USA touring suggestions wanted

[gregmacc]

My wife and I have 6 weeks from the beginning of June to spend pannier touring in the USA.
Our preference is for quiet routes and the path less travelled. Highways, busy roads and big cities are definitely not our thing. We have enjoyed trips using canal paths and C roads in Europe and rail trails in Australia.We are looking for similar experiences in the USA.
Our bikes are Rohloff equipped Thorn Ravens and we carry full camping and cooking kit. Out of the way unsealed roads are not a problem and we often choose them over shorter sealed alternatives.
We realize that it will be heading into peak holiday time for locals so will be happy to avoid the big tourist traps. The weather will also be a serious consideration so we'll need to stay away from the warmer southern and central states. Maybe the north west or the Northern Lakes?
Our prefered daily riding distance is 50-60 km. We like to be self sufficient so access to supply points for water and groceries every few days would be handy. Of course we don't mind dining out and occasional take-away meals. Bricks and mortar accommodation is also not out of the question every now and then.
A fly in fly out loop trip would be preferable as we would like to leave our soft bike bags somewhere close to the beginning and retrieve them on the return leg. Alternatively we could carry them with us if necessary.
We are also not averse to linking several areas by rail, bus or ferry.
Any suggestions or tips would be happily considered.

[RonK]

I haven't been myself, so cannot offer any specific suggestions.

But I can recommend the Adventure Cycling Association as an excellent resource if you haven't already discovered it.

https://www.adventurecycling.org/

[Trevtassie]

Already answered you over on the Bike Forums... Pacific Coast is nice... There is also an Adventure Cycling route parallel to the Pacific Coast. We did a bit of both. The Oregon Coast is super scenic and the Hiker-Biker sites in State Parks are great as you don't need to book. Oh and go North to South, with the wind and on the coast side of the highway that has the wide shoulder for cyclists.

[gregmacc]

I haven't been myself, so cannot offer any specific suggestions.

But I can recommend the Adventure Cycling Association as an excellent resource if you haven't already discovered it.

https://www.adventurecycling.org/

Cheers Ronk ... ACA is definitely on our radar ... we already have a brochure which details their guided tours and available maps ... we will probably get a map or two from them once we commit to a particular area ... their website is great.

[gregmacc]

Already answered you over on the Bike Forums... Pacific Coast is nice... There is also an Adventure Cycling route parallel to the Pacific Coast. We did a bit of both. The Oregon Coast is super scenic and the Hiker-Biker sites in State Parks are great as you don't need to book. Oh and go North to South, with the wind and on the coast side of the highway that has the wide shoulder for cyclists.

Thanks Trev ... good to have a heads-up about going north to south on the Oregon Coast ... did you happen to document your trip online anywhere?

[FKS]

If I had 6 weeks in the USA I would start in Portland Oregon and using https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes do Lewis and Clarke, up the Columbia Gorge, to Yellowstone National Park then head north to Glacier National Park, riding the Going to the Sun Road, then back to the Washington Coast via the Northern Tier route then back to Portland along the Pacific Coast.