Parks are places where you could enjoy your relaxed time alone or with your family. Far from the city’s busyness, not all parks are just for relaxing. There are some parks meant for Cycling. In the USA there are 419 national parks for cycling. Among these YELLOWSTONE is the first national park set to be dated in 1872 and administers 58 parks of the USA. You can visit these parks for relaxing but trekking but you will regret not bringing your bike.
Today we will talk about the Top Ten Parks where you can enjoy a beautiful ride with friends, family, or alone.
1. Acadia National Park
Location?
Maine, United States
Where to Ride?
Park Loop Road and the many historic carriage roads of 27 miles (43.5 kilometers)
When to Ride?
Last Spring or Early Fall is better as Summer could be too much busy and jam-packed.
Where to Stay?
Lodges, Inns or you could camp in Bar Harbor.
It is a coastal park where you can enjoy everything from beaches to lakes to granite mountains is the only national park in New England. It consists mostly of Mount Desert Island including smaller islands.
Outside of Bar Harbor Town, it is a very beautiful place for scenic driving, cycling and hiking.
The Park Loop Road, one of the most scenic national parks roads for cycling in the USA, winds its winds through the park’s main area on Mount Desert Island which is accessible to both cars and bikes. You could also include a partial trip to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. It’s highly recommended.
You should take the park’s network carriage road in case of heavy car traffic.
The crushed rock surface of historic roads is very good for a beautiful bike ride including hiking and horseback riding.
2. Crater Lake National Park
- Location?
Oregon, United States
- Where to Ride?
Rim Drive of 33 miles (55 kilometers)
- When to visit?
It has the best weather in Summer
- Where to stay?
Lodges in Crater Lake
The phenomenal Rim Drive of Crater Lake is one of the best national parks for road cycling. In fact, it is the only national park in Oregon.
This deepest lake is most pristine not just in the USA but in the entire world is fed by rain and snow the entire year.
A must one in lifetime visit destination for travelers and nature lovers is the collapsed volcanic peak.
the Rim Drive encircles the entire caldera which offers sensational views all the way. The trailheads will provide you with opportunities from where you can take in the scenery from very close.
3. Glacier National Park
Location?
Montana, USA
Where to Ride?
Going-to-the-Sun Road of 50 miles (80 kilometers)
When to Ride?
The major roads and facilities are open only in Summer.
Where to Stay?
Lodges, cabins and hotels in the Glacier area.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park. It includes 130 lakes and many uncountable plant and animal species including grizzly bears, wolverines, moose and mountain goats. Its extraordinary pristine ecosystem is called “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem”.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road in the Glacier National Park is one of the best places for cycling in the wildlife you could ask for but keep in mind cars and RVs will also share the ride. So be careful and taking safety is a must.
4. Shenandoah National Park
Location?
Virginia. USA
Where to Ride?
Skyline Drive of 105 miles (169 kilometers)
When to Ride?
Spring to Fall
Where to Stay?
Historic lodges such as Big Meadows Lodge, Skyland Resort or campgrounds.
Almost 60 miles outside of Washington D.C. (Bicycling is only allowed on this road and not the surrounding paved trails), the 105 miles or 169 kilometers Skyline Drive runs the length of Shenandoah National Park. The whole place is reclaimed farmland.
There are more than 75 scenic overlooks along in several numerous trailheads.
By the help of famous Blue Ridge Parkway or the Transamerica Cycling Map, you can easily string this ride together. The traffic of this road is huge, but the speed is limited to 35 to 45 mph. As commercial traffic is banned in both Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, you can easily enjoy the surroundings of this ride.
5. REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK
Location?
Humboldt Country, California
Where to ride?
Avenue of Giants of 31.6 miles (51 kilometers)
When to ride?
September to November
Where to Stay?
Hotels or Lodges in Humboldt
While Riding through the tunnel of tall old-growth trees, you might lose balance trying to pick at the top. Avenue of the Giants, a 31.6-mile road is a smooth ribbon of road with very little car traffic
It will provide plenty of opportunities to add on mileage using the Tour of the Unknown Coast route and Pacific Coast bike routes. There is also the 950-year-old Immortal Tree, a big house actually built partially inside a redwood, a tree big enough to ride your bike through, and lots of hiking opportunities. It’s a must-see stretch in Northern California.