[See also: “Oregon's Scenic Bikeway program is nation's first”]
Bicyclists in Colorado who are seeking ideas for their next bike tour need go no further than the state's “Bike the Byways” program.
Created by the state Department of Transportation and Bicycle Colorado, the 25 rides explore mountain passes and back-country mining roads on hard pavement and gravel. Some can be biked in an afternoon, while others require several days of bicycle travel.
Bicyclists are encouraged to keep track of their progress in cycling all the byways on a checklist at the Bike the Byways website.
Users also can write online reviews of the byways. For a limited time, they'll be rewarded for their efforts with a Bike the Byways cap or T-shirt.
Tourism boon
This sounds like a great idea. It should help cyclists stuck in the same old rut to explore more of the state by bicycle. It could also be a tourism boon to the small communities on the byway routes, some of which are remote.
The routes (click on map at right) range in distance from 19 miles (Sterling) to more than 200 miles (San Juan Skyway). That San Juan Skyway is a loop ride, while others, such as the Santa Fe Trail, are out-and-back.
Dan Grunig, executive director of Bicycle Colorado, said:
“We hope this program will encourage folks to get out and visit areas of the state they may not have bicycled in before. We have such a vast array of geography and terrain here in Colorado that the byways really do provide something for everyone.”
Finding your own byways
I haven't heard of other states promoting bicycling in such a way, but most states do have a scenic byways program. With a little caution and common sense, bicyclists should be able to chose some of those routes that would be bicycle friendly.
You can start at the America's Byways website, created by the Federal Highway Administration. There's a map on the front page that you can click to link to designated routes in your state.
When I clicked Washington state, I was directed to seven American Byways in the state:
Chinook Scenic Byway
Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway
International Selkirk Loop
Mountains to Sound Greenway – I-90
Stevens Pass Greenway
Strait of Juan de Fuca Highway
White Pass Scenic Byway
In addition, there are links to 22 other byways or backways that are not on the America's Byways list. These include everything from Chuckanut Drive (21 miles) to the 440-mile Cascade Loop.
Mountains to Sound
Many of these byways are not created to the scale of bicycle day-trips. However, they don't have to be gulped down in one bite. You can do some of them piece be piece.
For instance, the Mountains to Sound Greenway stretches from West Seattle to Thorp. I've never ridden the entire 160-mile distance in one day, but I've covered the entire route over the course of different rides over the years.
That includes rides to West Seattle, all around Seattle, Mercer Island and Bellevue, and routes that lead from Issaquah into the mountains.
Washington and King County
I also searched for “Washington state byways” and found the Washington State Scenic Highways website. An interactive map shows 22 American Byways and Washington Tourism Routes.
This page also lists all the Historical Markers” in the state for bicycling history buffs.
King County also has its own Historic and Scenic Corridors Project that identifies nine roads in the county where motorists can experience some of the history of road-building in our area.
Although the roads don't have bike lanes or wide shoulders, the ones I've ridden carry very little traffic.
It looks like all the pieces are available for Washington state to create its own “Bike the Byways” program. That's probably the situation in other states as well.
Update: June 23, 2011 — US Bicycle Route System recently linked to Scenic Byways in the Adirondacks from its Facebook page.
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