Recommendation

[avrin]

2024 will mark the 50th anniversary of my intro to bike touring. If I wanted to celebrate with a 1 month trip in the US, what is "the best" route? If I wanted to celebrate with a 2 month route, what is "the best" route? My priorities are low traffic quiet roads, interesting varied scenery and beautiful mountaintop views. I also like easy logistics, which often means a loop that begins/ends not too far from a transport hub, but it could also be one way.  My own favorite over the years, was a figure 8 1,800 miler from Sacramento to Lassen to the Pacific Coast to Bodega Bay back to Sacramento and then to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, back to Sacramento.   Thank you for your inspirations.

[EmilyG]

The two trips I have had snugged away for when I want to revisit them would be a loop around Minnesota/Wisconsin, and a loop around Michigan. Or a combination of the two. Some of the most stunning rail trails in existence, beautiful back-country roads (Wisconsin's are especially smooth, designed for hauling milk, I heard!), accessible services, excellent water (the pump-wells in Michigan parks, especially)...   
It doesn't include mountain views, really, but the rest is there....   I look forward to seeing what everyone posts, for inspiration, too. 

[jamawani]

Which month/months?

[John Nelson]

Tough set of criteria. Mountaintop views suggests the West, because there are too many trees in the East for great views. But mountains means that there aren’t as many roads (because roads are hard to build in the mountains). Fewer roads means more traffic on the roads that exist. That suggests a low-population mountainous state, like maybe Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, or maybe Colorado or Utah or Northern California or Oregon or Washington.

[EmilyG]

Which month/months?

We were in the area in June, early July.    I'd lean into June, because it started to get brutal in July, and Michigan was getting a lot of thunder storms.   But these days, weather varies so much!   

[EmilyG]

Tough set of criteria. Mountaintop views suggests the West, because there are too many trees in the East for great views. But mountains means that there aren’t as many roads (because roads are hard to build in the mountains). Fewer roads means more traffic on the roads that exist. That suggests a low-population mountainous state, like maybe Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, or maybe Colorado or Utah or Northern California or Oregon or Washington.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the Adirondack region in upstate NY and VT.  I'll never forget seeing the "tallest MT in New York, and how very different it was from the tallest in Oregon where I live!!

[avrin]

I believe these two routes together are the most exciting for me:
https://www.bikepackingroots.org/northwoodsroute.html
https://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/north-star-route.html
for approximately 1,000 miles of riding.