Ridefreemc

I have been planning my S-C trip all along from south to north so that I can take advantage of the fact that I will be near the route this April (flying out from FL for a different reason than bicycle touring). I was planning on getting on the Adventure Cycling Route near Big Bear in Southern California and then finishing up in British Columbia, just over the US/CAN border (visiting a friend).

For reasons related to my current employment I may look at the option of heading north to south, leaving later in the year. I would like to know what might be the best late summer or early fall time to leave, what is the latest you'd even consider leaving, and if there is any advantage StoN vs. NtoS?? Any other insights that may prove helpful would be appreciated.

It looks like Tioga Pass factors into the equation again, and average closing is November 5th. maybe there are other holdup points that I need to consider as well.

I have to do some financial analysis to go along with this too, so it may or may not work out, but the timeframe that you all offer will help me with my calculations.

Thank you.

Ridefreemc

I'm throwing a bunch of questions out there route wise, and I am working on some personal options (sabbatical, retirement, etc) so for those that think I am just wasting their time I am not (but maybe I'll change my mind again ). So, on that note of pre-apology, another idea is for me to ride home (to Florida) from Vancouver. Ever since my early teens I have wanted to ride across the country and this would not only satisfy that, but save on airfare .

Same question though - what is the latest to leave the West coast starting with the Northern Tier, and then heading south on TransAmerica or Lewis and Clark before it gets too cold (mostly impassable or dangerously cold)? My guess is that the TransAmerica would be out of the question in late October due to such high elevations along the route.

jrickards

If you're heading north, I think you need to be riding into warmer weather, ie, spring to summer. Whereas, if you're travelling south, you can't start too early so you might need to travel summer to fall. SoCal to Vancouver to Florida can be spring to summer to fall as long as you get south enough to avoid oncoming late fall temps. Vancouver to SoCal to Florida might be summer to fall to winter but traveling from SoCal to Florida in late fall to winter might not be so bad (however, I don't really know much about the climates in the southern states so there may be some significant considerations).

indyfabz

The NT might even be inhospitable starting in late October. While the North Cascades Highway would likely still be open, you could easily have snow. I crossed it in late May and encountered rain on the way up that turned to snow for both passes. The average nightly low in Wisdom, MT (on the TransAm at 6,000') for all of November is 11 degrees. Average daily high is 37. By the time you reached Yellowstone you'd likely freeze your tush off (close to single digit nights, days slightly above freezing, with snow on the ground), and most (if not all) of the campgrounds would be closed. BTW....There is a thread on ACA's forum about the S-C where one experienced person has opined that even May will be too early, especially due to El Nino.

treebound 

When I lived near Seattle it seemed like the first snows in the lower elevations of the Cascades would typically arrive around mid-October, but not uncommon to see temps below freezing and some snow in late September. If it were me heading north to south, I wouldn't want to leave after September, and more likely leave in August. If you're heading B.C. to Florida I'd probably be on the road in July or by mid-August. But that's all just from my non-bike touring viewpoint since I haven't done any extensive bicycle touring, I have motorcycled and backpacked a bit though.

See what others say before you decide. September can be nice in Washington, but after that it can get cold quickly in the mountains.

jamawani 

S-N starting in April - rarely if ever - and certainly not this year.
The high country in the Sierras does not melt out until late May or early June.
So a S-N start before May 15 is ill-advised.

As for N-S, it may vary, but late June to early July is the better starting time.
I would start no later than August 15 for a two month trip.

Ridefreemc

Sounds like my original plan to head out of the Joshua Tree area in late April is too early under normal circumstances (right Jamawani?), let alone during an El Nino year, is not going to work. Very good responses and I much appreciate them. I'm torn about when to leave, and a lot of it involves leaving my current job (which complicates things). However, it sure is nice to have options and not lock yourself into something.

Treebound - sounds like what you are saying is about what I was thinking would be safe. That is, to leave BC no later than mid-August. That would put me back in the southeast in November, which is still usually hot and muggy though. It would be nice to push the start until September 1, but I'll need to factor in those higher elevation areas of the NT, as they don't work like my 30 feet above sea level here in FLA Indyfabz - it sounds as though I really ought to clear out of the mountains by the end of October. I still need to look at the number of miles to get through the mountains, determine how much I want to ride per day, and then see how long before I drop to reasonable elevations. If it starts to get too cold then I can start riding south to get warm.