Is there a mapping program for bike trips?
I'm thinking of riding to Myrtlle Beach from New Hampshire and was wondering what people use for trip planning. When I take the truck, I use Mapquest but I dont think I want to be on the big roads any more than I have to be. I am looking to take as many smaller roads as I can without going through every little town between here and there.

Any ideas?

Also, I posted this here because I figured people with touring bikes took more trips than others do, but if there is a better place for this post please let me know

 

As a member of HOG, I use their Ride Planner feature on their website. It's very comprehensive and shows everything from dirt roads to interstates. Ride safe.

 

Google Maps works well. You can choose any roads you like.

 

Some Interstates have side roads that parallel a few miles away, and make for a more relax
ride. I am an oldPhat guy that still use a paper folding G P S. AAA has some great maps.
My insurance company also has a trip planer, that dose route a trip on mostly secondary
roads, if you ask for that way of travel. Good luck, and ride safe.

 

If you use a GPS (the non-folding variety) on your bike, find mapping software that will allow you to map out your route and will also allow you to download your route to the GPS. Trying to duplicate a planned route on a GPS that wants you to take the fastest route is almost impossible, especially with gloves on. If you don't use a GPS, just head south/southwest for a good long way and then turn left before you get to Georgia.

 

Microsoft Streets & Trips is another option. I will also down load your route to your GPS.

 

I suggest you get yourself a Garmin and then use Mapsource. You will still need to decide on the roads to build a map to follow.

I'll tell you this, unless you have a long time to get down there you are going to want to ride some highways, they key is what ones.

My advice is go west on 84 out to Scranton PA and take 81S to Harrisburg avoid NJ and the Megalopolis. Get down down south and then work your way back Southeast to MB.

Depends what kind of time you need to make.

 

Don't have a planner but here is a site for a check list
http://micapeak.com/checklists/mclist.html

 

Here's what I do when I want to ride my own route. I use Google maps and look at the map at a level (use the slider bar) to get where I can see my starting point and the towns along my visual route that I have in mind. I put my starting address in and then pick a town farther along that route so Google maps will use those roads then click "get directions. I then add a destination and then pick the next destination town and click "get directions"...so on until I have a route mapped along roads I want to take. At any point along the way you can manually drag the route to a new road as needed as well.

 

Try a free program called TYRE - Trace Your Route Everywhere. Just google tyre and you will find it. It is excellent and runs in conjunction with google maps.

Here is the URL

http://www.janboersma.nl/gett/index.php