Bike Tennessee
New state project offer 52 scenic routes in 53 counties to help you discover Tennessee on two wheels.
Credit: State of Tennessee
Get on two wheels this summer with a ton of brand new Tennessee bicycling routes all in one app.
The new Bike Tennessee program was launched last month by the Tennessee Department of Tourism and Development (TDTD). It offers up 52 curated road cycling routes through some of the state’s most picturesque landscapes.
“Tennessee has all the right ingredients to be one of the premier cycling destinations in the country — low-traffic backroads, welcoming communities and stunning scenery,” said Shannon Burke, of Velo Bike Tours.. “It's an amazing place to ride!”
Credit: State of Tennessee
Burke, who has more than a decade of experience in leading cycling tours. helped to create and curate the bike routes. They were selected with safety and scenery in mind. Together, the routes cover 1,739 miles and 53 Tennessee counties. They offer seasoned cyclists mostly rural, low-traffic experiences in some of Tennessee’s most scenic and historic landscapes, including 14 routes in Tennessee State Parks.
Example
Credit: State of Tennessee
The Thousand Acre Loop Trail begins in Huntingdon (Carroll County) on a 55-mile loop. Cyclists light out from Thousand-Acre Recreational Lake — the largest man-made lake in West Tennessee — and head east to explore Natchez Trace State Park and Forest. Plenty of lake views and rural scenery can be seen along the way but the route takes ”some serious effort with its series of short, punchy climbs.”
If you want to make a weekend of it, the app points cyclists to Southland Safari Cabins. It offers four “luxurious” cabins, a campground, and (just beyond a fence) an area with “various types of animals.” If you get hungry along the way, you can stop off at the J&J General Store. Along the loop, too, is the Natchez Trace State Park and Forest.
Get started
To get started on a Bike Tennessee tour, first visit biketn.com. There you can find a route close to a city near you. From there, you’ll be directed to share the route to your phone via the Ride with GPS app. The app is free (if you skip the upgrade option) and available on all platforms, certainly Apple and Android. From there, the route will land onto your phone and the app will show you the route’s length, description, elevation change, and it gives you some interesting points along the way (including great places for photos).
“As travelers increasingly seek sustainable and authentic experiences, we invite them to explore our scenic routes and discover the charm of our small towns,” said TDTD Commissioner Mark Ezell “We are pleased to partner with Ride with GPS and showcase the hidden gems and breathtaking landscapes that define our state.”
