antokelly

America coast to coast where does it start and finish how many miles is it and what is the usual time to cover the whole journey.

Pepper Grinder

starts on a coast, ends on the opposite coast, usually takes some time to finish.

keenancook

Pretty much nailed it.
But, to give you a little more help - most people start on the west coast and head east because of the prevailing winds. Makes it a little easier, but if you wanted to start on the east coast and go west, I'd say go for it. Takes anywhere from 8 or 9 days in the Race Across America, but going at a comfortable speed and daily distance like 60 miles a day, taking off a rest day every week, you could do it in around 2 months. Maybe 2 and a half or 3 if you want to take slightly shorter days, or take some time off to see and do things along the way. There's no rules in cycle touring - you just do whatever you want, go as far and as fast as you want, and enjoy it as you go.

BigAura

Generic: Atlantic Ocean to/from Pacific Ocean

Northern Tier: Anacortes, WA to/from Bar Harbor, ME

TransAmerica: Astoria, OR to/from Yorktown, VA

Southern Tier: San Diego, CA to/from St. Augustine, FL

tarwheel 

I am certain that cyclists have ridden hundreds of different routes across the US. However, the routes mapped by Adventure Cycling Association are probably the most commonly used. You can find information here:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/index.cfm

Adventure Cycling is a legit organization and well worth the membership fee if you considering riding across the country, in any direction, or numerous other tour routes that they have mapped.

valygrl

To add a little more, which route and which direction is the best depends on what kind of scenery you like, your tolerance for dogs and the time of year you want to do it. Do you have a time of year or a time constraint?

Also, you don't have to go coast to coast. Personally, I wouldn't go any further east than Denver. But that's just me, I can't stand the flat riding in the plains states. If you have 1.5 months, you could do the pacific coast. If you have more and you can start in May - June, you could make a big circle from San Francisco to Colorado, up to Montana (or go to Canada and ride the Icefields Parkway), then back through ID/WA and then down the coast to SF. ANyway, lots of things to do, coast to coast might not be the best ride, if you don't care about saying you rode coast to coast.

djb

Ant, dont know if you are seriously considering it, but a friend of mine rode across Canada many years ago, and I dont know, the idea had appealed to me in a sort of romantic way once, but that pretty much went out the window after I did trips in Europe or down the west coast (Oregon+California) and I realized I prefered areas where towns and such were closer together.
It might be diff for the United States, but there are parts of the Canadian West and much of the province of Ontario that are just too dreary and long for my tastes.
Valygirl has some very good suggestions, but in the end, its for you to do as much research of diff trips/routes/trip journals and see what turns your crank.

Jude

Are you referring to some specific ride or event called "America Coast to Coast?"

fietsbob

Tire wetting ceremonially, on this coast, is just a walk, (You may ride thru dry sand, but not me)
across the, *publicly owned, beach.

fietsbob

There is the Race Across America, minimum time is in the 9 day range.

zoltani

While you generally have a wealth of knowledge, you're posts are infuriating to read, and I don't even consider myself a grammar nazi. Seriously man, what is with all the commas?

keenancook

Come on, if you're going to comment on somebody's punctuation usage at least get your own usage down.

fietsbob

Washington the beach frontages are Property, to the tide line ..
Oregon's beaches on the Pacific, are, * historically part of the DOT,
before the New Deal And WPA,
there was no US 101, and some things had to move down the beach.

stuff your OCD, english majors , Bite Me!

zoltani

lol

zoltani

Double LOL

antokelly

thanks everyone ,no i'm not doing it just curious as to what was involved milage starting and finishing points.
i know a guy thats thinking of doing it next year and by the way he's talking about it he thinks it will be a piece of cake .bit of an aggogant attitude he is going fully loaded but wont sleep in a tent hostals/b@b /motels but no camping.anyway thats the reason i asked the question.

fietsbob

When they think about crossing the US, folks from the Small british Isles need to
keep the corner with the scale of the map in mind .

Australian Nullarbor plain with Brush .. may be similar.. long ways between watering holes..

Doug64

Quite true, and the same goes for shade!

valygrl

"Fully loaded" is commonly used around here (in the touring forum) to mean "with camping gear" - but there's no reason not to go fully self contained and sleep indoors, as long as your budget, planning skills and speed are up to it. There could be a few long days, a few short days to make other days less overly-long, and a few tense moments of wondering where you're going to sleep. 1.5-2 months would be a good estimate.

I think it would be fun to go with a very light load and sleep indoors, but the expense makes me uncomfortable, I'd rather spend that hotel money a different way and camp.

djb

Boy Doug, that photo certainly conveys well what you two were referring to!

Doug64

Yes, that is the eastern half of my own state. It was also 109F on one of the days we rode through it. Actually, it was a great ride. It was a little warm but good road, and contrary to the picture; the ride while challenging was not boring.

antokelly

what's the story on Dogs dog i can handle had to deal with one yesterday he was an angry sod nearly had my leg offbut yeah one i could handle but a pack that's a different story.

Machka 

He's going to have a tough time finding hostels in the US!! But there are do seem to be a lot of cheap (in both senses of the word) motels there.


(And yes, "fully loaded" implies that he is carrying camping and cooking gear)

Machka 

Here's a question, for anyone here ...

What is the fascination with cycling from coast to coast in a country?

I've thought about cycling from coast to coast in Canada and Australia, but I think the only way I'd want to do that is:
1) if it were part of something quick, like the RAAM or a PacTour crossing in the US.
2) if I had heaps of time so I could meander here and there as the whim took me, and actually see lots of the country.

valygrl

The southeast of the US has a reputation for having a lot of loose dogs, sometimes in packs, that may chase. Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee.... read some journals on crazyguyonabike to get an idea. I haven't ridden there, and that is one of the reasons. Some other places may have more than the normal number of loose chase-y dogs - I got chased a couple of times in South Dakota.

I find dogs tend to be a problem in rural / farm areas, on roads that don't have much traffic - just the kind of roads we cyclists like. The culture of the area can add to or subtract from the problem. I have a few stereotypes in my head (that I'm ashamed of so won't mention) about where you might find a lot of dogs, but I think it boils down to rural + poverty = loose dogs.

It's not something to really do much about, but personally I do avoid areas that I think might be particularly doggy, since I'm afraid of them, and they can tell.