New Delmarva Bicycle Route Offers Coastal Scenery U.S. History

January 25, 2022

Delaware Is Last of Lower 48 States to Be Included in Adventure Cycling Route Network

MISSOULA, Mont. (Jan. 25, 2022) – Adventure Cycling Association has announced the addition of its new Delmarva Bicycle Route, offering nearly 600 miles of world-class biking along the scenic and historic Delmarva Peninsula between Philadelphia and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As it travels through Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, the route visits destinations tied to early American history and takes in the expansive sandy beaches and green coastal marshes of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. With the addition of the Delmarva Bicycle Route, Delaware becomes the last of the lower 48 states to be included in the Adventure Cycling Route Network. The network now covers more than 50,000 miles of extensively researched and mapped routes across North America.

Delmarva Bicycle Route maps – Courtesy of Adventure Cycling Association

 

“Our newest route offers spectacular coastal scenery and lessons in American history, and finally brings Delaware into our route network along with the rest of the lower 48 states,” said Carla Majernik, Director of Routes and Mapping for Adventure Cycling. “With cycling booming during the pandemic, the route also offers a new travel opportunity that’s just a short distance from the major metro areas that make up one-third of the nation’s population.”

While the main Delmarva Bicycle Route visits summer hotspots along Delaware’s Atlantic coast, an optional route is available that trades vacation traffic for the quieter Eastern Shore of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay.

Starting at the Museum of Art in Philadelphia, the 350.1-mile main route travels south through the center of the metro area to enter Delaware. From there, it continues past Wilmington and the historic village of New Castle, on the Delaware River, to the hamlet of St. Georges and the state capital of Dover. After arriving at Rehoboth Beach and its famous boardwalks, the route traverses barrier islands on the way to Ocean City, Maryland, then returns to the mainland. Passing Berlin and Stockton, it enters Virginia as the water closes in and the peninsula narrows. At the southern tip near Cape Charles, a shuttle is required to cross the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to Virginia Beach. Finally, a narrow causeway leads to North Carolina and Knotts Island, and a short ferry ride reaches the route’s end in Currituck.

Cape Henlopen State Park near Lewes DE – Courtesy of Bill Trefzger

 

The 193.5-mile Chesapeake Option departs from the main route at St. Georges, Delaware, and returns to it at Stockton, Maryland, and also includes a 21.7-mile Salisbury Alternate route to Salisbury, Maryland.

Landmarks along the route include the University of Pennsylvania campus, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Assateague Island National Seashore, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, First Landing State Park, Mackay Island Wildlife Refuge, and more.

Like all Adventure Cycling Association routes, the new Delmarva Bicycle Route was extensively researched before being produced as a set of cyclist-specific maps. The route is available in print on waterproof paper and in GPX data format from Adventure Cycling’s Cyclosource store and in the Bicycle Route Navigator app in the Apple and Android stores.

Beginning with the TransAmerica Trail in 1976, the Adventure Cycling Route Network has steadily grown to cover 50,527 miles across North America.

The network includes four east-west routes across the United States (Southern Tier, Northern Tier, TransAm, and Bicycle Route 66/Chicago to New York City); four north-south routes (Atlantic and Pacific Coast routes, Sierra Cascades, and Underground Railroad); the world’s premier bike packing route, the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route; loops in Arkansas, Idaho, Texas, and New York; and more.

Visit Adventure Cycling’s Interactive Route Map for an overview of the network, and learn more about the organization’s nearly 50-year history of inspiring, empowering, and connecting people to travel by bike on its website.