The Adventure Cycling Association Southern Tier Bicycle Route is ACA's shortest
cross-country route and offers a wide variety of terrain, vegetation, climate, and people
across the United States from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. The route is rich in
human culture and history, ranging from the Spanish and Mexican influences in
California, to the ancient indigenous pueblo cultures in Arizona and New Mexico, to the
imprint of the Spanish conquistadors in Texas, to the bayous and French influences of
Louisiana, to the Old South of Mississippi and Alabama, to a four-hundred-year-old city in
Florida.. The route is a total of 3159 miles (5086 km) .
The Southern Tier Route can be ridden between early fall and late spring. In September
and May, there still might be some very hot weather to contend with at either end of the
route. Note that snow can occur at any time in the higher elevations in the Southwest
during the winter, and the highest pass in New Mexico is over 8,000 feet (2400 meters).
Riders doing a winter trip must remember that there will be short daylight hours. Due to
changing local conditions, it is difficult to predict any major wind patterns, but there are a
few known observations. In California, dry easterly winds predominate in the fall, blowing
west from the desert. In western Texas, winds from the Gulf of Mexico will cause
headwinds for eastbound riders. Hurricanes can occur from July through November
along the Gulf Coast and the Florida panhandle and can also hit the Atlantic seaboard.
ROUTE
After climbing away from San Diego on the California coast and topping out at 3,800 feet
(1160 meters), the desert appears. The route travels through the Yuha Desert and the
below-sea-level, irrigated Imperial Valley, before splitting the Algodones Dunes
Wilderness Area in half. In Arizona, the snowbirds abound as the route travels through
Phoenix, Arizona, and its surrounding communities, and the copper-mining towns of
Miami and Globe. The Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park east of Superior and the
Besh Ba Gowah Archeological Park in Globe are attractions not to be missed. The route
passes through dry, sparsely populated ranch country where every town will be a
welcome sight and a chance to top off water bottles. New Mexico offers Silver City for the
latte drinkers, along with the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, some of the best
preserved Mogollon cliff dwelling.
The ride along the Rio Grande River into El Paso, Texas, is a treat for bird lovers,
especially during migration season, when the birds are flying north or south. Texas
dominates this route, taking up an entire third of the mileage. Starting in El Paso, just
across the Rio Grande River from Juarez, Mexico, the route follows the river southward
before turning east and heading through the Davis Mountains, where some of the
friendliest folks on the whole route reside. Riders pass the McDonald Observatory atop
6,800' (2070 meter) Mt. Locke. There's a visitor center with daily tours, and evening "Star
Parties" three days per week. After the Davis Mountains, towns are few and the country
desolate, full of sagebrush and tumbling tumbleweeds. As riders travel through central
Texas, the terrain starts to feel like the Alps, but this is actually the famous "Texas Hill
Country." This diverse area serves some great barbecue and was the training ground for
Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner. Riders taking the spur into Austin,
Texas should make sure to go hear some of the diverse music available in the nightclubs
on Sixth Street.
Louisiana is like no other state in the United States due to its history, language, culture,
and food. First of all, they have parishes instead of counties. Traveling right through the
middle of Cajun country, in places like Mamou, a stop in a cafe is a trip unto itself. The
crowd is speaking English, but one can't understand the words. Visitors should try to hear
some lively Cajun music if they have the time. Mississippi offers rural riding all the way
into Alabama, where the route crosses a bridge to Dauphin Island. From there it's a ferry
ride across Mobile Bay to Gulf Shores and some of the whitest beaches in the world. If the
ferry is closed, there is an alternate route through Mobile, Alabama.
The scenery varies greatly across Florida, from the historic coastal city of Pensacola,
Florida, to the alligator-filled waters of the area around Palatka. The route ends in St.
Augustine, Florida, a city full of interesting buildings and the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort
that has guarded the city's waterfront for over three centuries.
Terrain
The route offers challenging terrain right from the start, with some longer climbs leaving
San Diego all the way up to In-ko-pah Pass, about 70 miles east of the Pacific coast.
There are two mountain passes in New Mexico, the highest being Emory Pass at 8,228
feet (2508 meters), which is also the route's highest point. The route just north of Silver
City, New Mexico, which goes to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, offers some
steep, challenging, climbs, as does the hill country west of Austin, Texas. East of Austin
the route flattens out as it meanders through piney woods, by bayous, along farmlands
and woodlots, and past the Gulf Coast all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
