The Ultimate Guide to Bikepacker-Friendly Lodging

By Jess Daddio (@jessdaddio)

Tired of getting weird looks from hotel receptionists when you ask if you can wheel your bike into the room? So are we. Fortunately, there’s a growing network of bikepacker-friendly hosts who understand ubs. From free city park camping to luxury cyclist-tailored retreats (and everything in between), we’ve compiled the ultimate state-by-state guide to the most bikepacker-friendly accommodations in the country.

Use the map below to link to a particular place, or scroll down to navigate by state…

AZ | AK | CA | CO | FL | IL | IN | KS | KY | LA | MD | MI | MT | NH | NM | NC | OH | OR | PA | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WY

Arizona

Sedona Reãl link

Sedona, Arizona

Route(s): Wild West Bikepacking Route, Coconino Loop, Robbers Roost Overnighter
Cost: From $119.20 per night

The city of Sedona is surrounded by nearly 300 miles of singletrack. Located in the heart of red rock riding paradise, Sedona Reãl is like a rider’s mini oasis. Hikers and bikers get a 20% discount for a two-night stay at the Sedona Reãl (use code BIKESEDONA when booking). Even your bikes can get a little TLC here, as your stay comes complete with access to a bike wash and service station.

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Arkansas

Bentonville, Arkansas link

Route(s): Arkansas High Country Route (Northwest Loop), No Place Like Oz
Cost: Rooms from $85 per night

That’s right, pretty much any hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas, is certifiably “bike friendly.” From The Courtyard by Marriott to the Comfort Inn, there are 11 hotels in town that permit bikes in rooms, provide bike washing stations and tools, and offer maps and trail beta for visiting cyclists.

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California

Mellow Mountain Hostel link

South Lake Tahoe, California

Route(s): Tahoe Twirl
Cost: Bunks $28 per night, rooms from $63 per night

When it comes to baseline lodging necessities, ski bums and bikepackers are a lot alike. They need laundry facilities, computer access, locker storage, a real kitchen, and, above all else, an affordable nightly rate. Mellow Mountain has all of the above (plus a foosball table).

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Colorado

A-Lodge link

Boulder, Colorado

Route(s): Boulder Weekend Loop
Cost: Camping from $39 per night, rooms from $91 per night

Your only option for camping within a five-mile radius of downtown Boulder is A-Lodge, an adventure-themed basecamp that’s located in Fourmile Canyon. Bikepackers can keep it cheap and post a tent or live large with a luxurious private suite. 

Brush Mountain Lodge link

Slater, Colorado

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Cost: Donation-based camping and food, $30 per night for lodge rooms, $90 per night for cabins (if you arrive via pedal power)

Kirsten Henricksen never imagined her family’s hunting lodge would serve touring cyclists in the off-season. In fact, back in 2006, when Tour Divide event organizer Matthew Lee rolled into the driveway at Brush Mountain Lodge, Kirsten didn’t know anything about bikes or bikepacking, let alone the Tour Divide.

“I just remember this dude rolled in with nothing on his bike, he was skinny as a rail, I could see his ribs popping out,” says Henricksen. “I was sure he was just some yahoo who was lost.”

Of course, Lee wasn’t lost, but he was hungry. Henricksen, who had been hosting a construction crew all summer, offered him some leftovers, to which he replied: can the other racers stop for food, too?

“That was such a key moment, looking back,” says Henricksen. “If I had been grumpy that day and said no then things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.”

Today, Brush Mountain Lodge is as much a part of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route as Fleecer Ridge in Montana and Pie Town in New Mexico. In 2019 alone, Henricksen served some 800 riders, from Tour Divide racers to Great Divide tourers. Open to riders from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the lodge’s cabins, rooms, and floor/yard space are provided on a first come, first served basis. Though its location—14 miles up a parched gravel climb, in the middle of a sparsely serviced 140-mile stretch—is magical in and of itself, it is Henricksen’s unfailing ability to make strangers feel like family that truly gives Brush Mountain Lodge its ethereal quality. 

Henricksen will wash your salt-crusted chamois, provide clean clothes for you to lounge in, and serve you pizza and beer and soda and pancakes till you pop (please donate according to your intake). She’ll give you a hug or tough love, whichever you need most, and some lube for your chain (the lodge also has a well-stocked Butt and Body Repair Center for all of your chafed-nether-region-needs). These days, Henricksen has a bike of her own, a custom build from Cjell Monē. While she’s enjoyed experiencing some of the roads around the lodge, the idea of riding a thousand miles to get there still seems crazy. Fortunately for bikepackers, Henricksen likes a little crazy.

“The whole idea was pretty insane to me and I loved it immediately,” she says of the Tour Divide. “The self sufficiency, the whole ‘no reward.’ That it’s a race based on a gentleman’s agreement totally appeals to me. At first, I wasn’t totally connected to the cycling part but the spirit of it spoke to me right away.”

In the winter, Henricksen heads south to Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently finalizing the last touches on a Brush Mountain-esque bikepacker friendly pad at her home, which is conveniently located near the Fool’s Loop and Black Canyon Trail.

The Colorado Trail House link

Leadville, Colorado

Route(s): The Colorado Trail, Colorado 14ers Loop
Cost: Bunk beds from $35 per night, rooms from $75 per night

Old-school Victorian mansion meets ski bum haven in this eight-bedroom communal inn. No matter the season, this place is regularly packed, so be sure to reserve in advance if you know when you’re coming through the highest incorporated city in North America.

Inn the Clouds link

Leadville, Colorado

Route(s): The Colorado Trail, Colorado 14ers Loop
Cost: Bunk beds from $32 per night, rooms from $50 per night

Even today, Leadville feels like the last vestige of the Wild West. The storied legacies of mining and mountaineering keep this mountain town undeniably quirky. Inn the Clouds is the perfect complement to that vibe, offering road-weary travelers of all kinds, from cyclists to thru-hikers, a place to rest, recreate, and reconnect with civilization (if only for a night).

Simple Lodge and Hostel link

Salida, Colorado

Route(s): Aspen Ridge Family Bikepack, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Colorado 14ers Loop, The Vapor Trail
Cost: Bunks $24 per night, rooms from $65-120 per night

Salida might feel like a tourist trap in the height of the vacation season, but the vibe at the Simple Lodge is genuine and down-to-earth. With communal dorm rooms and a family-style kitchen, it won’t take long for this hostel to feel like your home away from home. 

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Florida

The Bicycle House link

Tallahassee, Florida

Route(s): The Southern Tier
Cost: Donation-based

This non-profit greets all touring cyclists with arms wide open. Sometimes as many as 25 riders post up here on any given night. There are plenty of couches, ample floor space, and two beds doled out on a first come, first served basis. The Bicycle House also has repair tools and spare equipment for cyclists in need and can help riders access public transportation and ship/receive mail.

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Georgia

Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway link

Ellijay, Georgia

Route(s): Trans North Georgia, Cohutta Cat
Cost: Cabins from $65 per night, camping from $19 per night (10% off meals and lodging for pedal-powered visitors on ITTs)

Hidden away in the rhododendron-lined hollars of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Mulberry Gap might be just 12 miles from downtown Ellijay, Georgia, but it feels worlds away. Only accessible via gravel Forest Service roads, Mulberry Gap is surrounded on all sides by national forest and over 100 miles of singletrack, including the Pinhoti Trail.

“There’s no service, the WiFi is terrible,” says Mulberry Gap co-owner Kate Gates. “But it’s great because anybody can really just disconnect.”

Originally opened in 2007 as Mulberry Gap Bunkhouse Inn and Camping, it didn’t take long for Kate and her husband Andrew—also cyclists—to realize that their core visitorship was made up of mountain bikers. The Gateses changed the name to Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway to reflect their clientele and installed a bike wash station, bought a shuttle van and trailer, and stocked their shelves with repair essentials and craft beer. Following the 2008 designation of Ellijay as the Mountain Bike Capital of Georgia, business at Mulberry Gap started booming. 

“It’s been word of mouth mostly, where people were hearing about this mountain bike-specific place in the middle of the woods where you could get showers and home-cooked meals and sleep,” says Kate. “It took a lot of people a long time to understand it but a lot of them just didn’t even know we’re here.”

Nowadays, Mulberry Gap is at the heart of North Georgia’s mountain bike culture. Having bikepacked the Florida Trail and toured throughout Costa Rica, Kate and Andrew are also bringing their own love of bikepacking to Mulberry Gap. In 2019, Mulberry Gap hosted the third annual Bikepacking Summit. The retreat also serves as a welcome oasis for Trans North Georgia and Cohutta Cat racers in need of food, clean clothes, and a place to sleep. For cyclists not participating in the grand departs for these two routes, the Gateses offer pedal-powered touring visitors 10% off meals and lodging (the discount is capped at $50). Out-of-towners flying in for their Georgia bikepacking adventure can have their bikes shipped to Mulberry Gap, whose staff will also build or break down bikes for shipping for $50. Be forewarned: after you’ve experienced the family-style dining, mini-bike-Jenga, late-night fireside chats, and hot tubs here, you may never leave. 

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Illinois

Cole Memorial Park link

Chester, Illinois

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: $5-15 per night, depending on the season

Tucked on the banks of the Mississippi River, this Midwestern town loves its TransAm cyclists. Riders can camp in the town park, which provides access to restrooms with showers, laundry facilities, and basic toiletries. Be sure to check out the Popeye the Sailor statue on your way out of town.

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Indiana

Community Center link

Monroeville, Indiana

Route(s): Northern Tier, North Lakes
Cost: Donation-based

There’s nothing like an air conditioned room stocked with a free washer/dryer, clean towels, and a television to make touring cyclists feel like royalty. The Monroeville Community Center’s proprietor, Warren, even provides cyclists with a key so they can feel safe about stowing their bikes and gear inside while they resupply.

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Kansas

Zion Lutheran Church Bicycle Hostel link

Hutchinson, Kansas

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Donation-based

Hit up Harley’s Bicycle Shop for access to this hostel, which is located in the basement of the Zion Lutheran Church and is only made available for touring cyclists. If the shop is closed, call (620) 663-3513 to get a key to the hostel.

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Kentucky

Perry County, Kentucky link

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Free camping

Follow the road signs directing bikepackers to Perry County Park, where cyclists can camp, charge electronics, and even grab a shower all for free. Send a postcard to County Judge Executive Scott Alexander if you want to thank someone for the bike-friendly hospitality.

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Louisiana

The Cajun Cyclist link

Jackson, Louisiana

Route(s): Southern Tier
Cost: Free

Perry Templeton is the Cajun Pedaler. On The Southern Tier, everybody knows that Perry’s place—a shack with a couple of bunk beds, a flushing toilet, electricity, hot showers, and potable water—is open to any cyclist from anywhere on any day, even holidays (just be sure you arrive before dark).

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Maryland

YMCA

Cumberland, Maryland

Route(s): Chicago to New York City: Philadelphia Alternate, Great Allegheny Passage, C&O Canal
Cost: $10 per night, free for Y and AWAYY members

Conveniently located within a mile of the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal trailheads, this in-town camping provides all of the bikepacker’s basics: level ground, a shelter for bad weather, and picnic tables. Campers also have full use of the indoor showers and restrooms when the Y is open.

Frostburg Trail Inn link

Frostburg, Maryland

Route(s): Chicago to New York City: Philadelphia Alternate, Great Allegheny Passage
Cost: Camping $15 per night, bunk beds from $30 per night, private rooms from $59 per night

The Trail Inn’s trailside location makes it a popular spot for touring cyclists passing through the college town of Frostburg. In addition to being a reasonably priced place to pitch a tent or reserve a bunk, the inn also offers bikepackers a range of shuttle services.

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Missouri

Al's Place Bike Hostel link

Farmington, Missouri

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Call for latest rates

Located in the upstairs of the historic St. Francois County jail house in Farmington, Al’s Place is named in honor of a local cyclist who passed away from cancer.

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Montana

Bruce Anderson link

Missoula, Montana

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Free

A hydrologist by day and volunteer bike mechanic by night, Bruce Anderson is a bicycle community man through and through. Having bikepacked over 1,000 miles through Europe, Anderson is always willing to open his spacious home to cyclists, whether that’s offering spare beds or floor space and yard camping. 

The Bunkhouse Hotel link

Jackson, Montana

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Camping $20 per night, hostel-style bed $39 per night, private rooms from $79 per night

This 100-year-old hotel’s exterior still maintains its early 20th century charm but its interior has been completely remodeled and modernized. Staying here feels like going back in time, except that today’s cowboys ride bikes instead of horses (and have WiFi).

Whitefish Bike Retreat link

Whitefish, Montana

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Cost: Group campsites $50 per night, single bunk beds from $50 per night, private rooms from $110 per night

We can all thank backpacking for helping Cricket Butler find her way to the world of two-wheeled travel. It was two backpacking trips, specifically thru-hikes on the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, that instilled in Butler a deep love for long-distance, human-powered travel. But it was also backpacking that blew out her knees. It was the early 2000s, and Butler, then on the cusp of her 40th birthday, was not ready to slow down. She bought a bike and started competing in long-distance, single-day endurance rides, which eventually led her to bikepacking and, serendipitously, discovering the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Tour Divide.

“I wouldn’t be here, the retreat wouldn’t be here, if it was not for bikepacking,” says Butler. “It kinda changed my life.”

In 2008, Butler and a friend toured the Great Divide for her 40th birthday. When she arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border 2,700 miles later, she knew she was hooked. The next three years, she returned to compete in the Tour Divide. During each of her southbound journeys, Butler came to know Whitefish through the lens of a bikepacker. She already loved the vibrant Montana mountain town—she and her ex-husband used to own a place where they’d stay during ski trips. But as a bikepacker, Butler felt the accommodations were too pricey for riders on the go. She only stayed in Whitefish once while racing, and only because a group of racers split the cost for an otherwise expensive hotel room. 

Then, in 2012, Butler moved to Whitefish with her two sons in tow. She and her husband had recently divorced, and Butler was ready for a change.

“I needed a job, and the one thing I really knew and was passionate about was bikepacking and taking care of cyclists,” she says. “I found this property right on the Whitefish Trail, which was developing at the time, and all of the parts fell into place.”

The Whitefish Bike Retreat today is a one-stop-shop for bikepackers. Beginner bikepackers can hire Butler for consultation on all things Tour Divide, rent bikes and Oveja Negra bikepacking bags, and even have Butler put together a Whitefish-based bikepacking route to meet your goals and skill level. The retreat offers guests everything from bike wash stations to shuttles—Butler will even take Tour Divide hopefuls up to the starting line in Banff. 

“I consider Tour Divide racers my people,” she says. “I remember being in that place. If you’re sick, injured, overwhelmed, we’re here to help you.”

Ovando, Montana link

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route 
Cost: Free camping in designated areas, $5 donation for teepee/jail/shepherd’s wagon, private rooms at Ovando Inn (call for latest fees)

The close-knit community of Ovando, population 71, has always existed on the fringe of civilization. In 1998, when Kathy Schoendoerfer moved to Ovando to work at a guest ranch, she remembers feeling like she had moved to a new frontier, despite being just over an hour’s drive north of Montana’s capital in Helena.

“Nobody knew about Ovando, even people in Missoula,” she says, which is an hour west and the closest major city. “Ovando in 2000 was dead or dying, and we needed people to know we were alive.”

The community asked Schoendoerfer to open a fly fishing shop to accommodate the growing number of anglers visiting Ovando’s Blackfoot River. A few years after opening the Blackfoot Angler, Schoendoerfer and the rest of the Ovando community started noticing visitors of a different breed altogether: bikepackers. There weren’t many of them, maybe 20 total over the course of a few months, but they bought food and seemed friendly, and Ovando was curious.

One night, Schoendoerfer received a call from a business owner in Seeley Lake, about a day’s ride north of Ovando on the Great Divide. The person asked if Ovando could help a Tour Divide racer, an older woman from Ohio who was the last rider in the pack and struggling to stay motivated. Ovando rallied. They cleaned out a sheep wagon for her to sleep in, pooled together food and beer, and made a sign cheering her on and letting her know she wasn’t alone. When the woman rode in later that night, she burst into tears and lingered well into the morning to personally thank everyone in Ovando.

“It felt so good for us who did it,” says Schoendoerfer. “We thought, if we felt that good about helping one person, well, there are a whole lot more cyclists coming through. What we do for one we do for all.”

Ovando’s bikepacker friendliness is now ingrained in nearly every aspect of the community. The Brand Bar Museum provides cyclists free camping and power strips for electronic charging. The Ovando Inn and Blackfoot Commercial Company stays open late during the Tour Divide season so racers can get food no matter what time they roll into town. They als offer $10 showers (soap and towel included) and a laundromat for cyclists not staying at the inn. For $5 per night, Ovando allows cyclists to stay in any one of its cool lodging options: a teepee with two cots, an enclosed shepherd’s wagon, and even the original town jail (circa 1800s). Cyclists can also camp for free on the gravel near the teepee or at the Valiton Park at the end of Main Street, and there are outhouses specifically for cyclists. 

Of course, Schoendoerfer is at the core of this next-level hospitality. She takes photos of nearly every single rider that passes through Ovando and posts them online for their friends and family to follow along. She’s even installed a webcam outside the Blackfoot Angler to catch cyclists arriving late at night after she’s left the shop. Though Schoendoerfer herself is not a cyclist, she has been known to skydive and whitewater raft and shares an appreciation for the rugged Montana wilderness that surrounds Ovando. To her, there’s nothing more rewarding than helping stoke the spirit of adventure. 

“From a town that wasn’t even known in Missoula in the 1990s, we’re now known from Banff to Belgium and all through the cycling world,” she says. “When I watch these people come through, I live vicariously through them.”

The Lucky Llama Lodge link

Canyon Creek, Montana

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Cost: Free (but pay it forward)

Barbara Nye and John Keller are the hosts of this bikepacker’s paradise. Once the Montana couple realized their property was located right on the Great Divide, they began opening up their property to touring cyclists. Bikepackers can camp or crash in the cabins, which are stocked with food items and cold beverages. Just don’t mind the llamas.

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New Hampshire

The White Mountains Hostel link

Conway, New Hampshire

Route(s): Northern Tier
Cost: Bunk beds from $34 per night, private rooms from $64 per night

This hostel’s close proximity to the White Mountain National Forest means you’ll be making dinner and swapping trail tales with outdoor lovers of every shape and size, from whitewater kayakers to rock climbers. While it doesn’t have laundry on site, there are two laundromats within spinning distance.

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New Mexico

The Toaster House

Pie Town, New Mexico

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Cost: Donation-based

Though no one lives here anymore, this house is still owned by Nita Larronde, who raised her five kids under the same roof and donated the house to the hiker-biker community. Foot, bike, and horse-powered travelers can spend the night in a room or crash on the floor. There’s some basic food pantry items, showers and clean towels, and electricity. You won’t have any problem finding the spot—it’s the only house decorated with toasters!

The Bike Haus link

Silver City, New Mexico

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Cost: Donation-based

Run by former Tour Divide racer Jamie Thompson, The Bike Haus is always open to Great Divide riders, even when Jamie’s not around. Centrally located to downtown Silver City, riders can crash on the floor, do laundry, and tune their bikes, so long as they don’t mind sharing space with Jamie’s larger-than-life puppets.

Hachita Community Center

Hachita, New Mexico

Route(s): Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Cost: Donation-based

Hachita is the last community you’ll pass through on your way to the southernmost terminus of the Great Divide. The community here has an open-door policy for bikepackers and allows cyclists to crash indoors at the community center. There’s a kitchen and plenty of floor space, but please donate and be respectful guests. 

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North Carolina

The Bike Farm link

Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Route(s): Appalachian Beer Trail
Cost: Campsites from $24 per night, glamping tents from $90 per night

How do you make your passion your work? That is the million-dollar question The Bike Farm owners Eva Surls and Cashion Smith sought to answer when they moved to western North Carolina in 2011. Both Surls and Smith were avid cyclists, but their backgrounds—Surls’ in integrative health and Smith’s in medical devices—didn’t always lend themselves to ample time in the woods. For their own health and happiness, Surls and Smith knew that needed to change.

“We believe that the bike is the answer to a lot of what ails us these days,” says Smith, “from distractions on social media to obesity to traffic and pollution and the general disconnect that exists with human beings and their natural environment. The Bike Farm is a realization of mine and Eva’s dream to be able to pursue our passion, share our love of mountain biking, and connect individuals to themselves and the natural world via the bicycle.”

Initially, The Bike Farm opened in 2012 solely as a guide and coaching service and in tandem with the Oskar Blues REEB Ranch. A couple of years later, Surls and Smith found their own property, a 440-acre property that butted up against the boundary to Pisgah National Forest. The Bike Farm today seamlessly binds Surls’ and Smith’s vision for a bike-centered community gathering grounds—there’s a few miles of trail on the property, a dedicated skills coaching area, and everything from forest camping to luxurious deck glamping. True to their core beliefs, The Bike Farm offers discounted rates for visitors who work in the adaptive sports and wilderness therapy fields.

As Pisgah National Forest mountain bike guides, Surls and Smith know the national forest out their backdoor better than most. For bikepackers interested in touring western North Carolina, The Bike Farm offers custom tour creation and logistical assistance so you can ride more and worry less. 

Pilot Cove link

Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Route(s): Trans-Western North Carolina, Southern Highlands Traverse, Eastern Divide Trail
Cost: Private cabins from $150 per night

Located on 64 acres beside Pisgah National Forest, Pilot Cove was built by outdoor lovers for outdoor lovers. Pilot Cove’s spacious cabins, luxurious beds, and full kitchens will feel like serious splurging if you’ve been spending your bikepacking tour eating Knorr rice sides and hunkering down in a perpetually damp sleeping bag. 

Pilot Cove co-owner Collin O’Berry gets it. O’Berry is an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker and former trail builder. He and the Pilot Cove team have catered this national forest paradise specifically to those of us who like to work hard to play hard. 

“We try to foster an environment where outdoor recreation is at the forefront of Pilot Cove,” says O’Berry. “You can essentially get lost in Pisgah within a very short road ride of your front door.”

Each cabin comes equipped with washing and drying machines, outdoor spigots with hot and cold water for year-round bike washing, on-site trails, and even a live music amphitheater for when you need just a splash of culture in your otherwise disconnected bikecation.

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Ohio

The Cleveland Hostel link

Cleveland, Ohio

Route(s): Northern Tier, Buckeye Trail Bicycle Route
Cost: Bunk beds from $26 per night, private rooms from $67.50 per night

Finding an inexpensive spot to crash and a safe place to keep your bike in a city can sometimes be a struggle. Fortunately, The Cleveland Hostel has you covered with free bike storage, lockers, on-site laundry, and reasonable rates for every bed and room.

Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails link

London, Ohio

Route(s): Underground Railroad, Chicago to New York City 
Cost: Donation-based

Designated for cyclists only, this campsite has sheltered picnic tables, electrical outlets, raised tent platforms, potable water, and a bathroom that’s open year-round. 

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Oregon

Travelers’ House link

Portland, Oregon

Route(s): Lewis and Clark Trail
Cost: Bunk beds from $27 per night, private rooms from $65 per night

Just blocks away from the United Bicycle Institute, this hostel is a state-recognized “bike friendly business.” The staff here is well-versed on area bike paths and the hostel is stocked with bike tools, maps, Portland guidebooks for cyclists, and bike rentals (if yours is out of commission). Plus, there’s a free pancake breakfast.

Spoke'n Hostel link

Mitchell, Oregon

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Limited camping available (call for latest rates), bunk beds from $25 per night, “semi-private” rooms from $35-65 per night

During the touring season, this hostel is an easy place to connect with fellow bikepackers. Visitors can roll their wheels beside their bed, swap the sleeping bag for a homemade quilt, and enjoy all the luxuries of civilization (namely free WiFi, complimentary breakfast, and water that doesn’t need filtering). That this hostel is also pet friendly is just the icing on the cake.

Mitchell City Park link

Mitchell, Oregon

 
Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Camping $12 per night for hikers and bikers

Just down the road from the Spoke’n Hostel and located in downtown Mitchell, this city park provides cheap camping for human-powered adventurers on a first come, first served basis.

Churchill Bike/Ski Hostel link

Baker City, Oregon

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Bunk beds $25 per night

Located in a renovated 1920s era elementary school, this hostel is regularly packed with touring cyclists in the summer and skiers in the winter. It’s pretty basic and can only fit eight people, but it’s an economical alternative to weathering the elements.

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Pennsylvania

South Side Traveler’s Rest link

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Route(s): Chicago to New York City, Underground Railroad Pittsburgh Spur, Great Allegheny Passage Trail
Cost: Bunks from $40-60 per night, private rooms from $80-200

Pittsburgh might have been built on steel, but the cycling culture keeps this Mid-Atlantic city alive and vibrant. South Side is a boutique hostel that offers options ranging from bunk beds to private suites. Located at the northern terminus of the GAP, South Side is regularly frequented by touring cyclists. The hostel provides indoor bike parking and a fix-it station for cyclists.

Ohiopyle Guest Houses link

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

Route(s): Chicago to New York City: Philadelphia Alternate, Great Allegheny Passage
Cost: Rooms from $95 per night

In the summer months, Ohiopyle is mostly packed with tourists who come to this corner of southwestern Pennsylvania for the Youghiogheny River and the commercial whitewater rafting scene. Ohiopyle has three guest houses that are located either on or immediately adjacent to the Great Allegheny Passage and can be rented out entirely or on a room-by-room basis.

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Texas

Sauceda Bunkhouse link

Redford, Texas

Route(s): Bikepacking Big Bend
Cost: Bunk beds from $35 per night

Housed in a former hunting lodge that dates back to the 1960s, this bunkhouse is a surprising sight amid the otherwise vast desertscape of Big Bend National Park. Big enough for 30 people to stay comfortably, the bunkhouse is equipped with everything bikepackers need, including WiFi. 

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Utah

The Cowboy Bunkhouse link

Kanab, Utah

Route(s): Wild West Bikepacking Route
Cost: Camping from $15 per night, bunk beds from $30 per night

Bunk up with Annie Oakley, William Pickett, and other famous cowboys and cowgirls of decades past. This Western-themed hostel pays homage to Utah’s storied cattle legacy while also embracing the outdoor enthusiasts of today. There might not be a barn in which to keep your horse, but there is a secure bike storage area indoors.

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Vermont

Little Gnesta B&B link

Newport, Vermont

Route(s): Green Mountains Loop
Cost: Call for latest rates

This Swedish-inspired bed and breakfast sits just over six miles from the U.S.-Canadian border. From your front door, you can hop on the Newport-Beebee Bike Path to access downtown Newport and catch jaw-dropping views of Lake Memphremagog.

Burlington Hostel link

Burlington, Vermont

Route(s): Green Mountain Gravel Growler, Green Mountains Loop
Cost: Call for latest rates

Bike-path accessible and affordable, this low-key hostel is centrally located to all of downtown Burlington. Only a few blocks from here is Zero Gravity Brewery, where you can grab a Bamberg Helles (or three) to kick off your gravel growler tour in proper form.

Trapp Family Lodge link

Stowe, Vermont

Route(s): Green Mountain Gravel Growler
Cost: Rooms from $195 per night

A few miles off route, this four-seasons lodge might seem too swanky for bikepacker tastes, but its eight miles of on-site singletrack and 20 miles of doubletrack will make you feel right at home. The trails even connect to the greater Stowe trail system and the lodge’s von Trapp Brewery Bierhall. What’s not to love about that?

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Virginia

Stokesville Campground + Lodge link

Stokesville, Virginia

Route(s): TransVirginia Bike Route, Virginia Mountain Bike Trail
Cost: Camping from $15 per night, cabins from $77 per night

Nestled in and among the one-million-acre George Washington National Forest, this campground is run by and built for mountain bikers. There’s an ever-growing network of flow trails threading the property. Riders can pedal up and out the back of the campground to access Lookout Mountain or take the road a little further out of Stokesville to access even more classic trails.

Mountain Lake Lodge link

Pembroke, Virginia

Route(s):

TransVirginia Bike Route, Allegheny Mountains Loop
Cost: Private rooms from $130 per night

After ripping down desolate gravel roads in the Mountain Lake Wilderness for hours on end, coming upon this five-star resort—seemingly in the middle of nowhere—will feel like a dream. Lovers of Patrick Swayze and Dirty Dancing will immediately recognize the lodge, as it’s where the movie was filmed.

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Washington

Barn Bicycle Camping link

Methow Valley, Washington

Route(s): Northern Tier, Sierra Cascades, and Washington Parks 
Cost: Camping for $10 per night

Conveniently located on a number of ACA routes, Jim and Jan Gregg’s barn is the perfect spot to crash for the night—they have hot showers, potable water, a toilet, WiFi, and lots of flat grassy areas to pitch a tent. 

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West Virginia

Blackwater Bikes link

Davis, West Virginia

Route(s): GRUSK (Gravel Race Up Spruce Knob)
Cost: Yard camping donation-based, private apartments from $99 per night

Are you even a cyclist if you’ve never been to Davis, West Virginia? The original birthplace of Laird Knight’s 24 Hour mountain bike race series, Davis in the 1990s and early 2000s was the hub for East Coast mountain biking. Long before bike parks and purpose-built trail systems, there was Davis and there was Canaan Valley and all of the mud bogs, roots, and rocks you could handle. 

In 1982, Knight started Blackwater Bikes in an apartment above what is now Davis’ brewery, Stumptown Ales. Over the years, the bike shop has moved locations and changed ownership, but it’s always stayed true to its mountain bike core. Today, the bike shop, owned by Rob Stull, is perched above the banks of the Blackwater River surrounded by the Monongahela National Forest. Blackwater Bikes transcends a typical bike shop—part community hub, part bike shop, the atmosphere at Blackwater Bikes is welcoming and unhurried. There’s a seating area and a deck where customers can hang, a bike wash station, and two apartments below the bike shop where bikepackers will enjoy some hard-earned creature comforts for the night.

“We gotta change things up with the times and try to diversify and keep this business sustainable,” says Stull. “It helps being in the middle of a million-acre national forest. There are tons of forest service roads that people can take advantage of, not to mention trails. Davis is perfectly set up for bikepackers.”

In addition to helping bikepackers with bike shipping and building/breakdown, route logistics, shuttles, and repairs, Blackwater Bikes also offers donation-based camping to those racing or touring GRUSK, a gravel route up to West Virginia’s highest point at Spruce Knob. Even after hours, cyclists can access the shop’s picnic table and potable water. 

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Wyoming

Jeffery City Cyclist Hostel

Jeffery City, Wyoming

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail
Cost: Donation-based

This church opens its doors to countless cyclists every year. There’s a roomy basement where you can spread your sleeping pad and bag, showers, and a kitchen.

Aspen Meadows Bike Hostel

Dubois, Wyoming

Route(s): TransAmerica Trail, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Great Parks
Cost: Camping, beds, and breakfast all $30 per night

If you’ve ridden the Great Divide, you’ll no doubt remember the long, continuous climb up Togwotee Pass outside of Grand Teton National Park. This cyclists-only lodging is 21 miles south of the pass and offers everything from cots to dinner, laundry, and bike repair essentials.

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