With 2022 lining up to be the busiest travel season ever, those who haven’t booked a summer vacation yet may already feel they are missing out. For those still undecided on where to go this summer (or hesitant to travel too far from home) we have compiled a list of biking tour destinations that explore the natural wonders and culture of America.
Intrepid Tours
Cycle Washington's San Juan Islands - Combine cycling, stunning coastline, relaxed island life and the best that western Washington has to offer. Ride quiet roads from delightful fishing villages to the pristine waters separating the USA from Canada. With great weather and scenery and marine wildlife second to none, the San Juan Islands are a cyclist's paradise. Off the bike you’ll find fascinating history, friendly locals and amazing cuisine – this cycling adventure takes in the best of it all at a pace everyone can enjoy. If you're looking for an unforgettable cycling vacation away from the stresses of everyday life, then this is it.
Cycle Sonoma & the Napa Valley - Combine wine, rugged coastline and the best Northern California has to offer as you cycle from stunning wine country to epic redwood forests and on to the rugged Pacific Ocean coast. With great weather, breathtaking scenery and over 500 vineyards, the valleys of Napa and Sonoma are a cyclist's paradise. Off the bike, you’ll find wine tastings, amazing cuisine and a wealth of history to experience, and this cycling adventure takes in the best of it at a pace set to enjoy rather than race, making it a trip for every rider. If you're looking for an unforgettable vacation for all five of your senses, look no further.
Cycle Utah: Bryce & Zion National Parks - Combine cycling, stunning rugged landscapes and laidback Southwestern life and you get some of the best that Southern Utah has to offer. Ride winding roads through iconic Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, past red rock canyons, sandstone cliffs and through sprawling forests, or escape the crowds and enjoy the endless vistas of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Snow Canyon State Park. With great weather and scenery, the cycling here is second to none. Off the bike you’ll find some of the country’s best hiking as well as fascinating history, friendly locals and authentic cuisine – this cycling adventure takes in the best of it all at a pace everyone can enjoy.
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Family Tours
Adventure Cycling Association is offering its Family Adventure tours in summer 2022, with two departures of the new Cape Cod Family Adventure and one departure of the Idaho Trails Family Adventure. Family Adventure tours are designed to help introduce parents and their children to the transformative power of bike travel with the support of tour leaders, catered meals, accommodations, luggage transport, and more. Departures are available in July, starting at $699 per adult and $499 per child.
On Adventure Cycling’s Family Adventure tours, children must be accompanied by adults, and adults must be accompanied by children – parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and groups of friends with their children are all welcome. Children must be between the ages of 8 and 17 years old at the time of the tour.
Tour highlights include:
Cape Cod Family Adventure (new), July 9-12 and July 14-17: Experience four action-packed days while exploring beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from Provincetown, at its northern tip, to Upper Mill Pond, near Brewster. At the core of the trip is nearly 100 miles of great cycling, including traffic-free paved trails such as the Cape Cod Rail Trail and the Head of the Meadow Trail. Participants can even take some time off the bike to go swimming and hiking, and try stand-up paddleboarding. Starts at $699 per adult and $499 per child.
Idaho Trails Family Adventure, July 17-22: On this six-day tour, ride through the gentle terrain and gorgeous scenery of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes as it follows an abandoned Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way past lakes between the Silver Valley, near the Montana border, and Plummer, not far from the Washington border. Also spend a day on the Route of the Hiawatha, which originates in Montana and then crosses the state line into Idaho in the middle of the 1.7-mile-long Taft Tunnel. Starts at $1,099 per adult and $799 per child.
To find out more about Adventure Cycling’s Family Adventure tours, read their full descriptions and register, visit their site.
Tour operator VBT Bicycling Vacations has compiled a list of their legendary biking destinations in the US. Some of these destinations have been driven by and flown over for decades, which means fewer crowds exploring the road less traveled. If biking isn't your thing check out their sister company Country Walkers which offers walking tours.
E-bikes are available on all VBT itineraries, and an added bonus: since VBT take care of all the logistics, there’s less stress involved when it comes to planning (in case the past two years have left one a little rusty in that department!).
Mississippi: The Natchez Trace (VBT, Guided) – ponder the legacy of the Civil War at the ruins of the Windsor Plantation, relive the Siege of Vicksburg with a local historian on a guided tour of Vicksbury National Military Park, visit one of the largest Native American ceremonial sites Emerald Mound, and marvel at stately antebellum homes.
Maine: Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park (VBT, Self-Guided) – explore Acadia National Park, browse Bar Harbor’s shops and art galleries, ride through unspoiled landscape of rugged coastline, forested coves and idyllic fishing harbors, and sample mouth-watering dishes infused with Maine blueberries.
California: Wine Country & the Pacific Coast (VBT, Guided) – enjoy private tastings at some of the most renowned wineries in the region, bike along the Pacific coastline and into the rolling countryside blanketed with grapevines, explore Healdsburg and some of the most charming Spanish Colonial towns in the West, cycle the Napa Valley Trail, and more.
Arizona: Saguaro National Park & the Sonora Desert (VBT, Guided) – soak in sprawling desert landscapes and ride across vast, versatile ranges. Enjoy picnics and tastings in winery row, bike among the cacti of Saguaro National Park and Tumacácori National Historical Park, and savor local cuisine infused with Native American, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo-American influences