Northern Tier - Van

After taking a shakedown ride to dip our wheels in Pacific saltwater, we’ll point our handlebars east and begin the long climb alongside the Skagit River. The road takes us into the magnificent mountain vastness of North Cascades National Park, home to high peaks and deep valleys, countless waterfalls, and some 300 glaciers. Coasting out of the mountains, we'll visit the winter-and-summer recreational mecca known as the Methow (MET-how) Valley, before proceeding on to the sun-baked surroundings of the Okanogan Valley — one of many wine grape-growing areas in a state once known primarily for its apples.

After continuing through the forests and grain fields of northeastern Washington, we’ll make a quick crossing of the Idaho panhandle. Massive Lake Pend Oreille, its shores embellished with the lively resort community of Sandpoint, is one of the five deepest lakes in the United States — as deep as 1,150 feet in places. The forested mountains surrounding the lake are only a prelude to what you’ll soon encounter in Montana, where you’ll ride the remarkable Bull Lake Road, situated at the foot of the lofty Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. A potential short side trip is a hike through the Ross Creek Cedars, a 100-acre fairyland of giant ancient cedars surrounded by an explosion of fiddlehead ferns, and embraced by a silence that seems primeval.

From the northwestern Montana community of Libby, we’ll ride along the shores of Lake Koocanusa to Eureka, where a stop at the evocative Tobacco Valley Historical Village is a must for any history buff. Here we will cross paths with the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which traces the spine of the Rockies from Canada to the Mexican border. Next up: the winter-summer resort village of Whitefish, which opens the way to Glacier National Park and Going-to-the-Sun Road, one of the classic mountain climbs in North America.

From the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, we’ll head east into the big empty, perhaps trying out our three-part harmonies on “Four Strong Winds,” Ian Tyson’s classic ode to the prairies (of course, we hope to have just one strong wind, blowing from behind!). After leaving the Rocky Mountains and passing through the towns of Browning and Cut Bank, we’ll continue eastward along Montana’s Hi-Line, riding through rugged, arroyo-dissected plains where it takes very little imagination to picture what the Lewis and Clark expedition must have experienced while passing through the same region. Many of the towns we’ll visit — Inverness, Havre, Glasgow, and others — were named by Great Northern Railway employees back in St. Paul, Minnesota, who hoped the familiar names on the map would attract European settlers to homestead on the high plains.

Shortly after entering North Dakota, we’ll pass a paved road that leads south for about 10 miles to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, where the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site straddles the Montana-North Dakota border. It makes a worthwhile and rewarding side trip for any student of early frontier history. En route to Minot — where in 2011 thousands of homes were inundated by floodwaters of the Souris River — and to Rugby (which bills itself as the “Geographical Center of North America”), we'll ride through a portion of the Missouri Coteau, a wetlands-rich landscape of rolling hills and lake-like potholes stretching north into Saskatchewan. The Missouri Coteau contains some of the richest native mixed-grass prairies remaining in the Great Plains, making it a vital nesting ground for numerous species of waterfowl, passerines, and perching songbirds.

Southeast of Rugby, we’ll pass Devils Lake, the largest naturally occurring lake in North Dakota. From there, we’ll zigzag our way down to the sister cities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota. These communities line their respective banks of the Red River, which flows north to Canada’s Lake Winnipeg. As you will see, the floodplain of the Red River is possibly the flattest place you’ll encounter on your entire ride across the continent (or anywhere else, for that matter). Fargo, originally called Centralia — it was renamed for Wells Fargo Express Company founder William Fargo — was an important resupply stop for steamboats plying the Red River in the 1870s and 1880s. Following the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1872, the city earned the moniker “Gateway to the West.”

Firmly back into timber country in the well-watered reaches of Minnesota, we’ll have the opportunity to walk across the Mississippi River at its headwaters in Itasca State Park, Minnesota’s oldest state park. A creek just a few inches deep where it leaves Lake Itasca, the Mississippi gently gurgles over a rim of neatly lined stepping stones. Time permitting, we’ll ride the beautiful, 16-mile Wilderness Drive Loop, which can be likened to an upper Midwest version of Northern California’s Avenue of the Giants. But leave lovely Itasca we must; onward through Minnesota we’ll go, riding east to Grand Rapids, and then south toward the Twin Cities and on to Wisconsin.

At Osceola, Wisconsin, we’ll leave the Northern Tier, opting instead to take the North Lakes Route into the fabled mosaic of forests and lakes known as the Wisconsin Northwoods. The Cable-Hayward area, one of the recreational hotbeds of the Midwest, is home to the country’s largest cross-country ski race, the American Birkebeiner; and, come summer, the biggest mountain-bike race, the Chequamegon Fat-Tire 40, which utilizes much of the same trail system as the Birkebeiner. Hayward is also home to the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, replete with the “world's largest muskie.” From there, we’ll continue across the top of Wisconsin before pedaling into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where we’ll spin along the northern shores of Lake Michigan from Escanaba to Manistique.

From Manistique we’ll continue along the shores of Lake Michigan, spinning our way to Mackinaw City and the world-famous Mackinac Bridge. The third-longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the Western Hemisphere, this engineering marvel features a total suspension of 8,614 feet. Not far from the southern end of the bridge we’ll ride into the 300-acre Petoskey State Park, with its beautiful sand beaches nestled at the north end of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay. From Traverse City, we’ll pedal a delightfully quiet inland route to the town of Luther.

At Luther, we’ll leave the North Lakes Route and steer onto the Lake Erie Connector to take aim at Bay City, which sits at the base of Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes (only Superior is bigger), making it the third-largest freshwater lake in the world. Soon, we’ll board a ferry to cross the St. Clair River and the international border, entering Canada to continue our bike tour of the North Country. In the province of Ontario, we’ll pedal a rural inland route that will take us to the north shore of Lake Erie.

From Morpeth, we’ll proceed eastward alongside Lake Erie. At spectacular Niagara Falls, we’ll likely enjoy a layover day to take in such activities as the Maid of the Mist boat tour, which gets passengers up close and personal with the legendary waterfalls. Here we’ll also flirt with Adventure Cycling’s Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. In the mid-1800s, freedom seekers would hide by day in safe havens in the Buffalo area, and then steal across the Niagara River by boat in the relative safety of night. At Queenston, we’ll cross back into the United States and soon rejoin the main Northern Tier Route, riding along the southern shore of Lake Ontario through Rochester, a major city steeped in the history of the Erie Canal and abolitionism.

We’ll head inland at Pulaski, New York — but not before finding out for ourselves that Lake Ontario, the warmest of the Great Lakes, makes for superb swimming. Through the Adirondacks we'll proceed, passing through historic Old Forge (western terminus of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail), Long Lake, and Ticonderoga, home to Fort Ticonderoga National Historic Landmark, which played important roles in America’s early wars. From there we’ll cross southern Lake Champlain into the Green Mountain State, where we’ll pass through the classic New England village of Middlebury before a sustained climb up and over Middlebury Gap (2144’), our gateway to the spectacular Green Mountains. After a rewarding downhill ride, we’ll quickly discover that rolling, timber-studded hills, bucolic farmsteads, and picturesque villages are the hallmarks of Vermont. (It's considered by many the best state in the Union for bike touring!) From Thetford Center, created by royal charter in 1761 and home to the state’s oldest secondary school, we’ll cross the Connecticut River and enter New Hampshire.

New Hampshire will offer plenty of fun and surprises, such as the North Woodstock/Lincoln area, which buzzes with Appalachian Trail activity and great shopping, restaurants, and outdoor stores. We’ll surmount the White Mountains on the legendary Kancamagus Highway, topping out at 2,855-foot Kancamagus Pass. Considered one of the most scenic roads in New England, especially during the October “leaf-peeping” season, the Kancamagus is an officially designated National Scenic Byway. From there it’s eastward ho!, perhaps stopping for a refreshing dip in the splendid swimming hole at Swift River Lower Falls before passing through the town of Conway and then pedaling our way into and across Maine. A highlight in western Maine is the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, a national historic landmark and the only actively functioning Shaker community in the world.

Following a well-deserved layover day in the stunning harbor village of Camden, we’ll have two more days of riding to reach our adventure’s end at Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. After three months together, parting may be difficult — but made more palatable by the fresh lobster celebratory meal we’re sure to enjoy. And you and your fellow bicycle travelers will return home knowing you’ve intimately experienced the beautiful country and rich culture of the Northern Tier like few others have.