LONELY PLANET – CYCLING USA WEST COAST
discover the world on two wheels

Softcover; 432 pages; color and black-and-white photographs and maps
Lonely Planet Publications; 1St Edition edition (May 2002)
37 days, averaging 50 miles per day
Road maps, elevation profiles, culture, history, resources

OVERVIEW:
If you have ever used a Lonely Planet travel guide before, than you already know what you’re getting into with this book. Detailed maps, history, culture, points of interest, public transportation guides, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts, and more! The Lonely Planet guide has a 100 page section dedicated to the ride from Canada to Mexico while the other 250 pages are dedicated to shorter rides all over the Pacific Northwest (including rides not along the coast). Our review will focus on the usefulness of this book as a route guide from Canada to Mexico down the coast as we have not had the opportunity to test all the routes. However, with Lonely Planets reputation, I imagine that many of these rides would be amazing if you’re looking for something a little different.

PACING:
Everyone rides at their own pace out on the road, but it seems most riders aim to ride around 50-70 miles per day. If you aim to ride border to border, it’s a great pacing to ensure you finish your trip in around one to two months. This book plots out campsites and daily rides to this pacing. Don’t be afraid to push a day’s ride to the next campsite on your map or spend an extra day at another. I always prefer to fall off my schedule in Big Sur and spend an extra day or two.

ROUTE:
Most parts of this route are the same as other guide routes. This is mostly due to the fact that there are only so many ways you can ride down a coastline. One of the most notable differences between the Lonely Planet route and the “Bicycling the Pacific Coast” route is that it heads straight south from Vancouver rather than heading north for exploration through the British Columbia islands. The Lonely Planet route also omits directions from Port Angeles, WA out along the coast. Instead it directs you south to Kelso, WA before heading west to Astoria, OR. So which is best? It all depends on what you’re interested in seeing. If you want to keep your route simple, this will work for you. If you’d like to explore and research your options of a coast, inland, or combo route through Washington State, I recommend “Bicycling the Pacific Coast”.

FEATURES:
- 100 pages dedicated to the ride from Canada to Mexico along the Pacific Coast
- 250 pages of multi-day rides all over California, Oregon, and Washington
- Turn by turn instructions, mileage, and altitude tables
- Daily synopsis of ride and points of interest
- extensive lodging, culture, history, and more

CONSENSUS:
The amount of information Lonely Planet packs into this book is amazing. If you’re coming from outside the United States and want to get a better idea on the differences between the cities you’ll be traveling through, historical anecdotes, and more, this would be a great book for you. However, unlike many parts of the world, you won’t encounter tremendous culture differences along the west coast despite traveling nearly 2,000 miles. For those of us who already know a little bit about the cities we’ll be traveling through, a lot of this information ends up being extra weight in our already overstuffed packs. All in all, this book is definitely worth checking out.

LONELY PLANET – CYCLING USA WEST COAST
discover the world on two wheels

Softcover; 432 pages; color and black-and-white photographs and maps
Lonely Planet Publications; 1St Edition edition (May 2002)
37 days, averaging 50 miles per day
Road maps, elevation profiles, culture, history, resources

***Did we miss something or do you have something to add? Be sure to leave a comment for any suggestions or “hoorahs!”