8 Great Trails for National Bike Month

Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month was established in 1956 to highlight the benefits of bicycling and to get Americans outdoors and riding high on two wheels. Some of the benefits of bicycling include increased cardiovascular fitness, strengthened bones, improved posture and coordination, and decreased stress levels.

So, while a bike ride is great anytime, May is the designated month to roll out your bicycle and see where it will take you. If you’re lucky enough to be camping anytime this month, check out these trails. Or anytime you’re out and about atop two wheels.

Sedona (AZ)
Ride among the beautiful red rocks of Sedona on the Bell Rock Pathway, an easy 3.7-mile hard dirt trail. The grand prize on this ride is the view of Bell Rock, one of the most photographed spots in the country and also one of Sedona’s natural healing vortexes. Book a stay in a cabin or tiny house at beautiful Verde Valley and bike the Bell Rock Pathway as well as several others in this gorgeous valley.

Santa Barbara (CA)
The Atascadero Creek Trail is a 3.5-mile asphalt trail that begins in Goleta State Beach Park and takes riders to the center of beautiful Santa Barbara. Rent one of the unique accommodations (cabin, cottage, or tipi) at Rancho Oso and enjoy this lovely ride.

Rancho Oso Cabin
Rancho Oso Cabin

Orlando (FL)
The bike ride at Shingle Creek Regional Trail is just as magical as a day spent at the Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Glimpse some of Florida’s wildlife, including river otters, egrets, and Great Blue herons as you ride along this 8-plus-mile nature trail set amid cypress trees. Plan a colorful cottage stay at Tropical Palms and hit this beautiful trail.

Exeter (NH)
Just under 20 miles from the Tuxbury Tiny House Village is Henderson-Swasey Town Forest which offers several mountain-biking trails, with almost all of them designated as “easy” and highly rated by users. Glimpses of wildlife and scenic forest views provide for a beautiful, natural ride! Book a tiny house and enjoy the ride.

Tuxbury Tiny House Village
Tuxbury Tiny House Village

Lake George (NY)
The Warren County Bikeway makes for a lovely paved 9-mile ride through this lovely upstate New York location. Ride among the towering trees and foliage and learn about the history of the area from the historical markers along the way. Plan a stay at Lake George Escape and tool your way around the historic Lake George area.

Bend (OR)
Book a stay in a relaxing yurt at Bend-Sunriver and enjoy one of the trails offered at nearby Shevlin Park. One trail runs along the waters of Tumalo Creek while another 6-mile Loop Trail runs through old growth Ponderosa pine, has a few hills and crosses Tumalo Creek several times.

Leavenworth (WA)
There are plenty of bike trails in and around the Leavenworth area if you’re planning a stay at the Leavenworth Tiny House Village. The Apple Capital Recreation Loop is a 10-mile round trip, paved loop along the both the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers. Another fun way to explore Leavenworth atop a bike is to take one of the Bavarian E-Bike tours offered. For more info on this unique adventure, visit chm.ee2.myftpupload.com.

Cabins at Arrowhead RV Campground
Cabins at Arrowhead RV Campground

Mirror Lake State Park (WI)
This picturesque Wisconsin state park with sandstone bluffs offers five different bike trails including Pinecone Pass (0.4 miles); the Turtleville Trail (2.5 miles); and the three-mile Fern Dell Trail. Mirror Lake State Park is just 20 miles from great cabin, cottage, and vacation rentals at Arrowhead RV Campground.

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Top U.S. Tours to Take

When it comes to seeing what any location you visit has to offer, certainly the local Visitor’s Guide and suggestions from friends and family who have visited the area can work for creating a great itinerary. But why not let someone else do the heavy lifting and sign up for a tour experience with a local provider. There are all kinds of tours ranging from history and architectural to sampling local foods and bevvies or getting your scare on with a spooky ghost tour. Consider the tours we’ve listed here next time you’re in the area! 

There are plenty of Jeep tours around the U.S. that give visitors an off-road experience like no other. Planning a tiny house stay at Verde Valley in Sedona or a cabin rental at Las Vegas and consider booking a trip with pinkadventuretours.com and let the cool Pink Jeeps be your guide. An open-air red Jeep and Joshua Tree National Park combine for a one-of-a-kind experience if you’re visiting Palm Springs and want to see the rugged desert landscape surrounding the area. Visit red-jeep.com for tour info. Planning a trip to Bend, Oregon? Try a yurt or cabin rental at Bend-Sunriver and then check out Bend Jeep® Tours for a great way to see Deschutes National Forest.

Foodie tours are a great way to get to know the history and culture of a city and there are several that stand out. Book a tiny house or cabin stay at Natchez Trace and take in Nashville’s culinary experience. Bites and Sites is a walking tour that combines attractions and food on a walking tour while Nashville Food Adventures are driving tours that offer food and drink experiences. Both are offered through nashvillefoodtours.com. According to Tripadvisor, the food and cultural walking tour of Seattle’s Pike Place Market is one of the most booked food tours in the U.S. Rent a yurt at nearby Tall Chief and head into Seattle to experience this 100-year-plus historic market that is considered “the soul of Seattle.” Visit savorseattletours.com for tour details.

Arrowhead RV Campground
Arrowhead RV Campground

Did you ever ride a duck? What about touring the waters of your vacation destination on a duck? We’re not talking about the waterfowl here but instead the unique amphibious tour bus. If you want to experience the original duck tour rent a cabin at Arrowhead in the Wisconsin Dells where the duck tours originated in 1946 using the decommissioned amphibious trucks introduced in WWII. Since the original duck tour was quite popular with visitors, others began to pop up around the U.S. and similar duck tours can now be found in Boston (book a cottage Gateway to Cape Cod); South Beach and Miami (stay with us at the Miami Everglades RV Resort); and Seattle (Tall Chief is a great location to stay for a Seattle duck adventure).

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Autumn Classics in Wisconsin

Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort | Salem, WI
Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort | Salem, WI

The fall leaves crunching beneath your boots as you search for the perfect pumpkin in the patch. Getting an eyeful of magnificent changing colors as you drive the winding roads beneath the forest trees. The crisp air greets you as you step outside onto the porch of your cozy cabin before heading out to taste cider donuts and hike the trails. If there’s anywhere that just exemplifies everything awesome about that precious time between hot summers and frigid winters, it’s Wisconsin, the place for the ultimate fall getaway! Check out some of our favorite excursions below…  

Apple & Pumpkin Picking at Country Bumpkin Farm; Open April until Oct 31

Visit the Country Bumpkin Farm for a classic fall excursion! The Country Bumpkin Farm is a family-owned farm in the Wisconsin Dells with plenty of activities for kids of all ages. The farm is open from April until the end of October for guests to visit the petting zoo or pick the best apples and pumpkins of the season to make favorite recipes. They also host a variety of seasonal events like special moonlight hayrides in October and “u-pick” berries in the summer. The Country Bumpkin Farm also has a wide variety of seasonal produce available daily at their store! In September, you can pick up a variety of different peppers, potatoes, squash, and more. For more information about the Country Bumpkin Farm visit countrybumpkinfarm.com.

Yurt Interior, Tranquil Timbers | Door County, WI
Yurt Interior, Tranquil Timbers | Door County, WI

Leaf-Peeping Along Door County Coastal Byway

There are plenty of ways to see the fall foliage in Wisconsin – it’s some of the most beautiful in the country! Hop in your car and drive along the Door County Coastal Byway, which stretches over 66 miles on the Door Peninsula, from the City of Sturgeon Bay from Highway 57 down south to Highway 42. As you drive along, expect to see beautiful scenic vistas of Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and the Niagara Escarpment bluffs. Forests, wide open farmlands, and quaint villages situated on the shore. Lighthouses, parks, plus plenty of places to stop and shop, experience live music or theater, hiking trails, golf courses, and much more! Whether you just drive out to leaf-peep and take photos of the foliage, or stop to explore, the highway driving in Wisconsin is a fall season experience not to be skipped.

Fruit Wines & Fall Festivals at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country

Get a taste of something different when you visit Lautenbach’s Orchard Country. This family-owned winery and market in Door County offer specialty foods and over 30 styles of wine made from the fruits grown at the farm. In the fall, visitors from all over come to Lautenbach’s to taste the fruit wines and eat the apple cider donuts! Lautenbach’s also hosts special seasonal festivals to celebrate the seasonal fruit and enjoy the outdoors. This year’s Fall Harvest Fest takes place on Saturday, September 22, 2018, and features free guided winery tours, horse-drawn wagon rides, live music, apple picking, apple cider donut eating contest, and more! Be sure to dress warmly for the Winter Wine & Cherry Fest on February 2, 2019, where you can enjoy lots of wine and food tastings, and horse-drawn sleigh rides to really get in the winter spirit. Visit orchardcountry.com for more information.

Cozy Cabins at Yukon Trails | Lyndon Station, WI
Cozy Cabins at Yukon Trails | Lyndon Station, WI

Navigating a Corn Maze at Treinen Farm

It’s not really Fall in the midwest without navigating your way out of a corn maze! Visit Treinen Farm, a working 200-acre farm with an award winning 15-acre corn maze! Every year is a different theme for the maze, and this year’s theme is “The Elephant’s Child,” which is based on a tale written by Rudyard Kipling. This farm also grows hay, soybeans, corn, and pumpkins. Treinen Farm also hosts private events, and special events like the Zompocalypse – a zombie-themed evening where participants are encouraged to dress up as zombies or come as a “human survivor” in the “zombie-infested cornfield.” Be sure to visit their pumpkin patch as well! Visit treinenfarm.com for more information.

While you’re leaf-peeping and apple-picking, stay in a cozy cabin at one of our Petite Retreats locations in Wisconsin:

Arrowhead RV Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Fremont RV Campground – Fremont, WI

Neshonoc Lakeside – Neshonoc, WI

Plymouth Rock – Plymouth, WI

Tranquil Timbers – Sturgeon Bay, WI

Yukon Trails – Lyndon Station, WI

Make your reservations today and visit petiteretreats.com!