North Carolina or Vermont? – bikepacking trip

50th birthday next year and a group of 5-6 of us all turning similar age and want a week away to celebrate, so looking at a route that is scenic, but not too tough and to include a few good beers.

Ploughing through the bikepacking.com archives, there is two routes based around riding between a number of small US micro-breweries, and as none of is adverse to a flowery tasting pretentious IPA, they look a good craic:

Green Mountain Gravel Growler, Vermont

Appalachian Gravel Growler

When it comes to US bar coaching rugby in Tennessee, i’ve ever been to either coast.

So those who have a bit more knowledge, or have even ridden either, which is more likely to be scenic and what we’re looking for? Seemingly we can fly into Asheville as an internal flight for Appalachian and Burlington for Vermont?

It would be a shame to go all the way to Brevard and Asheville and not ride a mountain bike – the trails are some of the best in the world. My in laws live in that neck of the woods and the trails blew my mind when I first went out there.

Dunno about the bike packing, if it’s the logging roads it’ll be straightforward enough. There’s not much in the way of views (you’re in the trees even at the summits of the mountains) but it is a nice place.

Thanks Munro biker – so one to take a hardtail maybe over gravel bike, and try and adapt route to take in some of those trails as well, or add a few days where we go and explore the trails also.

I would really recommend that, yeah! Alternatively you could take your gravel bike and rent an MTB in Brevard, the shops there have a good selection (and their own bars with a good selection of poncey local beers that are really nice). You could ride both from Brevard but also at Dupont, which takes a bit more exploring but is also nice.

Ace thanks..

I would imagine North Carolina would be bloody hot in peak summer, when you going?

I’ve a friend who’s in Vermont. That’s where I’d be going except in winter, when it’s 10’ deep in snow.

It can be very hot in high summer and spring and autumn can feel like our summer one day with early or late “weather” the next.

But it’s beautiful.

I’ve a friend who’s in Vermont. That’s where I’d be going except in winter, when it’s 10’ deep in snow.

Or in spring, or “mud season” as they call it.

“Fall” is the time to go, for obvious reasons.

Going to America for the ‘craic’ said no one, ever.

Ted also did something for GCN+ (if you have a subscription…)

Thanks again all.. now i am really stuck between the two!