View Full Version : "Hopscotching" the AT with a bike
I'm hoping to do about a week in the Shenandoah NP area of the trail. My idea is to use both a vehicle and bicycle to "hopscotch" along the Parkway in a series of what amount to "day hikes". My plan is to 1) Drive the Parkway and locate a safe place to leave the car. 2) Continue up the Pkwy a "days hiking distance" - say 8-15 trail miles - and find a spot where the AT crosses the Pkwy. 3) Conceal/secure the bicycle nearby. 4) Drive back to my "start" point for the day and park/lock the car. 5) With my day pack and gear, hike the AT to the point I left the bicycle. 6) Hop on the bike, pedal down the Pkwy, return to the car and set up camp for the night. Next day, repeat.
The advantages I think in this system are 1) only have to carry a day pack 2) don't need shuttle service 3) don't need to carry a week's worth of food, supplies etc. 4) still get to do what for me is a good portion of the AT.
Has anyone else tried this? Anything I'm missing in my general plan? Comments?
rangeley
09-23-2014, 11:54
Why don't you find a spot to conceal the bike first then find a place to park and hike back to you bike?
That would save you some time and gas/money
Slo-go'en
09-23-2014, 11:55
You might want to find out if there are any regulations about leaving a bike unattended in the park, even if it is well hidden. Otherwise, the SNP is one of the few places that scheme is practical without having to go a long way around back to the car.
return to the car and set up camp for the night.
Where would you camp? At the car campgrounds, or hike in somewhere from your parked car? This could be cumbersome to achieve with legal campsites.
Why don't you find a spot to conceal the bike first then find a place to park and hike back to you bike?
That would save you some time and gas/money
Yes, that's exactly my plan, tho maybe I didn't make it clear.
Where would you camp? At the car campgrounds, or hike in somewhere from your parked car? This could be cumbersome to achieve with legal campsites.
Perhaps at or near the car site or else hike in a bit and set up. A campground may also be an option.
You might want to find out if there are any regulations about leaving a bike unattended in the park, even if it is well hidden. Otherwise, the SNP is one of the few places that scheme is practical without having to go a long way around back to the car.That's why I chose SNP - the many places the AT . As to leaving the bike, it'll be chained and well concealed off the trail and road. It's and old bike as well, not worth stealing I think.
imscotty
09-23-2014, 12:39
Hello Saluki, I day hike like this sometimes (not on the SNP). My preference is always to leave my car at the end point and bike to the beginning. I feel a bike is more likely to be stolen than a car so I would hate to get to the end of a long days hike and find my transportation gone. Also if I am running late I would rather drive in the dark than bike in the dark.
It is nice to have a snack and cold drink waiting for you in the car at the end of the day, and then I can take my time driving back to pick up my bike. All this adds a lot of miles but it works for me.
Has anyone else tried this? Seems to me I read some place of a hiker who had been doing sections of the AT for years just this way.
Alligator
09-23-2014, 13:45
I've used my bike to shuttle between weekend section hikes and once that I remember as a day hike. It is potentially doable but it depends on road crossings in SNP and I am not familiar with those to comment as to daily basis. My buddy and I bike shuttled the south section of the park but we rode outside the park. I'm not sure about Skyline drive but if it is like the BRP, you may be in for a bit of ups and downs. Whether that is what you want to do is for you to decide. Check the topos for the park.
I'd say it might be difficult in spots to have the desired access for repeated day hikes in other portions of the AT.
I don't think you save any money biking or hiking first. You still have to drop off or pick up the bike. I always bike first because I would be hiking for several days.
I am currently doing this type of section hike on the Maine AT. I use my 4x4 truck with either a bicycle or a motorcycle depending on the distance. On longer hikes with road miles of 10-20 miles I use the motorcycle and on shorter hikes I use a mountain bike. I have done about 200 miles so far with good results. I always have my truck waiting at the end of the hike because it's more reliable than the motorcycle or bicycle. The last thing you want to find is the motorcycle won't start or the bike's wheel is loose and rubbing on the frame, which both have happened to me. By putting the truck where I will finish my hike, I don't have hike back to the starting point if problems arise.
restless
09-23-2014, 14:18
An old bike, huh? There are some long uphill stretches in SNP and unless you are in fantastic shape, may not feel like getting on a bike after 8-15 miles of hiking. Butr please, let us know how it works out for you.
Hello Saluki, I day hike like this sometimes (not on the SNP). My preference is always to leave my car at the end point and bike to the beginning. I feel a bike is more likely to be stolen than a car so I would hate to get to the end of a long days hike and find my transportation gone. Also if I am running late I would rather drive in the dark than bike in the dark.
It is nice to have a snack and cold drink waiting for you in the car at the end of the day, and then I can take my time driving back to pick up my bike. All this adds a lot of miles but it works for me.
Excellent points! I believe I'll take your advice and bike to the start point, then hike back to the car!
GoldenBear
09-23-2014, 15:43
At the end of this blog, I mention doing exactly what you describe.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/entry.php?8191-Maybe-I-m-mediocre-after-all!
I did about 20-30 miles in Shenandoah pretty much exactly as you plan to do.
You can leave your bike just about anywhere you want. I recommend locking it, out of sight of the road, for safety purposes; but it's not illegal to leave your bike wherever you choose.
Note, however, that biking is permitted ONLY on paved roads.
http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/biking.htm
A few POTENTIAL problems:
1) Some parts of Skyline Drive are VERY steep. While it starts out fun to blast down a road without any bit of pedaling, you soon find it a bit un-nerving as you accelerate to speeds that are beyond your ability to safely manage.
2) Add to the above: some of these steep parts are also VERY curvy. Going down a straight-away at high speed is fun; going around a curve, not so much.
3) Add FURTHER to the two above: some parts of the road are in need of repair. A few bumps as you drive a car at 40 mph are no problem; doing so on a bike at even 20 mph can be dangerous.
4) Skyline Drive is only wide enough for two cars. If there's a vehicle behind you, you may have to pull off the road to let the car go by.
Again, thanks for the tip. I knew there would be things I hadn't thought of and that someone who had done this type of hiking would be quick to point out.
An old bike, huh? There are some long uphill stretches in SNP and unless you are in fantastic shape, may not feel like getting on a bike after 8-15 miles of hiking. Butr please, let us know how it works out for you.
When I say old I mean I've had the bike about 8 years, but it's in first class condition and the gearing includes a "granny gear" to negotiate the hills. Up hear in the Adirondacks we have more than of of steep hills.
rocketsocks
09-23-2014, 16:00
When I say old I mean I've had the bike about 8 years, but it's in first class condition and the gearing includes a "granny gear" to negotiate the hills. Up hear in the Adirondacks we have more than of of steep hills.
is that the one where you pedal like crazy and barely move...I gots that one too, looks funny as hell to on lookers.
...so I'm told.:D
Has anyone else tried this? Seems to me I read some place of a hiker who had been doing sections of the AT for years just this way.
That might have been me or any of several others, we had a thread going on the subject. I've done a number of 35 mile sections (give or take) as bike-hikes. I always do the bicycling first, then hike back to the car. Bike gets locked to a tree, hopefully out of sight of the trail. Haven't lost it yet. The trick is to choose the direction favorably for the biking part, ie. more downhill than uphill.
But not in SNP specifically, my bike-hikes have all been in New England states. Also worth noting, low point on the trail (ie. a road crossing) is often the top of a mountain pass, as far as normal people (non-hikers) are concerned. So there's often a lot of uphill and downhill involved. On the bike ride, that is.
Just Bill
09-23-2014, 20:25
Locally, I've done a few of these trips over the years.
Just a thought- I found it more pleasant to take a long bike ride, even a full day, then hike for a few days in a row. You can easily go 2 or 3 to one biking vs. hiking in a day (especially by me). I know I have heard of others going this route, even doing two days on the bike to get in a good 80-100 mile section.
Going this route simplified logistics and daily routine because I only had to find one parking spot every few days or in the case of some trails, this was the only option around here. On the AT this might be even easier as you could likely find a road route parallel and cover a good few days of trail "as the crow flies" in one on the bike. Likely in the more populated middle section of the trail you may be able to leave your car/bike at a hostel or service provider on either end of the section.
Just Bill
09-23-2014, 20:28
You can also leapfrog yourself like car shuttle partners do.
Drop car off at B, then bike to A and hike back to B.
Pick up bike at A, drive back and park Car at B again, then bike to C and hike back to B.
Only one parking spot to secure.
I would imagine you could do the shennies by parking at the waysides/campgrounds/hotels only and not have to worry too much about logistics or securing permissions other than a vehicle pass.
Second Hand
09-23-2014, 21:08
I'm wrapping up my LT section hike now and a guy I've done several long sections with did the Northern section of the LT this way.
The one piece of advice I would pass along from him is try to find a way to avoid riding your bike w/ a full pack. It sounds like your gong to be doing day hiking so it may not be a big problem for you, but he said the bike ride with a pack would absolutely exhaust him and he wouldn't have much energy for a long hike. He was a pretty intense cyclist to. He did the Mount Washington road race thingy several times.