Bicycle Travel > Routes

northern tier route Aug to Oct.

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lisaj:
I am thinking of doing the Northern Tier route from west to east starting in late August.  Has anyone done this?  What are the weather concerns at this time?   Are campgrounds open in New England after Labor Day?  I think it would be great to ride through New England in the Fall.

jamawani:
Lisa -

I've done a couple of fall cross-country trips.
I started both in the Northwest - - BUT I headed southeast.

Already by mid-August the days are getting shorter.
They really get shorter after Labor Day.

Doing the entire Northern Tier in the fall in 10 weeks would be a stretch.
But doing a modified route ending in the Mid Atlantic would be quite possible.

If you wanted to stick exclusively to Adventure Cycling routes - -
How about - Northern Tier, Lewis & Clark, Trans Am?
Plenty of other possibilities.

John Nelson:
One advantage is that private campgrounds would tend to be less expensive in the autumn. I passed through New England in August, and the prices were sky high because it was still high season. They were just about to drop, however.

About campgrounds on the Northern Tier, the ACA says, "Some cyclists may want to do the eastern portions of this route during the colors of autumn. If you do, call ahead to verify campgrounds because many close after Labor Day."

As far as weather in New England, use Rochester, VT (on the NT route) as an example. In October 2012, the high for the month was 76, low was 24. Average high was 60, average low was 40. There was no snow there in October 2012, but they got 3 inches in October 2011 (all in one day). Of course, 2011 in New England was a year of record precipitation. It sounds doable to me.

About the Green Mountains Loop in Vermont, the ACA says, "Generally, the cycling season in the region can be extended into mid October as long as you're prepared for cool, crisp mornings and brisk evenings."

I did the NT in 9 weeks, but I had the benefit of long days. Up north, the days before the equinox are longer than down south, but the days after the equinox are shorter. By the end of October, there's only 10 hours between sunrise and sunset in Bar Harbor.

dkoloko:
I finsihed Northern Tier in Oct, 2003, riding west to east. I finished before maximum fall foliage color. I encounterd hurricane winds, hail, torrential rain, and snow flurries, with temperature down to the 20s. Many campgrounds were closed.

RussSeaton:

--- Quote from: dkoloko on January 10, 2013, 11:23:27 am ---I finsihed Northern Tier in Oct, 2003, riding west to east. I finished before maximum fall foliage color. I encounterd hurricane winds, hail, torrential rain, and snow flurries, with temperature down to the 20s. Many campgrounds were closed.

--- End quote ---

You don't make the NorthEast sound very pleasant for bicycling in the fall.  Personally, I think once you get outside the May-September period, you can easily experience bad weather anywhere in the north half of the country.  May can be wet and cold.  June-July-August can be hot and windy.  But the vast majority of the time the days are pleasant for riding.  I would not plan a vacation of riding in the NE or NW for October.  Or the upper midwest states.

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