Trip Summary Trip Dates: Apr 27 - Jun 13 Start - End Locations: Mobile, AL - Owen Sound, ON Canada/Shuttle to Toronto Days: 48   Rest Days: 8   Level of Support: Self-contained Miles: 2100 Average Miles Per Day: 53 Surface: Road Riders: 14 Type: Self-Contained   Meals: Shared cooking Accommodations: Camping Physical Difficulty: Intermediate   Airport: Mobile, AL/Toronto, ON Canada Cost: $2699 Booking Status: Closed

Adventure Cycling ran this trip on the new Underground Railroad (UGRR) Bicycle Route for the first time in 2007. The inaugural tour, and the route itself, attracted more attention than any project the organization has undertaken since the Bikecentennial in 1976, with the possible exception of the Great Divide. There are very good reasons this is so: The idea of tracing a “route to freedom” that escaped slaves may have followed 150 years ago or more struck an emotional chord with Americans. Plus, between Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico and Owen Sound on Lake Huron, there’s some great cycling to be had—hillier than some people expect it to be, but great all the same!

The 2,100-mile UGRR begins by winding north through Alabama’s Tombigbee River Valley, with its massive black gum forests, bald cypress swamps, and wildlife refuges teeming with bird and animal life. Pedaling along through the sultry Deep South in the springtime, it’s easy to envision the environmental conditions freedom seekers must have encountered on their treks.

Continuing north, the route enters the Tennessee River Valley, with its Civil War sites such as Shiloh National Military Park and Fort Donelson National Battlefield. From Fort Donelson, we’ll ride north through the scenic Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Soon we’ll cross the Ohio River, which was one of the many dividing lines between slave states and free states.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati highlights personal stories of some of those involved in flights for freedom. Following the Little Miami Scenic Trail rail-trail in southwest Ohio, we can contemplate the tranquility of the scenic countryside transposed against the struggles of the past. We’ll then enjoy some of the finest cycling roads on the entire route, set amid welcoming communities like Springboro, London, Oberlin, and Medina. On arriving at Lake Erie, we’ll head east to Buffalo, then ride into Ontario, Canada, past thundering Niagara Falls. The route ends in Owen Sound, on Lake Huron, a final destination for many freedom seekers.

You’ll be transported both emotionally and physically by this epic journey. Just consider these comments from the journals of some of last year’s participants:

“Folks, the tour is cracking up to be bigger and better than anyone could have imagined. I have said this so much that it sounds like a cliché, but this is so much more than a bike ride. And the scenery has been pristine. Lots of bovine, equine, and other domesticated animal farms. Very friendly people everywhere, too.”

“One highlight has been New Albany, Indiana. The Carnegie Center for Arts and History there has a permanent exhibit Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: Men and Women of the Underground Railroad in the Indiana and Kentucky Borderland. What a wonderful exhibit! And we met a retired couple riding the route from Mobile to Canada on a tandem. Pretty cool.”

“Being an African American male, to walk in the same footsteps of the men and women who made this trek, it’s unbelievable. It’s very important to me. The things Harriet Tubman and the other people on the Underground Railroad were able to do with so little support, it’s inspiring.”

And last but not least: "This was a tough bicycle ride. But it's nothing compared to what the people who were escaping slavery had to go through. You just have to keep reminding yourself that you've got it really easy. I would say the highlight for me were the people that we met along the course. They treated us so cordially and marvelously.”

Please join us for what has become an instant classic at Adventure Cycling: the self-contained Underground Railroad Bicycle Tour.

For more detailed information, see Self Contained trip logistics.

READY TO GO?
You can sign up for Underground Railroad now. Go to our online sign-up.

EXTRAS
For more information about the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route project, visit our UGRR web pages.