Life In the Big Green Jolly

Embrace local. Explore often.

Our favorite bike tours

Cyclist sitting on guardrail beside two bikes with ocean in background

Cycling is life.  Or maybe cycling is (almost) more important than coffee.

At any rate, we have ridden many organized and self-planned bike tours ranging from 1-day rides to week long rides. Below are some of our favorite bike tours.

For a general run-down on how to choose a tour and the difference between organized and self-planned tours, see our guide.

Organized Bike Tours

Week long

Cycle Montana – Missoula

Location:Montana, USA
Description:Cycle through rural Montana with experienced guides
Vendor:Adventure Cycling Association
Distance:407 miles
Duration:8 days
Terrain:Hilly
Type:Loop
Why go:Mountain scenery. Crosses over the Continental Divide – twice!

Ireland – Southwest

Location:Ireland
Description: Self-guided tour through Ring of Kerry and southwest
Vendor:Iron Donkey
Distance:~400 miles
Duration:7-10 days
Terrain:Hilly
Type:Loop
Why go: Self-paced ride providing countless pub stops

GOBA – Ohio

Location:Ohio
Description:Explore small-town Ohio by bike
Vendor:GOBA
Distance:~300 miles
Duration:7 days
Terrain:Hilly
Type:varies – depends on the route that year
Why go:The camaraderie is off-the-charts on this ridee

Teaching Family Homes – Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Location:Michigan, USA
Description: Tour the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Vendor: Teaching Family Homes
Distance:~240 miles
Duration:6 days
Terrain: varies – depends on the route that year
Type:Loop
Why go: The UP is beautiful and the support of the tour crew is amazing

Mountains to Coast Ride – North Carolina

Location:North Carolina, USA
Description:Ride across the state of NC
Vendor: Cycle NC
Distance:~400 miles
Duration:7 days
Terrain: varies – depends on the route that year but always starts hilly and ends flatter
Type:Point-to-point
Why go: Pure Americana experience cycling through small towns connected via back roads

RAGBRAI – Iowa

Location:Iowa, USA
Description:Ride across the state of Iowa
Vendor:RAGBRAI
Distance:~450 miles, depends on yearly route
Duration:7 days
Terrain:Varied
Type:Point-to-point
Why go:Party on wheels. The atmosphere is like having a county carnival follow you on the bike for 7 days.

3-day

Mountain Ride – North Carolina

Location:North Carolina, USA
Description:3-day ride of NC mountains
Vendor: Cycle NC
Distance: Pick your own daily mileage 5-100 miles
Duration:3 days
Terrain: Paved roads. Expect a terrain ranging from hilly to “you gotta have that 3rd chain ring (aka creeper gear) to avoid walking the route”
Type:Spoke-and-wheel
Why go: Easy way to explore NC mountain towns

Coastal Ride – North Carolina

Location:North Carolina, USA
Description:3-day ride of NC coastal town
Vendor: Cycle NC
Distance: Pick your own daily mileage 5-100 miles
Duration:3 days
Terrain: Paved roads. Flat except for drawbridges
Type:Spoke-and-wheel
Why go: Easy way to explore NC coastal town

1-day

Tour de Tucson – Arizona

Location:Tucson, Arizona, USA
Description: 1 day perimeter ride around the city
Vendor: Perimeter Cycling
Distance:Pick your own mileage based on set starting points. Usually 5 to 100 miles available.
Duration:1 day
Terrain:Paved roads. Primarily flat-ish except for one section of hills
Type: Loop for full distance, point-to-point for shorter distances
Why go: Experience Tucson by bike with 10,000 other cyclists

Week Long

1-day

Self-planned Bike Tours

Week Long

Cabot Trail – Canada

Location: Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Canada
Description: A gorgeous but challenging ride through Cape Breton
Vendor: self-planned
Distance:~400 miles
Duration:7 days
Terrain:Paved roads,hilly
Type: Loop
Why go: Scenery and the friendly people

Silver Comet Trail – Georgia

Location:Georgia, USA
Description:Ride from Smyrna (just outside Atlanta) to the Alabama border
Vendor: self-planned
Distance: ~61 miles  Our itinerary here
Duration:1-5 days
Terrain:Greenway, mostly flat
Type: Out-and-back
Why go: Enjoy a multi-day tour on a car-free path

1-day

Western Reserve Greenway – Ohio

Location:Ohio, USA
Description:Ride to Lake Erie
Vendor: self-planned
Distance: varied based on staring location. Our out-and-back was 88 miles
Duration:1 day
Terrain:Greenway, mostly flat
Type: Out-and-back
Why go: Mostly car-free ride to Lake Erie

Neuse River Greenway – North Carolina

Location:North Carolina, USA
Description: Ride from Raleigh to Clayton, North Carolina
Vendor: self-planned
Distance:~30 miles one-way
Duration:1 day
Terrain:Greenway, varies between flat and hilly.
Type: Out-and-back
Why go: Scenic ride along the Neuse River

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