Which Bike Tour To Do Next? Comparing Bike Tours
“So, which bike tour should I do next?”
That’s a question we get from a lot of folks after they’ve finished their first bike tour with us. (And no wonder, since we have lots of trips to choose from – more than 25 and counting!) Many of you have joined us on our popular 6-day Pittsburgh to D.C. bike tour . But did you realize that this trip is actually harder than our Colorful Colorado bike tour? There are lots of trips to choose from, so we put together this handy guide based on a few of our most popular bike tours!
* These comparisons are a measure of overall difficulty, not terrain. Rail-trail tours will be limited in the amount of climbing and grades by virtue of them being on rail trails, the difference in difficulty is derived from the daily mileage/ hours riding and the number of back to back days of longer mileage. The difficulty level will incorporate the inherent risks of riding styles, a road ride of 4 or 5 will most likely contain routes that are steeper grades and more traffic, a gravel ride of this rating will be technical and contain harder climbs of sustained length, a rail trail tour of this rating will be higher daily mileage sustained throughout the trip. So trips of equal difficulty will require a similar level of exertion within their riding environment. Throughout this page we have combined the tour styles, rail-trail, road bike, and gravel to allow you to see what other tours we offer that may be of interest to you based on fitness, with keeping in mind the inherent challenges and environments and skills needed of the different riding environments.
Here’s our collection of car-free rail-trail tours.
Our collection of road bike tours.
Our collection of gravel bike tours.
How to Compare Bike Tours across Mileage, Terrain, and Rating Levels
Here are the categories of our bike tours:
Easy: Flat or slightly downhill. 3-4 hours daily riding.
Relaxed: Flat to gently rolling routes. 3-4 hours daily riding.
Active: Flat to hilly terrain and moderate mileage. 4 hours daily riding.
Experienced: Longer mileage and mixed terrain. 5-6 hours daily riding.
Advanced: Epic routes for serious road cyclists. 6-8 hours daily riding.
Remember, the Support Vehicle is always around when you need a break!
You’re looking for an easy or relaxed ride: flat or gently rolling, short mileage, with 3-4 hours daily riding.
If you rode the Pennsylvania & Maryland Easy Rider or the Erie Canal tour, you want a cycling vacation with some riding and lots of time for other activities, like taking a historical tour or relaxing with a book in the afternoon. These laid-back trips are a great introduction to a cycling vacation.
Georgia Gold Coast (20-30 miles per day, flat roads)
Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay (25-50 miles per day, flat roads)
Cycling Florida’s Suncoast (20-30 miles per day, flat rail-trail)
Pennsylvania Pine Creek & Ghost Town Trail (27-36 miles per day, flat rail-trail)
Washington Olympic Peninsula (10-23 miles per day, flat rail-trail)
You’re looking for another active ride: flat to gently rolling routes, moderate mileage, with 3-4 hours daily riding.
If you rode the Great Allegheny Passage End-to-End, or the Katy Trail, you’re probably looking for a cycling vacation that gives you some time off the bike to explore, take photos or shop for souvenirs. This category is by far the largest! These intermediate rides will give you a good day of riding, plus plenty of time for sight-seeing on your vacation:
Colorful Colorado (35-50 miles per day, mostly flat with gentle climbs, rail-trail and road)
Idaho Coeur d’Alene & the Hiawatha (30-50 miles per day, mostly flat, rail-trail)
Iowa Trestles Tour (35 miles per day, rail-trails)
Kentucky Bike & Bourbon (20-40 rolling miles per day, roads)
Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay (25-50 miles per day, flat roads)
New York Finger Lakes (37-60 rolling miles per day, roads)
NY Seneca Lake Gravel Tour (30-40 rolling miles per day, mixed surface roads) *** a great intro to gravel riding****
PA Amish Country (25-40 miles per day, rolling roads)
PA Gettysburg & the Civil War (20-50 miles per day, rolling and flat roads and trails)
PA Great Allegheny Passage 5 Day (30-40 miles per day, rail-trail)
SD Mickelson Trail & the Badlands (18-45 miles per day, some hills and some flats, rail-trail and road)
TN Cycling Chattanooga ( 35-40 miles per day, rolling roads)
VA Colonial Williamsburg (20-55 miles per day, mostly flat, roads and rail-trails)
Washington San Juan Islands (19-30 miles per day, hilly roads)
Wisconsin Wanderlust (25-50 miles per day, flat rail-trails)
You’re looking for another experienced ride: longer mileage and mixed terrain, with 5-6 hours daily riding.
If you loved the amount of riding in the Pittsburgh to D.C. 6-day bike tour, these “experienced” trips will help you log some real miles on your cycling vacation.
CO Trinidad Gravel tour ( 30-49 miles per day, mixed surfaces)
NM Santa Fe & Taos (30-50 rolling miles per day, roads and trails)
New York Adirondacks (40-56 hilly miles per day, roads)
New York Empire State Trail (35 -45 miles per day, rail-trails)
Ohio Cincinnati to Cleveland (35-60 miles per day, rail-trails)
TX Big Bend Country (40-50 miles per day, road)
VA Shenandoah & Skyline Drive (30-53 rolling miles per day, road)
WV Wild & Wonderful Gravel Tour ( 35-45 miles per day, mixed surface roads)
Looking to really challenge yourself? Try this awesome Advanced tour!
If you’ve done the New York Adirondacks bike tour or the Shenandoah and Skyline Drive tour, you might be ready to step up to something bigger! The Colorado Kick Some Pass tour could be the one for you. Remember, the Support Vehicle is always close by if you need a rest!
Colorado Kick Some Pass: (35-97 miles per day, big climbs, on road) A truly epic cycling vacation with huge climbs, awesome descents, incredible views and excellent lodging.
Whatever bike tour you choose to do next, Wilderness Voyageurs is here to provide support and make your vacation fantastic! All of our inn-to-inn bike tours include a support vehicle, two professional guides, fantastic food and well-planned routes to incredible places. Join us on your next adventure!
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