Existed: May 28, 2014 – present Constructed 28 May 2014 | Length 1,072 km | |
West end: Anacortes, WA ferry terminal States: | ||
U.S. Bicycle Route 10 (USBR 10) is a United States Bicycle Route that is planned to follow U.S. Route 2 across the northern United States, beginning in Anacortes, Washington and ending in St. Ignace, Michigan. As of 2015, only 666 miles (1,072 km) of the planned corridor is designated, within the states of Washington, Idaho, and Michigan.
Contents
The Washington segment was designated in May 2014 as the first national bicycle route in the state. The designation of the Michigan segment came shortly thereafter in November 2014, followed by an extension of the western segment into Idaho in May 2015.
Route description
USBR 10 runs parallel to U.S. Route 2 for most of its route and also incorporates part of the Northern Tier route of the Adventure Cycling Route Network.
Western segment
USBR 10 begins at a Washington State Ferries terminal in Anacortes, Washington, at the terminus of Washington State Route 20 Spur. The route travels east along the Guemes Channel into downtown Anacortes, where it leaves the highway and uses city streets; USBR 10 leaves Anacortes on the Tommy Thompson Trail, crossing over Fidalgo Bay on a former railroad trestle to March Point. The route follows State Route 20 across Washington Pass and northern Washington to Newport, where it crosses into Idaho.
Within Bonner County, Idaho, the route follows U.S. Route 2 to Sandpoint and State Highway 200 towards the Montana border.
Eastern segment
The 193-mile (311 km) Michigan segment of USBR 10 begins in Iron Mountain, and follows U.S. Route 2 across the southern portion of the Upper Peninsula. The route ends at an intersection with USBR 35 in St. Ignace, at the northern end of the Mackinac Bridge.
History
Planning for a national bicycle touring route across the northernmost states of the United States began in the early 2000s, under efforts by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to expand the United States Bicycle Route System, established in 1982 and not expanded since. The northern route, which had been marketed as the "Northern Tier" by Adventure Cycling, was identified in 2008 as a priority corridor for the renewed system and later numbered "USBR 10".
The first segment of USBR 10, located in the state of Washington and traveling along State Route 20, was approved in May 2014 by AASHTO. The 407-mile (655 km) segment, following State Route 20 from Anacortes to Newport, was dedicated in September. The Michigan segment was designated in November 2014, followed by the Idaho segment in May 2015. The Idaho segment was given a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October in Sandpoint.
U.S. Bicycle Route 10A
U.S. Bicycle Route 10A is an alternate route to USBR 10 in Idaho, traveling on the south side of the Pend Oreille River between Oldtown and Sandpoint for 71 miles (114 km).