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Sunday, May 20, 2012








A journey is like marriage.
The certain way to be
wrong is to think you
control it.
- John Steinbeck



ROUTE NETWORKS
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ACA ROUTE NETWORK
U.S. BIKE ROUTE SYSTEM
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ADVENTURE CYCLING MAPS
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MAP OF ALL ACA ROUTES
ADIRONDACK PARK LOOP
ALLEGHENY MTNS LOOP
ATLANTIC COAST
FLORIDA CONNECTOR
GRAND CANYON
GREAT DIVIDE
GREAT PARKS
GREAT RIVERS
GREEN MTNS LOOP
LAKE ERIE
LEWIS & CLARK
NORTH LAKES
NORTHERN TIER
PACIFIC COAST
SOUTHERN TIER
TIDEWATER POTOMAC
TRANSAMERICA
UTAH CLIFFS LOOP
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
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WESTERN EXPRESS
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About Our Routes & Maps
We've developed the best cross-country, loop, inland, and coastal cycling routes available, with turn-by-turn directions, detailed navigational instructions, and elevation profiles. The maps are also waterproof and sized to fit into a handlebar-bag window or jersey pocket.

  
   See map features.
Adventure Cycling maps include:
  • Service symbols indicating the locations of campgrounds, hostels, motels, gas stations, groceries, restaurants, post offices, libraries, and bike shops
  • Narratives with turn-by-turn instructions for traveling in either direction
  • Distances given in miles and kilometers
  • Contour lines providing a general idea of elevation gains and losses
  • Elevation profiles, with major ascents and descents indicated on many of our maps
  • Details about the natural history and cultural heritage along the route
  • A weather chart providing average monthly rainfall and mean temperatures at various points along the route
  • Large-scale detail maps of urban or congested areas
  • Summaries of riding conditions that include road surfaces, traffic volumes, and areas of caution
  • Our Online Addenda, where updates are always available and current
  • GPS waypoints can be downloaded for free

    These routes are available in 300 to 400-mile map sections, so you can plan anything from a weekend trip to a multi-month adventure.

    Our routes feature the backroads of America where you can experience the communities and rural landscapes that make our country unique. Our generous members and supporters are helping to create and maintain our legacy and gift to the nation -- the Adventure Cycling Route Network.

    THE NORTH ARROW EXPLAINED
    Our north arrow is not necessarily up as is common on most maps. It also changes orientation from panel to panel. This allows as many miles of the route as possible to be depicted on each map panel.

    There is a practical reason why we don't always put north at the top of the maps. In the following illustration, we have two index maps for section 4 of the Atlantic Coast Route. The one on the left (figure 1) shows the map panels as they exist. In the other (figure 2), panels are drawn so that all are oriented to the north (and still fit into a handlebar bag window). The 373 miles between Richmond, Virginia and Wilmington, North Carolina, that we cover now in 12 map panels would require 19 map panels. In addition, the 248-mile Outer Banks Alternate, which we squeeze into four, double-map panels, would now require 10 map panels. On north/south routes, it is evident that we would have to double the number of map panels we currently need to do a route. This would, in turn, double production costs and make the maps cost more.




  • © Copyright 1997-2012 Adventure Cycling Association. Photo by Dennis Coello.