ssoward

Hello all,
My brother, a friend, and I are planning a cross country ride from San Francisco to New York City, and would primarily be riding on the trans-america and western express trails. Although I have examined the pdf version of the maps and I am planning on ordering the maps as well, I thought it would be helpful to get some advice from those who know about the trails or have ridden on them. Are these trails mostly paved, or are some of them dirt? Are they their own separate biking trail or do they share a road with cars? Do these routes pass through a decent amount of towns and or campgrounds (especially in the midwest) so one could plan on stopping at various locations?

Pardon for the long post, and thanks for any advice
Stephen

Gus Riley

The ACA TransAm Trail is routed from Astoria, or Florence, Oregon to Yorktown, VA (or vice versa). It is by far along public roads. The only gravel you will see on the route might be due to road construction, or you go off route somewhere. There is ample camping all the way across the Mid West....much of it is available in small town city parks. The ACA route maps detail most camping areas. Towns are generally all reachable within 30-40 miles. There are some areas in the west where a few towns are 60-80 miles apart. One such stretch is also in Kansas...I think that one is about 50 or 60 miles (62 miles from Sterling, KS to Lanard, KS).

Cyclebum

I guess you're referring to the ACA maps. They take most of the planning headaches out of touring, and for new hs grads like yourselves, would be a prudent investment. They'll likely save you their cost by pointing out free/low cost camping spots. I doubt that you'll find a dirt road anywhere in them. They will try to keep you on safe roads when practical, on scenic roads when practical, and do have a lot of interesting tid bits about the areas you'll pass through. You're not likely to get lost if you read them carefully. Plus, by cycling the ACA routes, you're sure to encounter lots of other touring cyclists, which might make the trip more fun. Or might not, depending on your attitude.

Check out www.crazyguyonabike.com as a good place to blog your tour. Would probably attract a large audience.

staehpj1

There were some optional dirt paths, but the whole TA is paved unless you opt for an alternate that isn't. Pretty much the whole deal is on the public highways. Personally I think it would be a bit of a shame to take the WE and miss much of the best parts of the TA. To get a feel for what the TA is like check out some journals on Crazyguyonabike.com. Maybe start with our journal.

Cyclesafe

The Western Express through Utah and Colorado is scenic also. Dunno about California and Nevada, but all countryside is beautiful in its own way. Some very short, but very very steep grades: those Mormon pioneers were tough hombres and hombreettes. Have plenty of water carrying capacity - several gallons for each rider - otherwise you might end up like some of the pioneers did. Lots of memorials along the way that will tend to remind you to water up.

ssoward

Thank you all for your swift responses! I have a better sense of what the trails are like and am planning on bringing lots of water as to not end up like past pioneers . Thanks also for the idea of using crazyguyonabike for a place to blog our trip, as we are very interested in blogging durning our trip.