Are you ready to embark on a bikepacking adventure this summer? To begin your journey, you will need to get your bike in shape, select a trail, and finally start pedaling. In this blog, we give you an overview of some of the most popular bikepacking trails in the US.
There are a variety of breathtaking bikepacking trails in the United States that you can choose to visit. Here is a list of some of the most famous ones.
Denali National Park Road, Alaska
With its gentle and easy-riding gravel, the 92-mile Denali Park Road is a favorite among cyclists. There is also a variety of wildlife in the region, such as grizzly bears, moose, and caribou.
The trail offers fantastic views as most of it is above the tree line. What’s more, private vehicle traffic is not allowed beyond the first 15 miles so you no longer have to worry about cars rushing past, just the park buses.
Oregon Timber Trail
This is a rather famous 670-mile mountain bike route that runs north to south across Oregon. Riders usually cover it in a number of 150-200-mile sections. The route is half singletrack and takes you through a truly unique landscape featuring gorgeous mountains, lakes, and streams.
White Rim Trail
The White Rim Trail in Moab, Utah offers plenty of awe-inspiring views of canyons and mesas. It is a 100-mile route, which ordinarily takes average bikepackers about three days to finish.
You can expect to encounter gravel paths, dirt roads, sand, and even rocky parts along the way. If you are planning to embark on this journey, make reservations to use the campgrounds for overnight stays beforehand.
Virginia Mountain Bike Trail
This 430-mile trail links the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountain ranges via a scenic route. You also get to visit George Washington and Jefferson National Forest on the way, which are great for dirt-road riding and hammock camping. However, beware that the route can be rugged, rocky, and even overgrown in some places.
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route was one of the first long-distance, off-road bike routes in America. Some of the spectacular sights along the way include Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Grand Teton National Park, the Great Basin and the San Juan Range. This trail is 2,700 miles long and features outstanding dirt roads, gravel roads, and trails.
Sky Islands Odyssey
This bikepacking trail runs along the borderlands of the wild west and includes dirt, sandy, and rocky trails amidst the Sonoran Desert. You can either opt for The West Loop, The East Loop, or choose to cover the entire route in a single 230-mile loop. Here, you can find unique flora and fauna, along with majestic desert stretches, forests, and grasslands.
Kokopelli Trail
This trail links two of the most well-known bike-riding destinations in the US, namely Fruita, Colorado, and Moab, Utah. Riders tend to complete this route in three 50-mile days and often arrange support at campsites. The landscape is tinged pink, purple, and red and is lined with pinyons, sage, juniper, and cottonwoods.
Maah Daah Hey Trail
Maah Daah Hey is the longest continuous mountain bike trail in North America. It is 144-miles long and runs through the Little Missouri National Grasslands in the Badlands of North Dakota.
The trail consists of nine fenced campgrounds, which you can reach via gravel-surfaced roads. They include picnic tables, hitching rails, potable water, camping spurs, and accessible toilets. You can venture to various parts of the trail to view other places, such as the Devils Pass, China Wall, and the Ice Caves.
Colorado Trail
If you want to challenge yourself to one of the toughest bikepacking trails in the US, check out the Colorado Trail. It is decorated with wildflowers and empty valleys carved by glaciers.
The fact that this trail involves 70,000 feet of total elevation makes it rather difficult. However, the stunning views you get to witness as you pass through the Rocky Mountains are worth the effort.
Olympic Adventure Route
This 66-mile track starts at the Elwha River and Lake Crescent, located in Washington’s Olympic National Park. It is mainly a singletrack trail that passes through dense forests with mesmerizing views of the sea and mountains.
From the high points, you will see the Olympic Mountains, Vancouver Island and the Strait of Juan De Fuca. The Olympic Adventure Route mostly comprises dirt except for a few spots where it crosses paved roads.
The Arizona Trail
This scenic route goes all the way from Fredonia to the Huachuca Mountains and Colorado National Memorial near the Mexico border. The trail is non-motorized so the only other trail users you will see are hikers. However, you will have to either bypass or carry your bike through the Grand Canyon. Most take the detour around the canyon.
The Arizona Trail offers the quintessential Arizona experience as it consists of diverse vegetation, scenery, wildlife, and history. Bikepackers tend to divide the route into smaller parts, like the well-known 50-mile portion linking Flagstaff to Sedona.
If you are looking for an unforgettable adventure that offers spectacular scenery along with an adrenaline rush, any of these trails will be an excellent option. With the wide variety of options available, you are bound to find a route to your liking.
To find more information on these trails and many others checkout bikepacking.com
