Southern Bicycle Tier save?

I would not stealth camp on private property in Texas or east of there. You’d likely be ok camping in old cemeteries or behind churches if it’s a weekday, maybe even parks in small towns if it’s out of the way and truly stealth. Purple paint on a tree means a property line, do yourself a favor and don’t cross it if there’s any doubt. Stealth camping is best done on public land.

As for actually unsafe, the greatest danger will always be drivers. I actually haven’t found southern drivers (at least in Texas) to be any more hostile than the west coast. If anything, folks in rural areas are very kind and courteous. It’s the suburbs you gotta watch out for.

Beyond that, be smart in cities because property crime is common everywhere.

Hwy 90 in Florida is so sketchy lots of hiker and cyclist die every year there are some backish roads like dirt you could take just got to look but have fun be careful

My neighbor has toured that route with his wife. They did it on Surly LHTs and had a great time. Be respectful of private property and use the warm showers network, you’ll have a blast. Lots of good people everywhere and I bet you’ll encounter many on your trip.
same neighbor soloed the northern tier route this summer east to west and had an equally good experience.

Things to be aware of:

1. Nearly all of TX is private land ownership so you will need to plan camping ahead of time. Not a problem, just plan ahead.

2. Wear bright colors and run tail lights all day.

3. Country dogs might be the biggest danger. A tennis ball, air horn and bear spray are a good idea.

4. You don’t say where you are from but it can be very warm and humid from Austin to Florida even in March. Stay hydrated. Also, bring bug spray.

I rode that back in 2012, at least until going north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was doing hotels instead of camping however. The roads are fine but for a long portion of it you’re on the 10. Very dry until Austin, but plenty of stores for water. I enjoyed the desert scenery in the summer, but it was nice to see my first cloud at the Texas border.

I’m a cyclist born, raised, and still living in New Orleans. We have the highest cyclist death per capita of a metro area in the US. There’s some good routes around here, but terrible streets, so watch out for massive potholes that could literally eat you and your bike. I wouldn’t recommend biking later in the night as it could be dangerous in multiple ways. Tons of cyclists here, but a ton of self absorbed a-holes, too. Stay safe and hit me up if you want any recs while you’re passing through.

Adventure cycling makes quality maps that have been ridden, tested and regularly revised by cyclists. Just look at their maps and follow their route.
We did the lewis and Clark trail years ago which took us through North Dakota. At that time, North Dakota was being frakked for oil and there were tons of oil trucks driving on the route, making it unsafe. They issued a detour to navigate around it.
Just look for any last minute detours to your route before you go. Look to see if you need to make reservations ahead of time, or if you can just drop in.
I haven’t ridden this route, but I’ve ridden other routes of theirs. I trust any route they put together.

If you want company once you get to the FL Panhandle hit me up!

It becomes unsafe / uninvited in some area ( I haven’t ridden this specific route but have done other part of US) if you are not a white person. This means you can’t show up at someone’s house asking permission to camp in their backyard when you can’t find any public places nearby , if you are non-white looking.