mattntp

I live in indisnapolis and am antsy to get out on a tour again. Any ideas of a place in the south or southeast that would be a good tour. Im looking for about 4-6 days 3-500 miles. Id prefer it to be no colder than 40F at night.

mr geeker

you could always do a bicycle tour of the grand canyon.

you could go to new-mexico and ride out to roswell, you could go to southern california and hang out at the beach while eating fish tacos... you could go to luisiana...

Booger1

I live in SoCal and go to the desert alot during the winter,Death Valley,Anza Borrego,Edwards AF base.....It can get real cold at night,teens and twenties,sometimes colder.So,just because it's desert doesn't mean it's warm.

Otherwise,the desert is nice in the winter,you'll have some me time.

fietsbob

Rim of GC gets Snow on it in the winter.. not much cycling at the bottom..

mev

Here is where I've done winter tours before:
1. In San Diego, I did the Christmas ride four different times. Good route and ~400 mile loop.
2. I did my own ride in Texas. I rented a car one-way to drive to Brownsville. Over the ensuing week I cycled to Dallas.
3. I've done organized rides in Florida. The coasts are busy and hectic, but the interior is pretty reasonable and quieter spots.

I've done the Natchez Trace in late October, but suspect the nights particularly on northern bits will be just a bit colder than you look for above. If you got yourself to San Antonio, I could see putting together a loop around to Del Rio and back. Similarly, I'd look for cities you could cycle between in southern US (e.g. start from place like Atlanta, GA and go roughly your distance and you'll be in Jackson, MS). Alternately, look up an organized ride like BRAG and see what cities they stopped in and plan a route along some of the same places.

mattntp

I'm currently looking into Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans and back. Am curious about AL, GA, SC. Any thoughts on those?

12bar

I am planning a ride from St. Augustine to Weeki Wachee springs.

Newspaperguy

Last winter, I flew to San Francisco with my bike. I rode north into the wine country around Santa Rosa and then south to San Diego, following US 101 and nearby side roads most of the way. It was pleasantly mild. Aside from one day with a headwind and one night and morning with rain, the conditions were ideal. The route took me two weeks, with time to spare.

This winter, I have another winter trip in the works, again in California, but most of it in a different part of the state.

trailz 

Ha!
Just posted a similar thread... Louisiana seems like it has the warmest daily temps of the SEast states (save Florida).

fietsbob

My friends, [Mgr of LBS & his GF] go to Panama and Costa Rica, this time of year..

trailz 

I believe the original poster (and myself) are planning on staying the in the continental U.S., in the southeast state. I've got very limited budget, and would prefer to drive (from here in Chicago). Still, one day I'd love to see Costa Rica.

rdaraujo454

Hey, did you think about the Ft. Myers area in Florida. They have many bike paths and almost all of the roads have large sidewalks. Also, if you want to get in better shape I found this awesome website that will actually create a personalized cycling animation work to meet your desired goals. exercisestogo.com - Rick

Western Flyer 

Hawaii!

k_randomfactor

It does actually get below freezing in the South ya know?

SC and North GA will, possibly, be cooler than you're looking for. South GA and AL will be warmer (usually) as you get closer to the Gulf. Not always warm, but warmer. I stopped for a couple hours shut eyeat a truck stop outside NOLA on a cross country drive a few years ago, and the temp was pushing 30F.

If you're looking for warm-ish weather in the southeast, south FL is where it's at during the winter. Again, not always warm (though it can be) but usually plenty comfortable. I spent Turkey Day with family outside Orlando two years ago. The day I left, I was walking around barefoot in shorts in FL that morning, and drove into 20F weather in the ATL that night. TN wasn't any better the next day.

fietsbob

PNW folks seem to think HI is part of the region..
https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...ific-Northwest

though its on the latitude of Puerto Rico ..

mattntp

I decided on a five day loop route from Greenville AL to Pensacola to gulf shores and back. found campgrounds along the way. planning on about 70 miles per day loaded, for a total of about 350. followed the route on Google and it seems pretty nice. just gotta fine tune the route now to include beer stops.

Western Flyer 

I would point out that Anchorage, Alaska is closer to Hawaii than Los Angeles, Southern California.

Aloha

seeker333

Not according to Google maps, HI->Anchorage = 2,770 miles; HI->LA = 2,550 miles.

Don't rely on appearance to judge distance on a Mercator projection of the Earth.

Western Flyer 

Hum? An old 49th/50th state myth maybe broken. Anyhow I live in Portland and according to Google it is just about the same distance as LA. Besides there is only one airlines that flies direct to the island of Hawai'i where my wife's family lives from PDX and that is Alaska Air. And where would you rather take a winter ride, in smog filled overcast LA or Paradise? I just returned from two weeks in the later and it was very nice!

Newspaperguy

How's the cycling on the roads in Florida? From what I've heard in the past and from some comments I've seen on these forums more recently, cyclists are not all that well received there. Is this true or is it an exaggeration? I'd like to hear from those who live there or those who have experience touring there.

tiretread

My Dad is retired in North Fort Myers and I've considered riding there several times. Traffic isn't too bad and main roads have huge shoulders on them. Of course, there are tons of "florida" drivers so you roll the dice anytime you get on the road with them. Near the beach areas there are great cycling trails and traffic is lighter.