East Coast - West Coast

[jhl99]

I recently found this website and have been awestruck by the photos and riding opportunities in the SW US.  I've taken 2 trips out west to mountain bike and car camp (and learn it takes a while for me to adjust to 10K feet).  One trip was a sampler of CO and another trip was around NM.  Loved the Gila NF in NM.

I'm from PA, and do my riding in north central PA, far western MD, into WV and a trips to the Adirondacks in NY and annual trips to WNC.

The following struck me from the pics of the SW riding (these are just observations to compare and  constrast) :
1.  Long trails legal for biking in the SW/W.
2.  Very few trees.  This means no blow down to contend with, less trail maintence and if there is a trail shown on a topo probably a good chance that is ridable.  In my neck of the woods, if the map shows a trail, you don't know what to expect, it could be in good shape, it could be so choked with blowdown that you can't ride more than 30 yards at a stretch or it could be totally overgrown with mountain laurel making you think the trail doesn't even exist or it has been lost.  
3. Big blocks of land with minimal human development.  In the east, finding remote, truly off the beaten track trail is not so easy, but there a places that seem remote and are not NF wilderness, but not on the scale the west.
4.  Water.  The east has it, pretty much everywhere except for ridge tops.  (I should start taking advantage of this start carrying less water )
5.  Photographic light--the SW has that sunrise/sunset light for good photography... the east, we have high contrast between shade and bright... so photos can simultaneously be under and over exposed. Plus, in the ridge and valley areas, the sun drops behind the next ridge and you don't get much, if any low angle sun.
6.  Rain.  I think I was on Grand Mesa?  outside Grand Junction, CO and it started to rain, the rain turned the dirt roads into terrible fligging, clogging mud.  Not so fun.  In the east, it rains, the trails get slick but the mud isn't so bad.  Those Rocky Mtn daily t-storms are kind of a nusance.  The east t-storms are kind of mixed in with the weather patterns, not necessarily a daily occurance type of thing.
7.  Exposure.  East - a lot of riding, if not most, is under the tree canopy.  Not in the SW.
8.  Lifestyle.   West -more laid back, larger % of population is outdoorsey than East?  I don't know, maybe this is just a perception thing.

Comments?

[FeloniousDunk]

I know what you mean about all the western routes verse the lack of eastern routes    VA is primed though.  I've been reading all the western and Alaska guys' reports for a couple years and I'm often tempted to just move out there, or atleast try to get my boss to give me a lot more time off.  I only need a few more weeks per year to get a fix on the CT, AZT, and maybe northern end of the CDT and I'd be happy   Maybe a career change is needed...anyone need a traveling gear tester/representative/route finders/salesman/traveling almost anything? 

[Majcolo]

A fair assessment, JLH.

[AZTtripper]

Very interesting post there is certainly a lot to do in the east but to me the West is the Best.

On comment 2 we do have out maintenance issues there are big trees on the AZT at higher elevations, and the Sonoran desert is fairly lush so trails can get over grown with thorny plants. Up around Pine on the AZT the pine trees have been infested with bark beetles so lots of them fall, there is also a lot of fire damage on the AZT. The hiking route is in even worse shape then the bike route as the wilderness passages we don't do are the most remote and hardest to work on.

The west is definitely has a more casual dress code living in Tucson you rarely see people wearing ties and when you do they look out of place. I would also say that we have our share of nonoutdoorsy residents.