The Western Express Bicycle Route is a 1579 mile (2541 km) bicycle touring route
connects San Francisco, California, to the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail in Pueblo,
Colorado. It provides a shorter mileage option (460 miles less from the Pacific Ocean
than the TransAmerica Trail) on a central cross-country route but challenges the rider with
extreme weather and riding conditions, as well as logistical obstacles. Those efforts are
rewarded, however, by experiencing some of the least visited and most magnificent areas
of the American West. The Western Express Bicycle Route was created and mapped by
the Adventure Cycling Association, an organization that promotes long-distance bicycle
touring. Combining the Western Express Route with the TransAmerica Trail forms a 3788
mile (6095 km) transcontinental bicycle route through nine U.S. states from San
Francisco, California, to Yorktown, Virginia.
ROUTE
From the metropolis of San Francisco, the Western Express Route passes through lush
agricultural valleys and climbs over the Sierra Nevada. In Nevada it uses "The Loneliest
Road in America," a term coined some years ago by a Life magazine writer. The route
then winds among the magnificent monuments and parks of southern Utah. It crosses
the spine of the Rocky Mountains over numerous passes to end in Pueblo, Colorado, the
gateway to the Great Plains.
This route can be ridden from mid-May through October, depending on weather. Carson
Pass crosses over the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 8,573 feet. Snow can also fall at
any time in the Rocky Mountains, and the highest pass is over 11,000 feet. Local
conditions and mountain ranges affect winds, so it is difficult to predict any major wind
patterns. Dust and sandstorms will occasionally occur in the deserts of Nevada and Utah.
Sections 2 and 3 of this route (Nevada and Utah) are considered difficult due not only to
steep terrain but also due to lack of water, temperature extremes (as high as 100
degrees Fahrenheit in the summer), and long mileages without services.
After the food and fun of San Francisco, a relaxing ferry ride eliminates a hard day of urban
cycling and deposits the cyclist in Vallejo. The route parallels an interstate and winds
through suburbs to Fairfield and then passes through rolling, verdant agricultural areas
before turning east. Urban riding conditions prevail along the section from Davis through
Sacramento, Folsom, and Placerville. Separate bike paths, which start in Davis and
extend through Sacramento to Folsom, provide welcome relief from busy surface streets.
Wineries abound east of Placerville and the route begins to climb the Sierra Nevada
foothills to the 8,573 foot Carson Pass. It then descends into the historic mining region
around Carson City, Nevada.
People watchers will enjoy a casino visit in Carson City, assuming they don't plan to
finance their trip there. Here the route joins U.S. Highway 50 into Fallon, where the
challenging part of the route really begins. A dozen climbs await the rider on "The
Loneliest Road in America" as it traverses the roller-coaster range and basin country
paralleling the route of the famous Pony Express. Nevadans are noted for their
self-reliance, hospitality, and whimsical sense of humor as evidenced by such unique
attractions as the "shoe tree" and the "Post Impressionist " (fence post) art between
Baker and Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park.
East of Cedar City, Utah, the route passes through some of the nation's most isolated
communities and several of its most spectacular scenic wonders. Take some time to
explore Cedar Breaks National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument, and Natural Bridges National Monument; Bryce Canyon National Park and
Capitol Reef National Park; and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. To even the most
experienced of travelers, these natural sculptures, spires, buttes, and canyons are no
less than humbling. The Utah portion of the route could be a worthy destination in itself.
After passing through the bean-growing capital of the nation in southwestern Colorado,
the route swings north and then east through the small tourist communities of the
Rockies where one can always find an espresso and a ski hill, however modest. The
route traverses forested mountains to Salida and from there into the narrow valley of the
Arkansas River to Cotopaxi. Here the route leaves busy U.S. Highway 50 and winds
through quiet wooded foothills until reaching Pueblo.
Terrain
The route lets you warm up for 150 miles before the first major climb over Carson Pass at
8,573 feet. Nevada offers almost unlimited sight lines across wide valleys before
ascending and descending a pass into the next valley. The terrain through central Utah
becomes steeper, with grades varying from 6 percent to 14 percent. In Colorado the route
follows several river valleys, though for the most part you'll be either climbing or
descending.
