chefisaac

Whats your favorite time of year to tour and why?

I am thinking I might like Spring and Fall and perhaps Winter depending on the weather. Summer on the East Coast is so humid that I may die in a tent. I moved out here from a place that had no humidity and the last two summers I've been out in NJ, the humidity is a miller. Yikes.

So what season do you prefer to tour in?

staehpj1

I figure that any time of year you can go somewhere it is nice, even if limited to the continental US. So the choice is extremely location dependent. Since you mentioned New Jersey, I'll say that for the mid Atlantic October is my favorite time to be outdoors. That would also be true for a lot of other areas, but in some it might still be hot while in others it may already be freezing. For the Southern Tier I would pick late February and early March. For other areas I'd pick different times.

Bekologist

Autumn. Less crowds, bugs, traffic, heat.

escii_35

Sub 1 month trips

Post Labor Day until Daylight Savings Day

bradtx

chefisaac, Fall and spring are best if I'm looking for great photographs because of the lighting. It's tough for me to get away for even a weekend so daytripping is a four season activity in my area.

I think it's more difficult to adapt to an area with higher humidity than what one's used to than the other way 'round. When I moved back to Texas from Connecticut it was a noticeable energy drain the first summer.

Brad

Cyclebum

Anywhere it's Fall. Nice temps, low chance for rain, colorful folage. OTOH, too much of that can get boring. 22 degree mornings, 108 degree days, and 40 mph head/tailwinds are memory makers.

MichaelW

Sept is my fav month, it is dryer, less windy, comfortable temp, pretty foliage, less crowded, cheaper. The quality of the light is much better for photography than August.
I have been lucky in April in the UK, sometimes dry, sunny with the flowers just bursting through, but spring is usually less reliable than fall for good cycling weather.

xyzzy834

July and August in the US for me. All of the campgrounds and other facilities are open. The days are long and the nights are warm. The heat guarantees the lightest clothes will be sufficient. No need to pack that jacket and long pants. A minimal sleeping bag will do. I've taken only the fleece liner before.

They are typically dry months, except for the occasional thunderstorm. I can often pitch my tent without the rain fly.

antokelly

summer

Doug64

In the Pacific Northwest it is hard to beat September and early October. As Pete said, it is somewhat location dependent.


The southern portion of the Pacific Coast Route, San Francisco to San Diego, is really nice in early May. We've cycled across the high desert country of Oregon Idaho, and Wyoming in July with maximum temperatures reaching 109 F. It was tolerable because of the <20% humidity.

I really enjoy the summer months as long as I can ease into a high humidity area. That is my main argument for riding any cross country tour from west coast to east coast.

fietsbob

NW coast dry season is july thru september, often .. wet October to Junuary..

That being said, I was OK with starting a Tour of Ireland in last week of February.

was in a little Village in Co Kerry on St Paddy's day..

Machka 

At some point between January 1 and December 31, depending on the hemisphere we happen to be in, and depending on where we are in that hemisphere.

antokelly

did you get wet

fietsbob

Where I live, it't the Norm,

the parade there featured many people with clear raingear, so the colorful dresses were still being shown off.

Lived in My rain gear thru to June, also pretty much like here.
crossing from Donegal to Co Derry it was snowing /soft hailstones on may 1.
Fortunately a following wind..

Big Lew

Northern parts of Western North America in June. Lower half of British Columbia and south including western pacific States, April-May or September.

Western Flyer 

And less sunlight

I pack a mini-candle lantern for visual warmth during long evenings.

I have been touring late summer and early fall for a number of years. Besides being easier to find campsites than in the summer, I miss much of the Grand Pas d'action with the RVs and motor-homes. One drawback to fall touring is it puts me squarely into hunting season. I do fine with the bow hunters but when the modern firearms season starts and the assault weapons come out I call it quits. I get a little nervous riding on Forest Service roads when bullets are cracking through the branches and trees.

adventurepdx

Another vote for post US Labor Day (1st Monday of September) through mid-October, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. The weather is still great and the tourist traffic drops drastically. The only real drawback to this time of year is the shorter days.

alexaschwanden

Spring and summer, I like warm weather.

Newspaperguy

It depends on the tour.

If I fly in to a warm-weather location, touring in January and February is great. That time of year isn't so good in places like northern Saskatchewan where it will be cold and snowy or the Pacific Northwest where it will be cool and rainy.

On Vancouver Island, any time from early spring to late fall is great. Inland, the middle of April to the beginning of October is good. In the Arctic, July is phenomenal, if for no other reason than to experience the midnight sun.

Rowan

For me, irrespective of place, this is the important aspect. Cycling amenity on the road and ready access to uncrowded camping grounds or other accommodation is really, really nice.

We struck it lucky weather on our car trip across the US north to south in the past six weeks, but the best part was not having to elbow other tourists out of the way to get a view or picture of places such as the Grand Canyon, Moab, and Bryce Canyon (among many others). And we had no trouble getting accommodation anywhere, although the campgrounds in various parks were closed; hotels were offering shoulder or off-peak rates, so that also was an advantage.

Of course, the weather turned bad the day we arrived back in BC... but based on what we saw on the west coast and particularly in California, I would have little trouble doing a coastal tour (with adequate bedding and clothing for cold nights) anytime between September and December.

In Australia, anytime from February to June and even into July is good for touring. In fact, despite the coolness and reduced daylight hours, the bright, windless sunny days in May and June can be wonderful. Many are the Sundays I have spent lollygagging on the Derwent River in yacht races, waiting for zephyrs to get the boats moving.

jabantik00

summer. long days, hot weather.

Newspaperguy

I prefer out-of-the-way destinations where traffic isn't too heavy. Still, summer here is the time when the motorhomes are on the roads. Too often, these rigs are being driven by people without a lot of experience handling something so big. After Labour Day, traffic drops off considerably. It's also light before the May long weekend. June isn't too bad on the roads, but it's also a busy time of year for me, so I can't take time for touring until the tail end of that month.

Neil_B

Spring. No, wait, Summer. On more thought, Autumn. Nah, Winter. Yes, that's it. Then again Spring.....