Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Over the last couple of months, we’ve updated several routes based on alerts submitted by folks across our global community and improvements from the original route architects. Read on to learn about fresh changes to 10 popular routes…
Spanning more than 125,000 miles of routes, we maintain the largest network of bikepacking routes in the world. We work with route creators and stewards from Asia to Europe to South America and back again, and we’re further strengthened in our mission by our dedicated community of readers, riders, and Bikepacking Collective members to ensure that our routes stay as up to date and relevant as possible. And we’ve all been busy! Find 10 updates from our catalog of more than 500 routes below.
Marmot’s Land
Leading off our recent updates is Marmot’s Land. This route already showcased some of the best mountain biking in the Swiss and Italian Alps. Over the past few years, creators Andreas and Sara have returned to the area again and again—exploring, refining, and testing new trails and paths. Now, they’re excited to finally share the latest version of the route.
The updated route is 23 percent longer and features even more singletrack sections yet is more rideable than ever. Several tedious hike-a-bike segments have been removed, and many scenic gravel paths have been added to improve flow and overall experience.
Originally scouted in 2020, Marmot’s Land quickly gained a following. It was voted third in the “Best New Routes (Weeklong)” category in 2021 and has continued to grow in popularity ever since. Whether you’re in it for remote landscapes, challenging climbs, or thrilling descents, the new Marmot’s Land route delivers!
Cohutta Cat
Next up is Cohutta Cat. First published in 2017, the route has been mostly unchanged since. Many parts of Cohutta Cat are challenging and go through phases of care, but one section was notoriously unmaintained and never fun: Sylco Trail. After years of progressive deterioration, it was removed, and several additional miles of high-quality singletrack were added in the Tanasi Trail system.
Additionally, several miles of gravel road were paved, so the route has now been diverted onto more singletrack. And in the Jake and Bull Mountain Complex, the trail now follows newly built singletrack that adds more flow and views to the route. There are options to follow the old route or branch off for some scenic diversions throughout the route. The new route is shorter at 266 miles, but it increased singletrack to 21 percent and retained the overall percentage of dirt while maximizing the overall flow. We also added a day-by-day itinerary and new ratings for technicality, resupply, and physical challenge just in time for the Grand Depart on November 7th!
Eastern Divide Trail: (S3) Lupine
It was brought to our attention that a portion of the Eastern Divide Trail in Maine utilizes a road that currently does not allow bikes (despite hikers being allowed on the road). We worked with our partners at the Bicycle Coalition of Maine to communicate with the landowner and publish a final updated route guide with a new alignment that utilizes roads through the beautiful 100-Mile Wilderness maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Oregon Outback
We were alerted to a major fire closure north of Fort Rock and worked with local race director Jesse Blough (The Big Lonely) and local cycling guide Tyler Gates to confirm a viable reroute around the closure that is now included in the Trail Notes.
Central Oregon Backcountry Explorer
Local organizations along the route are sometimes the best sources of information. Patrick Farrell at Spoke’n Hostel on this route alerted us to some ongoing paving that affected the route. He also helped us develop a safe (and off-road) alternative.
La Gira de sur Yungas, Bolivia
Reader Jeremy Metherell unfortunately had to navigate some major landslides along this route. He took photos and contacted us so we could warn other riders. He also helped us confirm a ride-around option, which is now in the route guide.
Sardine Lookout Tower Overnighter
Reader Dale Fahrion had a great time riding this route but ran into a small trail closure due to some recent fires and landslides. He helped us confirm a viable alternative, which is now in the route guide.
The Coconino Loop
The Coconino Loop also has a large section affected by a fire closure. Fortunately, Cordis Hall sent us a heads up and helped us create a temporary alternate to keep other riders pedaling!
Death Valley Dustup and Iceland Fjallabak Loop
Regular contributor Emily Bei Cheng helped us address route alerts for two of her routes. The Death Valley Dustup has been impacted by major flooding from tropical weather events in the last few years. Unfortunately, it has affected the route’s north and south sections. We added routing alternatives to avoid the closures, and took the opportunity to add additional campsite information based on recent NPS changes. In addition, field reports from Iceland questioned some private land signage and concerns about a challenging river crossing. We used our industry contacts to confirm the status of the private land and added a POI to warn riders of the river crossing, which was previously not indicated.
Maintaining the more than 500 routes in our first-of-its-kind archive is only made possible through support from our Bikepacking Collective members. Want to help us care for and grow our global route network? Become a member today!
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
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