Trans-America Trail

[Cary&Angela]

Leaving the 23rd

We are starting the TAT on the 23rd of June. We can only be gone for a week this time, so we will start at Tellico Plains and see how far we make it. We plan on tent camping every night and smelling alot of roses along the way. Our only scheduled event is Jack Daniels'. We plan on taking 2 days to get from Oklahoma to Tellico Plains via The Tale of The Dragon (Tn. 129) and the Cherohala skyway. We will start home from where every we are on the 30th. I hope to have a lot of good experiences to share when we get back. (btw we are doing this in a 1998 Jeep TJ)

 

[irish1371]

I'm in Utah give me some routes and I will do my best to get you all the info I can on them. In Utah there is some fairly fine sand but I have not had an issue yet with aired down tires and some common sense

 

[Revelstoker]

I did the TAT from Silverton through to eastern Oregon three years ago on my KTM640. Have often thought how much fun it would be to do with my JKU. Here's a link to a report I did on ADV Rider that has a plethora of pictures (starts about halfway down): http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506580&highlight=revelstoker&page=5

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

I hope some more of you guys post up pictures. I guess I'll order the maps too I just found the way I'm going when it comes time to move back home. Now I've just got to convince the wife that she can drive the Sequoia with a trailer. I foresee the optional insurance box getting checked I bet Kansas could get pretty muddy but all I wanted to do while I was on I-70 was turn off and drive across those rolling hills. Good luck to you guys about to start it and please post up some pics.

 

[kchusky]

Kansas back roads are not to bad. I've done a good amount of riding on my 525 on them. I've been talking to some of the other Jeepers here in the K.C. area about doing part of the trail from Oklahoma up into Colorado and maybe jump on the continental divide trail and head back up to I70 and then home next Summer. I've wanted to this on the KTM but that has not worked out. Saw someone had posted pic's of the Rainbow trail, that trail is a hoot on the bike.

 

[CodyY]

I've run the TAT from the start, in TN, up to Green River, UT on motorcycles. So far, the only section that you wouldn't be able to do in most stock 4X4s is War Loop Road in the Ozarks. I barely got my KLR250 down that washed-out, rocky gully. Looking forward to riding from Green River to the finish, later this summer.
Here's pics from 2009 and 2010.
Here's a pic that pretty much shows the bad section of War Loop.
-K

Warloop rd. isn't that bad in a jeep. I've been through it twice. I did hear that it has been shut down, might want to check on that. I have also done the whole Mississippi Hill Country loop in a jeep, a nice trip and only a little true 4wd roads.

Warloop is the most over-rated 300yds on the internet.

I never dropped below third gear riding wheelies UP it, and the "official" route sends you down. Granted I was on a 525 KTM, but i also followed PhotoJoJo down it while he was riding an Airhead GS-PD.

The most interesting part of Warloop is the stream running next to it.

 

[southronpatriot]

i rode the Trans-America Trail with a buddy back in 2009 we were riding Kawasaki KLR 650 bikes that were way too heavy, and loaded down with camping gear. i would have preferred to do it in a jeep or any other suitable overland camping vehicle. some of the worst areas were in mountain crossings. in nevada it rained on us and the powdery dust became slick and sticking to our tires, when it dried it became concrete. in colorado the passes were narrow but wide enough, just a bit hairy on a bike. we encountered deep sand in utah, one area i had to go around after three attempts. i dropped the bike in the slick creek crossing in west tennessee, but i got used to dropping and picking it up several tomes a day. i would do it in again, but with four wheels next time.

 

[southronpatriot]

you must be quite the ************ rider to do warloop like that. i broke a foot-peg mount bolt after bottoming out my skid-plate on a large rock. but hey i am from FLatistan (florida) so i was not exactly ready for riding on large rocks. we did make it all the way though ended up at the pacific in 23 days

 

[CodyY]

Come to Talimena. I'll show you a tough "road". https://vimeo.com/user2809393/videos

There's nothing here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjtmNeAeJ3A&feature=fvwrel worth talking about as far as I'm concerned. You boys east of the 'ol Missisip need to head out where there's some elevation from time to time. I'm an Over-30\B class Enduro and Harescrambles racer, when I decide to go race. There are dozens, hundreds of guys that race local events that are way better than me, and have way better endurance. However, I tend to shine in the technical stuff with better balance and good equipment.

YMMV, etc..
Warloop still a non-issue.

motorsikles is dangerous

 

[Gventure]

Everyone has different ideas of what is fun and/or acceptable. I did TAT on a KLR with some friends in 2010. One of us loved hard knarly rocky techical stuff and some loved the overlanding travel aspect. I think parts of Hancock pass for instance would be tough/dangerous in a 4x4 (narrow off camber on loose rock right passed the apex where the Jeep that didn't make it is lying in the gully) but maybe someone else would give it a go. The best thing is to plan the trip - take it - and make adjustments on the fly based on your experience at the time and "on the spot" road reports. Nothing like a local telling you that a road has been washed out, or turned into a swamp, so that you can re-route.

My personal opinion is that from Tellico to Branson Co would be boing in a 4x4. I'd skip that part and start in Branson or Trinidad. Parts of the TAT from CO. west will be SLOW in a 4x4.

Also - Youtube has a large number of videos of virtually every named road/pass/washout etc - watch them to get an idea of what to expect.

Have Fun!

 

[kchusky]

Talimena is a hoot. We rode there about two years ago with some locals. Thought it was pretty funny to come a cross a bar in what seemed to be the middle of "no where" in the woods.

 

[Appalachian]

I asked my daughter if she was up for a road trip, told her we may do the TAT, she asked on what so I'm debate'n on either buy'n her a new bike or build'n another Toyota, also considered a ATV.

Were probably a year from it so we have some time to ponder & dig up info, ya'll keep us posted on how it go's.

 

[Jeff@QuadShop]

ATV's are not legal for road use in all of the states that the TAT passes through.

 

[Trailfrog]

Hey, I'm fairly new to overlanding and have only been on some local three day trips in Arkansas. I had this idea today that it would be cool to organize a TAT relay! Too much Olympics I guess. Someone that knows each state section could split the trail up into about 200 mile "legs". Then local groups of maybe ten or less could organize to do at least one section. To really make it a relay each group would have to take the "baton" from the group before. Each group could document their trip on this thread. It would guess it would take around 75 days to complete the entire trail depending on trail conditions. Any interest?

 

[OkieRunner]

WAY late to the party here, but yeah that would be a blast I think. I'm itching to do the OK section next spring/summer when it's dry (I don't like mud). I did most of the Arkansas section last spring (Damascus and west) and 95% of it could've been done in a Honda Civic. And 100% of it I feel like I could blaze through in a Subaru outback, including Warloop Rd. I had read all the hype and when we got there I was thinking, I could do this on my Vstrom with decent tires easily.