When to Go

Plan the Length of Your Trip

The average bikepacking trip should be based around riding between 25-75 miles (40-120 kilometers) per day, depending on the weight of your load, the difficulty of the terrain, weather conditions, and the length of daylight hours. Here is a detailed pace chart directly from the Salsa Bikepacker’s Guide.

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Pace Chart

Novice Mountain Biker

Route Type
Moving Time
Avg Speed (mph)
Miles Per Day
Elevation Per Day (feet)
Pavement
3-5
8
24-40
3,500
Doubletrack
3-5
6
18-30
3,000
Singletrack
3-5
3.5
10-18
2,000
Rugged Trail
3-5
2.5
7-13
1,500

Weekend Shredder

Pavement
4-6
9
36-54
4,500
Doubletrack
4-6
7
28-42
4,000
Singletrack
4-6
4
16-24
3,500
Rugged Trail
4-6
3
12-18
3,000

Relaxed Bikepacker

Pavement
5-7
10
50-70
7,000
Doubletrack
5-7
8
40-56
6,000
Singletrack
5-7
5
25-35
5,000
Rugged Trail
5-7
4
20-28
4,000

Motivated Bikepacker

Pavement
7-10
11
77-111
8,000
Doubletrack
7-10
9
63-90
7,000
Singletrack
7-10
6
42-60
6,000
Rugged Trail
7-10
5
35-50
5,000

Ultra Racer

Pavement
16+
11
176+
13,000+
Doubletrack
16+
9
144+
11,000+
Singletrack
16+
6
96+
9,000+
Rugged Trail
16+
5
80+
7,000+

Pace chart from Salsa Cycles The Bikepacker's Guide.

More Information

We have a wealth of information on this site, and it's growing rapidly. Aside from the links above, here are a few more to get you pointed in the right direction.