Spring Break Practice Trip

[tswhosonfirst]

Hello All,
Four friends of mine and I are biking across the country this summer. We are wanting to do a week-long trip over spring break as a practice run. We are looking to get out of this bad weather that we have been having in north-east Ohio. We were thinking about going down to the Virginia area. Does anyone have any experience with the weather around there in mid March; we would be starting on the 16th? Would it be really cold and possibly snowy up in the mountains? Im sure it is really unpredictable, but I'm guessing that it will be better than staying in the Cleveland area.

Now about the route. I was going to make my own route, but because I do not know the area very well I was thinking about following one of the Adventure Cycling routes. The routes I was thinking about are either of the first two sections of the TransAmerica or the Allegheny Mountains Loop. We have road bikes so I was wondering if the Allegheny route would not be a good route for us because it sounded like there are some gravel trails.

Let me know what you think about the weather and routes, as well as any other information you have.

Thanks so much,
Tim

[Pat Lamb]

Middle of March is a crap shoot in VIrginia.  You could have anything from snow to 80 degrees and sunny.

In general, the tidewater is going to be warmest, and the mountains to the west are coldest.  I remember wearing boots to go from southwest Virginia to an interview in the piedmont, only to be embarassed when there wasn't snow on the ground when I arrived (and the boots were the only footwear I'd brought, because I'd seen nothing but snow for two months).

The further south you go, the better off you'll be as far as weather.  There's a good chance the weather will be pretty good in the southeastern quadrant of North Carolina, roughly Morehead City and south.  The coast of the Gulf of Mexico may be a 1.5-2 day drive from Cleveland, but it's a good bet for decent weather.

[indyfabz]

I have the maps for Allegheny Mountains Loop. Wider tires are recommended because there is not only an unpaved trail, but there are some gravel roads. The temperature chart for Blacksburg, VA shows an average daily high in mid march of around 55 with your average night being slightly below freezing. Colder in Glady, WV, which is nearly 1000' higher than Blacksburg.