Bicycle Touring 101: How do I plan my route when touring?

"I've been pouring through your tours in chronological order so far, and while I've many curiousities, one question stays with me. You have often stayed at campsites on your tours. Do you plan in advance which sites and where? If so, what info source did you access to find them (ie websites, books, etc.) or was it more a spontaneous daily decision? Thanks!"

This is actually the most common question that I receive via emails and guestbook entries so I've decided to add a section to the site that talks a bit more about how people plan their tours.

The "Planning your route" survey was recently added to the site to give people a chance to provide information about how they plan their tours. If you have gone on a bicycle touring adventure then please consider adding your answers to the survey. Upcoming articles will discuss some of the options that other people use that I don't.

My trusty compass and a section of DeLorme's Gazeteer map of Michigan used during my recent Round Lake Michigan tour.
Click to enlarge.

My preplanning for a tour usually consists of packing my gear, picking up some backroad level maps of the area I plan to tour and making sure that I have a trusty and reliable compass along with me. If time allows then I will occassionally look into what guidebooks are available and do a bit of research, using the internet, of an area of particular interest.

My interest in the guidebooks is not focused on seeing the route that's been chosen. I like to look in the guidebooks to see if more background about an areas historical and cultural background is available.

Since I enjoy reading bicycle touring journals I also tend to remember journals that went through an area before me and sometimes I will notice litty nuggets of information that make me want to visit a particular place.

With my increasing enjoyment of taking pictures on tour I am also starting to look for the location of waterfalls and other places of scenic interest although I often seem to find appealing places just by riding along.

Once the tour begins I rarely bring along guidebooks or other region specific books. Usually I have only the backroad level maps and my compass to guide me. For tours in the United States I have enjoyed using the De Lorme Gazeteer map books. I take only the pages that I am likely to need with me when I tour. Of course this means that sometimes I am missing a key map but most of the time I have what I need. In Canada I use the maps available from Backroad Map Books. I haven't travelled in Europe yet but I understand that Michelin maps are very good to use over there.

For my Great Lake tours I also carry a 8.5 X 11 inch high level topographical map. This map gives me a rough indicator of the type of terrain I will hit as I go around the lakes. This is useful if I want to head away from the lakeshore for awhile. Instead of wondering what I am likely to hit I can instead see at a glance that heading inland at this particular spot will lead to hills or flatlands.

So far this has never been a problem for me. I like to think that this comes down to being prepared for a variety of options. When near large urban centres I will generally look for a commercial campground, state/provincial park or a motel. Once I reach more rural and remote areas then I add Stealth camping to the mix. Although Stealth camping is an option in the more populated areas I prefer not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Stealth camping is a wonderful option since it basically allows you to keep pedaling until your ready to stop, looking at places of interest and meeting people along the way. I break no laws when I do stealth camp and I also practice "Leave no trace" camping.

So far I haven't run out of food. With the addition of the Bear Keg this year my food is also more secure and much more protected from both animals and wet weather. My personal safety has been enhanced as well. There is plenty of space within the container to store several days of food. All it takes to keep hunger at bay is to stop at grocery stores every so often to restock. I always keep at least one dehydrated meal available as a last resort.

I carry a water filter with me on most bicycle tours although so far I've never HAD to use it. I carry a total of 3 large water bottles and a 1.5 litre waist hydration pack. This gives me 4.5 litres of water which has so far been more then enough to get me to another water filling opportunity. If I had to cross a desert or other area where water is hard to find then I would add more water to the bike prior to crossing the desert. I would either purchase large bottles of water or take along an extra water bladder or two when packing.

The only places that worry me a bit is routing through large urban environments like Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo where there are many people in a relatively small area and all you ever hear on the radio about those places is bad news. In reality I've found people to be pleasant to be around in most cases.

The important thing is to keep your senses sharp so that you can hopefully detect danger before it reaches you. The best preplanned route in the world can not replace your awareness of what is happening around you.

You'll find by reading journals that many cyclists simply avoid the large cities whenever it's convenient to do so. Why deal with the extra traffic etc if it provides you little value in return. Riding on the open roads of the rural environment is often more rewarding for most people.

I wake up in the morning and basically determine the rough compass direction that I want to follow. Since most of my tours have been circle tours that start and end at the same point this is easy to do. Once I have my compass direction picked out, I take out the two or three detailed backroad maps that I will need for the day and place them in the handlebar bag map case with the currently needed one on top.

As I leave camp I look at the map and pick out the smallest though road I can that goes in the direction that I want. If I desire a breakfast that's cooked for me at a restaurant then I'll head towards a major highway instead so that I can find a restaurant along the way. Generally once I leave the restaurant behind then I also gravitate towards the quieter, more scenic roads.

As night begins to approach (roughly three to five hours before darkness) I think about the kind of sleeping that I would like to do that night. Do I feel like crashing in an air conditioned motel room in a large city so that I can take a rest and exploration day there the next day? Would I like to camp in a commercial campground or a state/provincial park and meet some more people or would I prefer to Stealth camp alone in the woods surrounded only by the animals that live there?

This decision will often shape my next routing decision during the day. If I am heading for a motel then I aim for a major highway since the motels are often located near the outskirts of cities along the major routes.

State and Provincial parks are often marked on maps so they are relatively easy to aim towards. Commercial campgrounds are more difficult requiring you to watch for signs and/or ask questions of people that you meet. Usually the signs are near the larger roads so once again you route towards traffic.

Stealth camping relies on being left alone to enjoy nature. The quieter roads often seem to have an abundance of opportunities for you with less chance of being spotted during the tricky setting up stage.

As I fall asleep or write up my journal entry for the day I think about my current location and determine what direction I am likely to follow the next day. This is never a final decision because weather conditions the next day can sway my decision as well. There has been more then one day when the opportunity to swim in a cool lake during a hot day or to let a tailwind push me has changed my direction of travel in the morning.

Ever get lost or experienced other wierd things as a result of your routing method?

I prefer to think of getting lost as having an unexpected adventure. Usually it happens once during a tour and generally is resolved within fifteen minutes. I have a reasonably good sense of direction especially when assisted by the compass and since the maps are so detailed I can usually find my location once I reach a marked intersection or river crossing.

During my Round Lake Erie adventure I experienced the thrill of having roads disappear on me. It turned out that the bicycle specific map I was using was based on an older base map then the ones you would currently find in gas stations that weren't cycling specific. In a couple of cases the roads simply ended in reality while the map showed them as existing.

When routing through large urban environments I stay close to the more busy roads. They tend to go straight and seem to be less problematic.

It is important to note that according to the survey results shown so far my routing method is not the most common one although it very much does work for me. Upcoming articles will discuss other resources that are available to help you to more effectively preplan your route.