Bikepacking Routes

and Dirt-road Travelogues

Our full list of bikepacking routes and off-road bike touring routes from off the beaten path, logged and chronicled by contributors from across the globe. Check back regularly...

130 mi. / 209 km3 days

El Camino del Diablo

comment 9 time Mar 25 compose Scott Morris  USA

El Camino del Diablo, “The Devil’s Highway,” is an historic 130-mile route from Ajo to Yuma, Arizona. Passing through Organ Pipe National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and a starkly beautiful wilderness, the Camino is an incredible way to experience a landscape that’s unlike anything else in the United States.
83 mi. / 134 km2-3 days

Anza-Hapaha Loop

comment 27 time Mar 14 compose Logan Watts  USA

The Anza-Hapaha Loop is a 2-3 day bikepacking route that connects several of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s magnificent dirt and sand roads, explores its wildflower, ocotillo, and cactus-rich desert, and snakes its way through the badlands of two geologically mesmerizing washes.
497 mi. / 800 km10 days

The SoCal Desert Ramble, Southern California

comment 92 time Mar 10 compose Cass Gilbert  USA

For those seeking desert solitude tinged with a touch of the bizarre, we present the SoCal Desert Ramble. Prepare to immerse yourself amongst desert blooms and starry nights, slither your way along sandy washes, linger in counter-culture hangouts, ponder salty, decayed holiday resorts gone wrong, and marvel at the Dr. Seussian splendour of the gangly, anthropomorphic Joshua Tree…
632 mi. / 1,017 km12 days

Navad 1000

comment 20 time Feb 28 compose Guest Routes  Europe

Spanning 1,000 kilometers across Switzerland and nearly 100,000 feet of climbing, the Navad 1000 bikepacking route is steep, yet still very forgiving. Vertical miles lead to singletrack through meadows, crystal clear lakes, abbeys with courtyards, and, of course, stunning views. Here, physical challenge is paired with logistical ease. A bakery or a hot meal is never far, but along the way, you are basically alone among the pristine, natural beauty.
234 mi. / 377 km4-5 days

The Fool’s Loop, Arizona

comment 61 time Feb 15 compose Miles Arbour  USA

The Fool’s Loop is a four or five day, 234-mile circuit that leaves from downtown Phoenix, Arizona, and takes riders on an incredibly diverse tour of Tonto National Forest, Agua Fria National Monument, and the Black Canyon Trail.
168 mi. / 270 km4 days

River Road Ramble (Big Bend National Park)

comment 36 time Feb 14 compose Guest Routes  USA

A four-day bikepacking route through Big Bend National Park’s most rugged and scenic 4x4 roads, beginning and ending along the infamous River Road.
780 mi. / 1,255 km22 days

Camino Del Puma: Peru and Bolivia

comment 38 time Jan 17 compose Mark and Hana  Latin America

Sparsely populated, diverse in landscapes, and rich in culture and history, the southwestern corner of Peru is a remarkable region to tour by bike. Camino Del Puma follows a high elevation route from Arequipa to Lago Titicaca and back. Forming a 1,255 kilometer loop, the route weaves through the colorful landscapes of Peru’s dramatic Central Volcanic Zone, rolls easily along the sunny plains surrounding sparkling Lago Titicaca, skirts the arid northern margin of the Atacama Desert, and dives into one of the country’s deepest canyons, all the while connecting an interesting string of remote towns and pueblitos.
90 mi. / 145 km3 days

Bikepacking Big Bend: The Other Side of Nowhere

comment 42 time Dec 8 compose Logan Watts  USA

A three-day bikepacking loop in Big Bend Ranch State Park, based on the epic route that's aptly titled "The Other Side of Nowhere."
454 mi. / 731 km18 days

Caucasus Crossing (Armenia)

comment 49 time Nov 20 compose Logan Watts  Europe

The Armenia stage of the Caucasus Crossing is an incredible undertaking in its own right. The 454-mile (731 km) route takes in the sights and culture of this wondrous country as it follows rugged doubletrack, gravel, and livestock trails across the infinite ridges of the Caucasus Minor, from the Georgia border to Iran. Highlights include the unrivaled hospitality of the Armenian people, remnants from a Soviet past, ancient monasteries, and the bewilderingly spectacular volcanic domes of the Geghama Range.
217 mi. / 349 km4-6 days

Appalachian Gravel Growler

comment 89 time Nov 13 compose Logan Watts  USA

The Appalachian Gravel Growler is a 4-6 day bikepacking route that explores one of America’s top craft beer destinations via iconic bucketlist gravel roads through North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains. Though challenging, the route is designed specifically for drop-bar gravel riding and is approachable on nearly any bike.
142 mi. / 229 km3 days

Sweet and Sauerland

comment 20 time Nov 11 compose Guest Routes  Europe

Sweet and Sauerland is a three-day bikepacking loop in the midwestern German region of Sauerland, well known for its hiking and biking. The region is crossed by two one-way hiking trails, the 230 km Sauerlandhöhenflug and the 157 km Rothaarsteig. This route combines parts of both tracks to create a loop through a remote, forested setting with many scenic viewpoints along the way.
163 mi. / 262 km5-6 days

Trans-Dolomiti, Italy

comment 29 time Nov 6 compose Tales On Tyres  Europe

Circling around the unique landscape of the Dolomites, in north-east Italy, the Trans-Dolomiti is one of the best ways to admire its ragged mountain peaks up close. Complete with stunning vistas, rocky roads, and some fun-riding singletrack, this route gets you up, down and around this especially beautiful mountain range.
227 mi. / 365 km4-6 days

The Ardennes Arbalete

comment 58 time Oct 29 compose Guest Routes  Europe

The Ardennes Arbalète offers something for everyone: fast forest gravel, beat up singletrack, cruisey bike paths through castle-dotted valleys, quaint encounters with cheery locals, humbling reminders of the area’s poignant history, and the promise of fantastic beer around nearly every corner.
344 mi. / 554 km9 days

Iceland Divide (North-South)

comment 57 time Oct 17 compose Montanus  Europe

Just below the Arctic Circle, situated between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, a remote land emerges from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, dominated by huge glaciers, ashen deserts, and mighty lava structures. Here, along the fault line that crosses the island from north to south, the incessant work of fire and ice traced a route that runs through a world of immeasurable desolation and enthralling beauty, the Icelandic Highlands.
327 mi. / 526 km12 days

Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Sur

comment 4 time Oct 9 compose Taneli Roininen  Latin America

Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Sur, is a 530km, 12 day high altitude desert traverse across the Argentinian Central Andean Dry Puna. It offers physically and mentally demanding high altitude touring, balanced with dream-like sceneries of salt flats, colorful lakes and some of the highest volcanos in the world. Together with its big brother the Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Norte, it creates a 1313km, 33 day Puna crossing.
487 mi. / 784 km21 days

Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Norte

comment 20 time Oct 9 compose Taneli Roininen  Latin America

Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Norte, is a 784km, 21-day high altitude desert traverse across the Central Andean Dry Puna in Chile and Argentina. As is evident from its difficulty rating, this is a ride that promises amongst the most physically and mentally demanding high altitude touring in the Andes. Thankfully, this is balanced by dream-like sceneries of colorful mountains, salt fields, lava flows, flamingo-filled lakes and some of the highest volcanos in the world, far away from the human civilization. Together with its little brother the Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Sur, it forms a 1313km, 33 day Puna crossing.
125 mi. / 201 km2-4 days

Sky Islands Odyssey (East Loop)

comment 30 time Oct 5 compose Sarah Swallow  USA

Pedal into the quintessential old western setting of savannah rangelands along the East Loop of the Sky Islands Odyssey. Meander mellow dirt roads, double tracks, and a historic expedition trail around an island in the sky, the Santa Rita Mountains, through ever-changing landscapes of grasslands, forests, and desert in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
170 mi. / 274 km4-5 days

Sky Islands Odyssey (West Loop)

comment 23 time Oct 5 compose Sarah Swallow 

Journey through the vast borderlands of the Wild West along the West Loop of the Sky Islands Odyssey. Ride dirt roads, rocky arroyos, and sandy double tracks over rugged forested mountains, low grasslands, and valleys of cacti in a remote region rich in biodiversity, indigenous mythology, astronomical discoveries, and migration history.

Bikepacking Routes

and Dirt-road Travelogues

El Camino del Diablo

Anza-Hapaha Loop

The SoCal Desert Ramble, Southern California

Navad 1000

The Fool’s Loop, Arizona

River Road Ramble (Big Bend National Park)

Camino Del Puma: Peru and Bolivia

Bikepacking Big Bend: The Other Side of Nowhere

Caucasus Crossing (Armenia)

Appalachian Gravel Growler

Sweet and Sauerland

Trans-Dolomiti, Italy

The Ardennes Arbalete

Iceland Divide (North-South)

Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Sur

Ruta de Los Seis Miles, Norte

Sky Islands Odyssey (East Loop)

Sky Islands Odyssey (West Loop)

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