Tour Ideas?
 

Looking to do a self supported tour this spring where my buddy and I fly into a place ride for 7-10 days and then fly home. We live in Denver, and would dig something a little out of the ordinary. I was looking at Banff but the cost to get there was high. Any suggestions from you experienced tourers?

The goal is :

see new stuff
go somewhere we haven't been
camp
ride 60-80 miles a day
have fun (which could include other fun activities along the way i.e. canoeing)

"Banff" and "spring" could equal "snowy". :D

A less expensive version of that trip would be to fly into Calgary and cycle from there. I just wouldn't recommend doing it before mid-May. For one thing, there won't be much open in the way of campgrounds etc., and it could still be quite cold and snowy. However, if you are planning to ride mid-May or later, then I'd recommend something like Calgary to Banff, Banff to Radium, Radium to Golden, Golden to Lake Louise, Lake Louise to Banff, and back to Calgary.

Otherwise, for 7-10 days, a relatively inexpensive trip would be to fly to London (Heathrow) and do a bit of cycling around England.

Or you might consider Vancouver Island ... but it does tend to be a bit rainy there in the spring.

What kind of spring are you talking about? Early? Late?
March is perfect for Death Valley and the Mojave National Preserve.
Fly into Vegas on Southwest real cheap.
April - southern Utah - Zion and Grand Staircase - not the high country.
Again Vegas and maybe shuttle into St. George.

If you want to go east - spring is the perfect time to ride the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Very different than Colorado.

[QUOTE=Machka;5538289Otherwise, for 7-10 days, a relatively inexpensive trip would be to fly to London (Heathrow) and do a bit of cycling around England.[/QUOTE]

British Airways has a non-stop from DIA to London Heathrow, the fares seem to drop quite a bit when the big ski resorts close and jump back up June 1. They're one of the last airlines to take bicycles for free.

Fly into London, take a train to Wales, cycle the Lon Las Cymru (Welsh National Cycle Route) between Cardiff and Holyhead, train back and fly home. Probably more hostels than camping, but it's an excellent route.

www.nationalrail.co.uk for train information

www.sustrans.org.uk for maps and cycling info

mark

I like to get away early spring too.
Check out some of the places I've been too on my website.
You'll see my itinerary, route maps, photos and other links etc.
If you're comfortable in a non english speaking country.
http://www.geocities.com/pathebikeguy

It doen't involve flying (from Denver, anyway), but have you done the Kokopelli Trail? If you don't want to do a commercial tour you could split up the support driving among your group. There are dirt roads that will reach the Kokopelli Trail from the main highway that you could use to drive food and equipment to the various campsites.