling over rocks. You can rent bikes in Gettysburg, and biking in the park will be nowhere near as exciting as many other places in the state. (this is a good thing) If you will be in Pennsylvania on or about May 31 or July 4, do not go to Gettysburg. At all. Period. I would rather *shoot* myself than deal with the town around those dates. One is the holiday established in memory of those who died in the Civil War, and the other is not just the "nation's birthday" but the last day of the battle of Gettysburg. Just say no to re-enactors for your sanity.
Hawk Mountain is more focused on wildlife and native plants than on History. Hawk Mountain is well placed for a side trip to visit a coal mine. I'm not sure I'd exactly *recommend* doing that, but I'm not sure I'd recommend not doing it either. I find the reality of what goes into coal power very distressing, but I wouldn't want to give up that knowledge. If you would rather the trip is mostly happy memories, I'd stick with just Hawk Mountain.
Personally, if *I'm* back home (I grew up in Dauphin county, so just outside the heart of Amish country), screw the chicken and dumplings (they're easy enough to make and I don't like chicken noodle soup at the best of times). Give me potato chips and don't get between me and the chocolate. The doughnuts aren't half bad, even if you're stuck with grocery store ones. Also, get local beer.
Other Eastern Seaboard spots I wouldn't want to miss: NJ's Pine Barrens (more good hiking), Baltimore and Annapolis, Philadelphia, Delaware Water Gap (more good hiking), Valley Forge (yet more good hiking)
In Ohio, I would not want to miss Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Their aviation museum is (IMO) the best in the USA. I have heard arguments in favor of the Smithsonian, and having been to both, I'd rather have Wright-Patt. I've also heard arguments for Oshkosh (a civilian aviation museum here in WI), but I haven't been there yet so I can't say whether I love Wright-Patt over it. If you like airplanes, hitting both is not a bad idea. I love Indiana's oil country. I love Chicago and never get to spend enough time there. Wisconsin is home to many fine breweries, and Madison is a great city for biking. St. Paul and Minneapolis also have fine breweries and good biking (and lots of those Swedes you're thinking of). The Twin Cities also should have some really amazing hiking along the river, and it might be fun to take a detour up to Lake Itasca (the source of the Mississippi). If you like summer temperatures at home, it's probably worth heading up into the North Woods. Lots of hiking, camping and canoing opportunities. Very beautiful and you're in danger of hitting 0C at night even in the middle of summer. (I've had European friends find summer temperatures in most of the US *very* uncomfortable... but I think northern Minnesota would suit most of them just fine)
And we're now out of the areas I'm most familiar with. If you were to drive direct and nonstop from NYC to the Twin Cities, I'd expect it to take about 27 hours. Keep in mind you could easily spend the entire 6 weeks in NYC and the vicinity and have an amazing vacation that doesn't touch half of what the city has to offer. Same for most any state or major city in the US. (that's part of why I'm *not* suggesting Washington DC... I love the city and you can't hope to do it justice in even a week)
http://www.zionnational-park.com/gsmap.htm
Southern Utah, is one of my favorite places. Old Western towns from cowboy filming days, beautiful , natural terrain, great parks. I have stayed in Bob-Bob Inn, in Kanab, travel W on #89 & turn L. into Johnson valley. Turn right later, [ where Jeep is in pix ] to take a breathtaking trip over dirt roads, thru canyons, etc. BEFORE you go,, ASK around in town to see if road is passable, at that time of year, for your car. I use a regular car to drive it in the summertime, but weather can change things. There is a small [ most of the time ] stream that you have to drive thru at the bottom of one of the valleys. Get out a walk around & look at it before driving across. If it seems a little too deep, pull the car up to the edge, & collect rocks to place across stream in from of the path of wheels, to get you across. Sounds more dangerous than it is. ANYTIME while traveling out West, carry plenty of extra water , cell phone, & snacks in the car. Some places it is over 100 miles to the next gas station, etc., thru the desert.
To see all what is important in AMerica you have to do some zig zagging. I'd sneak in Vermont. Cut across NY , see the Aidrondraks, Niagara Falls. Chicago. In St. Louis do some MTN riding on the Kady Trail. See Mt Rushmore in SD. . Cross thru Denver, see the ROcky Mtn. National park. Cross thru Nevada see Vegas. Nice riding near Canyonlands in So. Utah. See Grand Canyon and Yosemite en route to San Francisco.l Want a challenge ride a bike on the Eastern Sierra north of Mamouth Lakes, Calif, couple hundred miles north or Death Valley. Mamouth Lakes has a triathalon event come June. That is some of the best of America. If your family is used to Mtn bikes, Katy trail is flat and easy.
If you are taking a northern route, there are several nice rail trails in Wisconsin & Minnesota. Relatively flat and nothing like a mountain bike trail, but many families find them to be fun rides.
The Elroy-Sparta trail in central Wisconsin has 3 train tunnels and is very popular. Sparta has a bike museum. The Great River Trail just north of LaCrosse, WI runs along the Mississippi River and has some great views.
http://www.elroy-sparta-trail.com/
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/greatriver/
The Root River Trails in and around Lanesboro, Minnesota has a combination of paved flat rail trail and some hills.
http://www.rootrivertrail.org/
Go Northern route then come back souther route.
I would have to agree that to truly get an idea of the diversity of the country you almost have to zigzag through it, but then you could miss some truly beautifull places along the way. Personally, I think doing a drive across the north as you stated is a good idea to see Montana (it truly is big sky country), across Idaho and then into Washington (you'll go throught the city of Spokane via Interstate 90 here which is my home town). Spokane and North Idaho have some places where you can ride what is known as the "Centennial Trail", and it goes through the heart of downtown Spokane, and you can see the Water falls. Please note though that Spokane is pretty dry in the Summer, so if you are there much after the end of June there won't be much in the way of a water fall in downtown Spokane.
From there you can continue to take Interstate 90 all the way across the state to Seattle which takes about 5 hours of non-stop driving. There is a Northern route as well, and a Southern one that will take you more into Vancouver Washington, but I can't recall the roads off the top of my head. Once you reach Seattle you get to see Peugeot Sound which is very lovely, and then you can cross the Olympic Penninsula to get to the Pacific Ocean, and follow that down through the Oregon Coast (which is awsome!), and continue through Northern California seeing the Redwoods along the way.
Now this I believe is nearly a vacation in itself if you were to stop and see lakes, mountains, trails etc. You would, however, miss out on the Southwest, and as everyone has stated, really must be seen. I think if you are planning on driving back the way to do it would be to take a Southern route out there (less intense heat the earlier you are there), and a Northern route back.
Have Fun!
Tamara
The Katy Trail is a Rails to Trails route that goes all the way across Missouri along the Missouri river. From Hermann to St. Charles is the wine district; lots of wineries with free tastings. Bike rentals and they'll come pick you up. Packed gravel trail. The roads in the area aren't busy and very nice for cycling. Rolling hills and river flats.
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, about 30 miles south of Crescent City, California. Even in summer, the weather is cool and somewhat damp; days are often overcast. There are bike trails to the ocean, hiking trails to the ocean, 75 miles of hiking trails altogether, criss-crossing a gorgeous park with elk herds, a jungle of ferns, and the tallest trees in the world. There are several hike-and-bike campsites for anyone interested.
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