Please rescue me from this tribulation! Seriously, though, I’ve been using Mapquest and other sites (my favourite one, zip2.com passed away some time ago) for a while to find out how to drive my Metro from Point A to Point B; however, I’ve gotten it into my noggin to try using an internet site to do the same for my velocipede (21 speed, 26" Planet Earth Gemini, in case you’re wondering). I’ve tried every search engine I’ve ever heard of, dreamt of, or could guess at. Results: Zilch.
Now I come to where I should’ve gone in the first place–the Teeming Millions[sup]tm[/sup]. Anyone know of any good websites for this? I live in Davis, California. For those who don’t know the area, that’s close to Sacramento.
Contact an organization called Adventure Cycling (used to be called Bikecentennial) in Missoula, MT. (They have a website.)
They’ve been promoting long distance bike touring for over 25 years. They themselves also publish the last word in quality bike routes that use conventional streets and bike-access highways. If anyone knows what’s out there – on the web, on CD, in book form, etc. – in terms of bike routing, they do.
I’ve been a member for over 2 decades. They’re great folks, I assure you.
Monty, I didn’t suggest that the site would enable you to do exactly what you’re seeking to do, just that if you ask them they might be able point you to someplace/thing/one who could.
That said, I’ve got some questions for you.
Where do you live? Or more importantly, where do you wish to bike travel? Just give me a general idea, like “within a 50 mile radius of my home, Davis, CA” or "Anywhere in the state of [fill in the blank]. I’m looking for location and scale here.
Clarify something. You want to create point-A-to-point-B bike routes over normal automobile streets on which bikes are allowed, right? Or are you looking for routes that ONLY go on non-motorized trails, like rail-trails and such things. (If it is the latter, expect to have VERY limited options.)
For California, this guy makes spectacular bicycling maps for both on-road and off-road usage.
I think you’d want the Lake Tahoe and Gold Country map, I believe it covers the Sacramento river delta.
And, Trails Illustrated makes a map of Lake Tahoe and Durango, Co Mountain bike trails (never have understood the relationship between Tahoe and Durango?) Very worthwhile if Mountain Biking.
There is also a series of Coast to Coast Road Bike Maps that follows the southern Cross Country route. (Starts in Sta. Barbara if I remember and goes to Jacksonville.)