Simply the Best Winter Cycling Destinations USA Edition

When I talk to any of my European friends and ask why they love visiting the USA so often, they say that in our entire country we have such a diverse array of landscapes and outdoors. It’s fantastic to be able to go to a beautiful beach and then within an hour in many places be high in the mountains. One of the other great things about living in the USA is that we have the best winter cycling destinations. In the US we have so many places where when the northern half of our country freezes, there are plenty of islands, coasts and deserts to play.

In this post we will go over some of the best winter cycling destinations in the USA and also tell you a little bit about packing your bicycle if you plan to bring your own, or if you want to rent your own there.

Am I packing my bike or renting my own?

You can either pack and fly your bicycle, or you can rent your own. Many shops rent high quality mountain, road and hybrid bicycles regardless of destination. Many rentals will allow generous time frames and insurance for the course of your trip at destination. For example, you can rent a bike in the Florida Keys for a week to ride throughout the area.

If you are packing your bike, you will 

• Call your local bike shop and ask if they have bike boxes they are throwing away and ask for it
• Take your wheels, pedals, crankset and handles off of your bike and place them in the box with bubble wrap. For the uninitiated this is a timely process that can take several hours.
• Research any specialized fees (Example FAQ from Southwest Airlines) to fly your bike in your given airline (typically $50-$150)
  • Consider shipping your bike (Typically a similar price without insurance)
• Rebuild your bike at destination. Remember your tools. Your other option is to bring the box into a bike-shop to rebuild the bike. 

Tip: It took me about half an hour after I had disassembled my bike. After rebuilding my bike, I rode my bike to a shop where they gave a look at it and tightened a couple of bolts and said that I was good to ride before a tour.

Best Winter Cycling Destinations: USA

San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is a fantastic stay along the historic Route One of the pacific coast. With beautiful day trips to Morro Bay and Avila Beach, this cycling destination is wonderful. There was a bustling cycling community that I rode with over the weekend and the downtown has fantastic arts, a lovely Farmers’ market and the streets are taken over by a sound buzz of lively music on the weekends.

The main draw are the vineyards throughout the county while also riding and seeing a smile on the townpeoples’ face. It is known as the happiest town in the country.

Best Road Bike Rides in San Luis Obispo

• Wine Country/Pismo Beach
• Avila Beach
• Los Osos Baywood Park
• Downtown

All of these are great vacation rides for those simply looking to get away and get their feet moving. I enjoyed riding through to Pismo beach because you can view all of the wineries to your left and right as you move closer to the coast.

Big Sur, California

A cyclist paradise. Big Sur is one of the few places in the world where you can hotel, camp, hike and view the beaches, redwoods and explore the beautiful overview of bridges all while creeping up and down route one to your favorite nearest towns. Excellent day trips include Monterrey and Carmel-By-The-Sea for excellent seafood, bay views and temperate weather during the winter.

Sedona, Arizona

You may need to bring your personal fan for this trip. Mountain biking tours  in Sedona Arizona have become a hit where you can explore the history, art and outdoors of the majestic scenic overview that is Sedona. Enjoy the rustic roadside as you mountain bike through trails within the town and surrounding on guided tours or self guided as you learn about the history that transpired here and explore the 500 unique galleries within the city lines.

The Florida Keys, Florida

What I loved about biking the keys is the departure from the typical hilly biking features that we have here in the bay area. Biking in the Florida Keys truly felt like a vacation as I creeped as close as I could on land to Cuba, explored the many artists galleries, sailing, fishing and live music and infinite beaches available to me along the coastlines.

San Diego, California

With the most temperate weather in the group, San Diego manages to maintain a similar temperature year round. With 70 miles of pristine beaches, zoos and attractions, the major draw is that all of the beaches and the majority of the city is bike-able. Day trips include rides to La Jolla, and as far to Carlsbad along world class bike paths and route one. Although not as flat as Florida, being along a pacific coast beach in the winter will always remind me that I am in vacation mode, especially when putting one pedal in front of the other.

Best Places to Retire for Biking

For retirement these destinations when I spoke with those in the area came to mind:

• Sedona, Arizona: With over 500 galleries and plenty of food and culture to match, you will have too much excitement to remember that you also have access to world class trails like Cocksomb Trail, Chuckwagon, Llama Trail and the world famous Mescal Trail.
• St. George, Utah: As a mountain biking destination, this is not to be missed. Close proximity to Zion and Snow Canyon State Park provide excellent paths for riding to your hearts’ content. 
• Tampa, Florida: The riding season is long and the food is great. Access to beach paths take you up and down the coast with close proximity to the Florida Keys, and other beach access. The highest elevation in the state is 150 feet for those who are not a fan of hills.
• Lake Murray South Carolina: Lake Murray will meet your retirement needs as you relocate to this temperate area with a large biking and golf community. There are plenty of water activities and a large retiree community looking to remain active in the great weather and relaxed atmosphere.
• Pismo Beach & San Luis Obispo, California: California has some of the best road bike rides in San Luis Obispo. You are able to enjoy a temperate climate in the southwest corner of California and enjoy the beaches and wineries of the city.

Conclusion

These are the best winter cycling destinations that are in the US and we know that you can see that there is plenty of opportunity to take life by the pedals and enjoy what the United states have to offer. The Best Winter Cycling destinations USA has to offer are all over and you just have to get there. See you there.