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TIPS & RULES (Is your route a good fit?)

There’s an art to creating the ideal overnighter route. It’s about balancing challenges and rewards and finding the perfect rest stops and campsites along the way. What makes it special? Scenic campsites, places to eat, breweries, epic trails, fun descents, and cultural/historical places of interest, to name a few. Maybe there are hot springs or swimming holes in the middle. Take into account these tips and rules:

• 40-180 MILES (65-290KM) is a pretty good benchmark for route length for an overnighter, but the route should take 2 days/1 night (or sub-24 hours) to complete.
• FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE LENGTH include the technical nature of the trails and the total amount of climbing. We don’t mind hike-a-bikes when they connect places that would otherwise be impossible to reach but keep them within reason.
• GRAVEL, SINGLETRACK, OR FAT BIKE routes are acceptable, but routes should be comprised of at least 60% unpaved surfaces, give or take. We prefer routes in which the majority of the time spent riding is off pavement. Any paved roads included on the route should be safe.
• USE POINTS OF INTEREST (POI). Basing routes around particular sights or stops is a fun approach. How about breweries, historical landmarks, hot springs, swimming holes, or scenic viewpoints? The final route should have a handful of useful POIs noted on the map.
• CREATE A RHYTHM. Starting and finishing a route with a climb isn’t always a fun approach. Space out the suffering-to-reward ratio.
• USE GREENWAYS. Tie in a greenway or cycle-specific path to the route. Anything that helps avoid traffic is welcome in our book.
• FIND A GOOD CAMPSITE and place it in a spot where it will be natural and fitting to end a day’s ride. Having these types of milestones helps balance the route.
• WATCH THE RESUPPLY POINTS. It’s good practice to plan where the resupply points are in relation to distance; the same goes for drinkable or filterable water.
• KEEP IT LEGAL. It goes without saying that every route we publish must be entirely legally accessible. Each and every road and trail must allow bicycles. Keep the same in mind for campsites.
• CONSIDER WHERE IT STARTS AND ENDS. Making a loop from a safe starting point is always a good idea. You should also consider starting it at a landmark, bike shop, place of historical significance, and/or area with a good place to leave a vehicle. If your route is linear in nature, think about ways of making it accessible via public transportation, or have good spots to park cars for a shuttle.
• PUBLIC LANDS AND CONSERVATION. Make a special point to highlight the places and lands on the route that are threatened, in need of protection, and should be preserved. We place special importance on using bikepacking as a vehicle for conservation projects and awareness.
• ROUTE PHOTOGRAPHY. Inspiring, high-quality photography is important to us at BIKEPACKING.com. Your route needs to include at least 20 high-quality photos. We suggest that photos should be taken on a decent camera (a step above a mobile phone), however, many of the newer phones (iPhone, Galaxy, etc) are equipped with good cameras that have the potential to take excellent photos. Taking a quality set of route photos goes beyond what’s being used to take them, so give it your best shot (no pun intended). Photos should cover several aspects of the route, including trail shots, riding shots, camping photos, landscapes, and other interesting details. Pro tips: try to get your hero shots just after dawn or before dusk in the golden hour light; try unique angles; use a “blocking” technique with foreground objects; look into “the rule of thirds.” Find a few more tips here.
• WINNER SELECTION: 15 submissions that meet all the qualifications above will be selected by a team of our trusted Route Architects and editors to move on to publication. Of those 15 submissions, Grand Prize winners will be selected at random. The rest will receive the runner up prize pack described above. Cash payment will be issued upon final publication on our website, in accordance with the first and runners up cash amounts.