LA (or San Fran) to New York - From March 2012

[backpacktobikerack]

Hi there,

I am currently backpacking through Australia and will be arriving in LA in March and plan to cycle to New York in time for my flight back to the UK in late July. (There's a lot more to the story than that but that's on my website for anyone who's interested.)

My preliminary route is:

Los Angeles
San Francisco
Yosemite NP
Sequoia NP
Death Valley NP
Las Vegas
Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon
Four Corners
Washington DC
Philadelphia
New York City

I am aiming for around 50 miles a day, starting much lower before building up - perhaps with the odd century thrown in. I'm sure there must be some people on here who have cycled similar routes and can offer advice on maps, roads, weather, campgrounds etc.

As a novice British cyclist, any advice is welcomed.

Many thanks,
Alex
www.backpacktobikerack.com

[aggie]

The route that would seem to make the most sense would have you start in SF and skip LA.  This would be the most direct route considering what you want to see.  This is also a good time to see Death Valley as it won't be too hot.  There may be snow in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountains so you may not be able to travel some of the roads (passes).

[litespeed]

I agree with Aggie. Also, bicycling from LA to SF will likely mean headwinds. Everyone cycles southward on the west coast. San Francisco down the coast to about Morro Bay is really worth seeing - beautifully scenic. You could do that then cut NNE to Yosemite. This is a bit circuitous but would give the snow some more time to melt.

[bobbys beard]

i'm from the uk and have biked from LA to San Fran twice. The wind was absolutely fine on both occassions. Nothing compared to winters on the hills in Somerset. Fog was an issue though, but that occurs in both directions!! It's a beautiful route and I'd recommend doing it!!

[FredHiltz]

The constant north wind along the coast, which gets so much mention here, happens in the summer. It is circulation around a persistent low pressure over the hot central valley. When you're there, it will be like any coastal weather: a bit of everything.

Fred

[backpacktobikerack]

Thanks for all your replies. I think it will depend on where I can get the best deal on the bike etc on whether I do the LA to San Fran leg or not.

It should be fairly straightforward with the ACA maps and a GPS (like Garmin Edge 800?)? I've done a couple of training rides in Sydney and Melbourne and got completely lost both times!

[Pat Lamb]

It may be possible to get lost with the ACA maps, but most of the time it's trivial to stay on route.  Try to get a cyclocomputer, calibrated, and then you just have to do a bit of mental arithmetic at worst.

I'm a GPS skeptic.  You'll need to have a computer of some sort to get a route onto a GPS, for one thing.  For another, some models warn you NOT to recalculate a route, as the GPS will try to get you off the back roads AC runs you on, sometimes with, erm, interesting results.

[bobbys beard]

i didn't bother with a map for the whole of the pacific coast and i met many people who didn't either. the only times i got lost were around monterey and santa barbara. i did use a compass sometimes though!