When the TransAmerica and Great Divide are buried in snow, the Southern Tier is open. Adventure Cycling’s southern cross-country route covers 3,100 miles from San Diego to St. Augustine along America’s southern edge, threading through the Sonoran Desert, Texas hill country, Louisiana bayou, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. It’s the winter touring route.
The terrain is varied in the west and relentlessly flat in the east. The Sonoran Desert between Phoenix and Tucson is stark and beautiful. Trans-Pecos Texas delivers the best scenery of the route — the Davis Mountains and Big Bend country are stunning. Louisiana’s bayou country has its own particular magic. The Gulf Coast stretch through Mississippi and Alabama is a long, flat grind rewarded by warm weather and cheap seafood. The Florida stretch ends in St. Augustine, the oldest European-settled city in North America.
November through March is the window. The desert is cool, the Gulf states are mild, and the humidity is manageable. Avoid summer at all costs — Texas and Louisiana in August are genuinely dangerous heat. Water sources can be 60-80 miles apart in the Texas desert; carry capacity matters. The route rewards preparation and punishes casual planning, but delivers one of the most culturally rich cross-country experiences in North America.