The Route
The TransAmerica Trail
History
The TransAmerica Trial was established in 1976 to celebrate the US bicentennary, named the Bikecentennial. 4000 bikers showed up for the first ride, riding in groups of 10 or so. Motorbikes, 4x4s, and bicycles all explore the 4200 mile long route.
Since then, the route has become better known with new routes criss-crossing it across the US. Several ‘spurs’ have also been added to explore more national parks, conservation areas, and rivers.
Direction: East → West
Travelling East to West risks more headwinds, but with the weather being so changeable this feels like a small cost for the other benefits. The sun will be behind me during the day, and phenomenal sunsets (My favourite time of day!) ahead of me! I’ll save the exciting terrain for the last half of the trip, so I have something to boost morale and time to acclimatise. My early May beginning will avoid the hot summer on the American plains, and the freezing cold altitude of the western mountains by June.
The Trail
Starting in Yorktown, Virginia on the east coast I’ll follow the TransAmerica Trail through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho to finally finish at the west coast in Oregon. The trail avoids major cities, with a mix of backroads and gravel track making a more scenic, but longer and hillier, route.
The Rockies and The Appalachians are the two main mountain ranges to tackle, with risk of snow at high altitude even in the summer.
