Ty0604

Will be doing the Southern Tier in 2017 from San Diego ---> St. Augustine.

I've read all of the information on the ACA website and a few other places. Looking for experiences of people on here.

Biggest obstacles etc.

The ACA recommends leaving in early March to avoid the heat in the desert and hurricanes from Texas eastward. For those of you who've done it West ---> East, was this a good recommendation?

Looking forward to hearing from anyone who's done it!

Would be open to having a riding partner as well.

Note: My route will vary slightly from the official route. I have a close friend in Albuquerque so I'll be cutting NE at Silver City and rejoining the route somewhere near Hatch, all in New Mexico. Otherwise I plan to follow the route as closely as possible.

robow

May I suggest you contact "staehpj1" who posts frequently on these boards. Very nice fellow and a wealth of information, but I do think he went from east to west if I remember correctly. Also, go over to Crazyguyonabike.com and search "southern tier" and you should get some hits.

staehpj1

Thanks. Actually I went from W-E and I stopped in Pensacola Florida. A friend who had done the ST recommended starting in February and I did just that. I started February 12th and finished March 13th. It worked out well for me.

There are a few caveats though. First I very much prefer cooler weather and don't mind dealing with a little cold weather. Second there was frost quite a few nights and once it got down to 18 F overnight. I think it did get over 50 F every day though. I saw a dusting of snow on the side of the road a couple times on top of passes, but never rode on snow covered roads.

There is a chance for more snow than that, but I think waiting a day or two for melting would be the likely worst case. I guess there could be worse than that, but my understanding is that would be unusual.

I did meet several others doing it at the same time and they seemed happy with their choice too. On the other hand the young guy that I rode with some of the way was from south Florida and he *****ed some about the cold.

I'd do it again in that same time frame.

stevepusser

This time of year would also be ideal if you can deal with the rather short days and maybe some rather warmish temps in the desert. You can get strong easterly Santa Ana headwind events in the California section any time of the year except summer, and you don't want summer! Those are probably a bit more common in the fall and winter, though.

mev

I bicycled from West to East in 2001 (USA). I started in San Jose on March 1st and had snow in Julian on March 10th but overall it was nice time of year to ride.

This year I did a short section of Southern Tier. I came from the north via Albuquerque to Socorro to Show Low to Payson to Phoenix and then via the Southern Tier west from there to San Diego.

If you follow the Rio Grande Valley north from Hatch, you will have a 12 to 25 mile stretch of I-25 (described here: Socorro - A bicycle ride across the Americas) to ride to avoid poorly marked gravel roads. As interstates go, I found it easier than I-10 on ST route in Arizona.

BigAura

In 2010 I did an east-to-west trip which included much of the Southern Tier. I left February 1st from SC and finished mid-April in San Diego. Early on I did experience some unseasonably cold weather in the deep-south with nighttime temps in the teens and some light snow.

Here's my route.

I very much enjoyed the tour. I dropped down into Big Bend and highly recommend it. I also enjoyed diverting into Gila NF. I didn't do the big cities.

I was in the desert areas in March & early-April and and it was the perfect time, IMO.

Ty0604

Thanks for the information! February might be better timing for me so I'll keep that in mind. I'm glad it can be done this early. I saw temps in the single digits on my Portland2Portland run this year. My sleeping bag is rated for +15*F and, while I was a bit chilly in the single digits, it wasn't anything that bothered me. I sleep much better in the cold. The worst nights were when it only dropped into the low 80s.

Are you allowed on the interstate there? I rode on parts of 90 that forbid cyclist but wasn't bothered. I hate gravel roads. My bike is a true road bike so I try and avoid dirt/gravel at all cost. I'll check out the link later this afternoon. Thank you.

I plan to do Gila & Big Bend. I'm hoping to hit White Sands too but haven't looked at a map yet to see where it is in comparison to my route. Thank you for the information!

Everyone else; thank you as well for your replies.

bikemig 

Gila and Big Bend are both terrific. Roads tend to be gravel in Gila once you get up at altitude.

New Orleans can be a pain to cycle in and out of.

Ty0604

I'm not sure I'd ride into New Orleans. I might leave my bike somewhere and catch a bus there for a day though. Good to know all of that though, thanks! I haven't suffered any flats on gravel, just don't like how my bike handles.

mev

Yes, the signage is a bit ambiguous - both telling you bicycles are prohibited and that bicycles should use the shoulder. I actually entered the interstate at a point where the bottom sign was missing (but there wasn't another road). A local sheriff's vehicle passed me without stopping just after I passed the sign. Google Maps bicycle directions will give you gravel roads in this area, so if you want to avoid them, probably best to stay on interstate between exit 150 and exit 175 or swing way east.

staehpj1

Length of days is one of the reasons why I like to start mid February rather than mid November. By mid February the days have gotten more than an hour longer than they were for a late Fall or early Winter start. When I started the daylight hours were already something like 11 hours and 5 minutes and by the time I finished they were getting close to 12 hours.

shelbyfv

Need to pick up a few pair of sunglasses for the South....

saddlesores

the dangers from solar radiation are no laughing matter. it might be winter during
the crossing, but the uv hazards are still there, incredibly strong sunlight as you
move out west. proper protections for skin and eyes is important.

best to take a really good *expensive* pair of glasses, and a spare hidden somewhere
in your luggage. lose your uva/uvb protection sunglasses and you can burn your
retinas out. mostly small towns and truckstops along that route, good luck finding anything
other than cheap dimestore sunglasses.

i'd also advise keeping them on a leash around your neck. too important to lose.
and take care if you're staying in hostels or warmshowers with strangers. so easy
for good sunglasses to walk away by themselves or snuggle into a stranger's
luggage...by misteak of course.

you'll be kicking yourself for losing track of 'em....until you see 'em a month later
prominently displayed on some yokel's facebook page!

indyfabz

Or Instagram.

Ty0604

Wow haha I would take a photo of that just in case I got stopped. But it's also fairly hilarious. No you can't. Yes you can!

Hey @staehpj1; Did you bring a JetBoil or anything? If so how long did you keep it? And did you feel like it was really needed? I had one with me on my trip this summer but sent it home after getting across the Rockies somewhere near Mt. Rushmore.

staehpj1

I like to be able to have hot food so, yes. I took a home made pop can stove, a small pot, Guyot Designs MicroBites utensils, a bic lighter, and a P-38 can opener. The whole deal was under 10 ounces.

I typically cook something at least once most days. Often it is just instant oatmeal or Ramen noodles with tuna.

I have found it easier to find fuel for the pop can stove so I usually use it rather than a canister stove, but I have used an old MSR Pocket Rocket on some trips including the Trans America.

Ty0604

Thanks for the info. I'm not too concerned about hot food. Often I'm too tired to bother cooking anyway I feel like.