And because its full of deep forests and ridges, you can expect fallen trees and washed-out segments of the trail to add some hike a bike to proceedings. 6 Bikepacking Routes in Southern California | Year-round Fun On my bike I feel free. It evokes the freedom of multi-day backcountry hiking, but with the range and thrill of riding a mountain bike. In this post Ive collected a wide range of California bikepacking routes and trails organized by region. Its 90 percent off-road, with less than 5 percent singletrack. The next day we rode the smooth gravel on Isthmus Road to our campsite at Little Harbor. Also an enthusiastic midpack club cyclocross and XC racer, he loves his role as a junior cycle coach on the Kent/Sussex borders, and likes to squeeze in a one-day unsupported 100-miler on the South Downs Way at least once a year. Gravel calendar for rides and races divided be region across California. Your experienced riding buddy in digital form: 140 mobile-friendly pages packed with how to's, problem solving tips, and hard-earned wisdom from the trail and road. Now with oral contraception, the buff herd is around 150 and is one of the main tourist attractions. Cycling the Alps 2 Ocean Trail in New Zealand: Overview + 4 Day Itinerary. Note: these routes are rugged backcountry gravel roads without any services or along the way. After a long stretch alongside the winding Youghiogheny River youll eventually climb to the top of the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,392 feet, but its super-gradual - the gradient is rarely over 1 percent, as youd expect from a disused railway line. The loop nature of both routes, along with relatively easy food and water resupply, make both logistically simple. The preferred route of accomplished endurance cyclist and Alaska native Lael Wilcox, the 92-mile Denali Park Road consists mostly of gently rolling, easy-riding gravel and is the habitat of a. This gravel adventure bike features a durable and lightweight alloy frame and a reliable and stylish carbon fork. It is split up into 4 tiers and 10 segments. Truely a route to savor. Lightweight Bikepacking: 9 Ways to Cut Weight Without Sacrificing Comfort, Bikepacking Tents: What to Look For + Top Picks in Each Category, The Surly Preamble: Thoughts on an Affordable Steel Gateway Bike for Pavement and Gravel Adventures, Bike Routes Across America: Top Touring and Bikepacking Routes Compared. Bikepacking routes starting from Truckee, CA - RevoPath The mileage may seem short, but the initial climb from the starting point in Indio can be very arduous given the fact its likely to be hot. You may not have heard much about the southern US state of Georgia, but its seven times the size of Wales, and spans a tantalizing mix of coast and mountains. I feel fortunate to have had an early winter full of bikepacking in Southern California where I was riding my Salsa Cutthroat equipped with Apiduras Expedition line of bikepacking bags. Because the weather forecast included more rain and snow for the entire route, Brendan and Meg rerouted us around all of the dirt riding coming into San Diego North County and the trails going east from San Diego towards Alpine. A match made in heaven. Day 4: 66 miles | 3,300 feet. / 166 km 2 days Hereford Express Overnighter comment 9 time Feb 27 compose Guest Routes Canada 84 mi. This ethereal landscape is so diverse youll wonder if youre on another planet. Desert rides should be planned in the spring or fall due to the extreme heat. Be sure to make reservations for campgrounds or accommodation in advance if needed, and be prepared to share the trails with plenty of hikers. Length: 364 miles Style: mostly gravel Difficulty: intermediate When to ride: spring, fall, early or late summer Learn more: route description and ride reports If I had to recommend an ambitious but accessible "intermediate" bikepacking route, one that packs a big punch of adventure but requires no technical or super-remote riding, the Oregon Outback is at the top of my list. Zeichne deine eigene Strecke mit App auf, lade den Trail hoch und teile ihn mit der Community. Southern California, specifically the area to the east of Santa Barbara, LA, and San Diego, is an obvious place to start. Our dense population and tightly regulated public land make it nearly impossible to set off on a multi-day ride without careful planning and hard-to-get campground reservations. The Boboyan Divide - Canberra's Best Bikepacking Route Original AR700 Coleman to Hinton, Alberta Route Details: 6 Days | 5 Nights | 720 km (447 mi) | +9,148 m (30,013 ft) | Start: Coleman | End: Hinton The Doing Miles ride report, 2022 TDLP, and my Central California loop all include parts of this area. The Wolf Bikepacking edition 2023 | Battistrada I rode it in 2022 and was impressed. For bike packing resupply, the shops in Pine Valley are centrally located in the Cuyamaca area. The switchback road ascends for three miles through eucalyptus forests with gradients reaching 14%. You will need to carry all your water with you for this trip since there are no reliable water sources along this route. Youll be amazed at how remote this ride feels in places, and how glorious the views are. Log Driver's Waltz Bikepacking Route How to Setup Your Bike for Bikepacking - Liv Cycling My legs were feeling good, but I didnt want to return to the highway at night, still rattled from the previous close call with the truck. The ambitious Trans North California is technically an underground race, though it would make an interesting touring route too. Day 2: 61 miles | 4,300 feet. Its well worth descending from the trail to towns along the way for coffee and snacks, and stocking up for the less populated second half. It is more than 50% single track which helps to make this one of the most exciting bikepacking trails in the world. Hello! The trail offers fantastic views as most of it is above the tree line. With mounting points everywhere and big chunky tyres. Some of the main features of this trek include Mt Baldy Ski resorts, Lake Arrowhead, Baldy Notch, and Angeles National Forest. Many parts of this route are in National Forest areas making dispersed camping pretty easy. Upcoming Rides No upcoming events at the moment This 60-mile loop starts in Pasadena and takes you up to the mountains of Angeles National Forest; as you would expect, there is going to be some climbing involved. Beginning in Reno, it blends burly desert jeep roads with classic Tahoe singletrack. It travels through breathtaking mountain ranges, unusual volcanic landscapes, towering forests and picturesque lake vistas. It's easy to see why the national capital region has emerged as a bikepacking hot spot. Pack the Coast (bikepacking) - Morro Bay 10 - Truckee Dirt Fondo, Truckee. bikepacking roots and our logo are registered trademarks. Your source for gravel and bikepacking routes in eastern and central Ontario, western Quebec, and Beyond! Day 1: Snowdonia emerges / 31 miles / 5 - 6 hrs / 845m . Hi , Just did my first bikepacking trip riding part of the baldy bruiser and my knees are still angry, lol. Winter can work well for lower-elevation routes (check snow conditions for any sections over 6000 feet or so). Gravel Routes in California - Gravelmap Sandy routes reward wider tires (in the range of 2.6 and up), and spikey desert foliage makes tubeless tires a necessity in many cases. The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is a 3,083.8 mi (4,962.9 km), off-road bicycle touring route between Jasper, Alberta, Canada and Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA. Historical signage en route explains how the railroad was established to support the logging and mining industries. The Wolf Bikepacking is a gravel bike cycling event category bikepacking in United States, state Minnesota. Its a perfect late autumn and early spring route; its rideable all through winter, but it can get super-cold at night. Well-maintained community trail takes you between Meaford and the sections terminus Thornbury. Bikepacking Oregon - Routes, Must Visit Places and Travel Inspiration Read More Canaan Valley and the Forks of Cheat We believe travel by bicycle has the power to encourage conservation, inclusivity, and respect for all people and cultures. Mad riders do it as a non-stop ITT; most across multiple nights. Youll go from open swaying grasslands into steep-sided valleys, along ridges and even through cool groves of cottonwood trees - a welcome respite from the heat if you go in summer. Though not contiguous, it spans a surprisingly large north-south distance between Big Sur and Santa Barbara, and is more rugged than you would expect. Use the Brave browser for an entirely ad free web experience. Widely recognized as the birthplace of mountain biking, the Mt Tamalpais and Marin region is a special place where the ocean, coastal hills, and redwood forests converge. As I was thinking about how much pavement lay ahead of menearly 100 detour miles on highwaya large truck passed by me and its rear-view mirror almost clipped my head. Essentially, you're carrying everything you need for your camping trip on you and your bike and sometimes the terrain can get a little rough. The descent from Idyllwild was frozen, the ascent over Thompson Mountain was steep, and the hero-dirt descent towards Anza gave us all ear-to-ear smiles. The Wolf Bikepacking is offering 3 routes (180, 167, 167 km) for gravel bike. If you are riding in the desert, check the weather beforehand; you wouldnt want to be cycling in a wash due to the potential for flash floods. The Baja is the finger of Mexico that extends 800 miles south of the border with the USA, with the Pacific on its west, and the Gulf of California to the east. The North Dakota Badlands are an extraordinary maze of striped-rock canyons and grasslands classic Western movie territory. Microwave Pizza Pockets, dill pickles, and hot chocolate were on the Chevron Station menu. Highlights: Fun singletrack, river crossings, beautiful roads, remote canyons, steep climbs. Some riders may be more comfortable on a mountain bike with suspension than a drop bar rigid gravel bike. A few of the climbs are almost definitely too steep to ride, but this is a generally doable ride, even having marker posts in many places. Come and find yourself immersed in the endless network of lonely backcountry gravel and dirt roads, forested paths and charming towns. Awesome! As a cyclist, I know the feelingbut on this occasion, when the truck was just inches away from us, it spooked me more than usual. Hello! Copyright 2023 Exploring Wild, All Rights Reserved. Its only 25 miles from Avalon to the north tip but the scenery is great and adding a visit to Avalon, maybe with an overnight stay is always fun. There are also a few restaurants along the way you can stop at for a meal or snack. Im looking back to those trips with more fondness than usual. Brian and Dave continued to the coaston highway. The 2020 Stagecoach 400 almost did not happen, not because of the coronavirus (we were a week before the stay at home order) but because of the biblical levels of rain, flooding, and landslides on the course. These bikepacking routes in southern California and loads of others can be found at bikepacking.com. Find the best Gravel Bike trails in California (United States). Bikepacking through Wild West Wales | Cycling Holidays | Cyclist The Bay Area Triple Crossover weekend bikepacking route highlights the diversity of bay ecosystems, where each day feels distinct from the next. Learn more or say hi. Maybe Im biased, but I love my home state of California. Its accessible by ferry, crisscrossed by dirt roads (heres a map), and has several campgrounds and primitive campsites (reservations likely needed). Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath. Here are a few good places to start when looking for a bikepacking route in Central California: Tour de los Padres: This is a bikepacking event held annually on a variety of different routes in the region. / 800 km 10 days The SoCal Desert Ramble, Southern California comment 146 time Mar 10 compose Cass Gilbert USA 112 mi. The Boboyan Divide Route. It includes a long stretch of Bolinas Ridge road, which jumps off the map to anyone looking for long ride possibilities in the area. 5% singletrack. Ive traveled over 17,000 miles by bike and still cant stop planning my next ride (and helping you plan yours). Thanks again! It's all about exploring the roads, gravel roads (or groads), and trails less travelled. There is some overlap between the two routes, and plenty of places where they run parallel to each other. Here are some routes and areas to start with. Gravel Routes in California - Gravelmap Map Search Highlights include Big Bear Lake, The Salton Sea, and the Pacific Ocean as well as other unique points of interest. We visited Catalina Conservancy to pick up our Freewheeler Bike permit ($10 plus a $35 membership to the Conservancy) and talk with the ecologists about their successful programs for protecting the island fox and bald eagles as well as bison contraceptionyes, bisonin 1924 fourteen buffalo were left on the island after the cinema shooting for The Vanishing Americans. / 145 km 2-3 days Anza-Hapaha Loop comment 55 time Mar 14 compose Logan Watts USA 497 mi. As one of the closest national forests to the Bay Area, Mendocino National Forest is an intriguing possibility. Expect to climb several long passes, including the day-long hike-a-bike up Mt. I wished all the other riders safe pedaling in and out of San Diego, texted the organizers of the Stagecoach 400 to thank them, and turned off my Spot Tracker near Escondido. This is as much a tour of Vermonts fine smalltown eateries and microbreweries as it is a meander through its countryside. To help share our favorite local routes Rockgeist will be publishing single overnight trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains and other areas on the East Coast. I hear the section through Nevada is tough and very sparse on water and resupply options; research before attempting! To learn more Click Here. Die besten Bikepacking Routen in Urs, Midi-Pyrnes (Frankreich) It seems like we currently have a wide-open slate on which to scout and explore our own routes. I came across this Catalina Bikepacking route while looking for a solo overnighter route during my winter trip out west. 6 of the Best Bikepacking Routes in the UK - Much Better Adventures It's well worth descending from the trail to towns along the way for coffee and snacks, and stocking up for the less populated second half. I create technical resources, reviews, inspirational videos, how-to guides and more. . Bikepacking in Central California is dominated by the extensive Los Padres National Forest. You can find routes created by adventurers across the globe on bikepacking websites. Copyright 2023 Exploring Wild, All Rights Reserved, Route Guide: Central California Mixed-Terrain Bike Tour, Bikepacking Grand Staircase Loop in Southern Utah, Mendocino National Forest Bikepacking Overnight: Letts Lake Loop, California Bikepacking: Route Ideas in Every Region, Bikepacking Boise to Elko: Big Skies and Endless Gravel in Idaho and Nevada, Bikepacking Central Oregon: High Desert and Volcanic Geology from K Falls to Bend, Cycling the Alps 2 Ocean Trail in New Zealand: Overview + 4 Day Itinerary, Cycling Boise to Klamath Falls: Quiet Highways + Oregon Outback Bikepacking Route, How NOT to Bikepack the New Mexico Off-Road Runner, Black Mountain Overnight: Mini Bikepacking Adventure in the SF Bay Area, Idaho Smoke n Fire 2022: Rewarding and Fun Despite Tough Last-Minute Reroute, Bikepacking Bones to Blue: Singletrack Trial By Fire around Lake Tahoe, Pinyons and Pines Bikepacking Race: Dust, Rocks, and Sunshine in Northern Arizona, Tour de los Padres 2022: Burly Bikepacking Adventure in Central California, The Big Lonely 2021: High Desert Bikepacking with a Snowy Twist, Smoke n Fire 2021: Third Times the Charm, Idaho Smoke n Fire 2019 (and 2020) Bikepacking Adventure, Bike Nonstop US 2019: Lessons Learned From 3500 Miles at the Back of the Pack, Bike Routes Across America: Top Touring and Bikepacking Routes Compared, Oregon Bikepacking: 6 Scenic Routes For All Styles and Experience Levels, 6 Epic USA Bikepacking Routes with (Mostly) Non-Technical Riding, 7 Long Rail Trails in the US (Perfect For Bike Touring). Traversing the spine of the continent and crossing the Continental Divide 30 times, theres no shortage of climbing, and the states it passes through are like a Top Trumps of North American landscapes. Climbing is plentiful and sometimes steep, and surfaces are varied. The official notes describe the trail as strenuous, technical, challenging, complicated and barely existent in some sections. It will certainly be a ride of a lifetime. Riding through the ashes of the catastrophic wildfires that plagued California in Summer 2020, this overnight bikepacking route takes in a contrasting variety of charred and unburned ridgelines through Henry Coe State Park that will inspire your spirit and test your legs Set within the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada, the Tahoe Twirl circumnavigates the vast and mesmerising Lake Tahoe. By contrast, the Trans-America is little more than the annually-updated GPS file of a no-prizes race which has a seven-page website and a small Facebook page. Glacial valleys, thermal hot springs, bears this ride has it all. Routes List - BIKEPACKING.com Sardine Lookout Tower Overnighter is a mini adventure that gives riders a taste of the beautiful forests, meadows, and reservoirs around Tahoe National Forest. To bypass the bike-illegal sections and extend the route, several folks have mapped out variations that incorporate a mix of jeep roads, pavement, and other local trails. 1. The Baldy Bruiser is a burly 150 miles of dirt road and 44 track through the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests. Cross Washington Bikepacking edition 2023 | Battistrada With these considerations in mind, I mapped out the following route favoring gravel roads, paths, and small roads: San Bruno - Pacifica/Linda Mar - Half Moon Bay - Pescadero - Big Basin - Skyline - Los Gatos Day 1: San Bruno to Half Moon Bay My adventure began with a ride to the Santa Clara Caltrain station. All rights reserved. Theres more where this came from! The resort town of Avalon at the islands southern tip would make a posh place to relax before, during, or after your ride. Route Files - BT 700 BIKEPACKING There is dispersed camping along the way and accommodations at Big Bear Lake. 364. Gravel Bike California The State of Dirt Main Menu. Its relatively straightforward (and memorable, if you havent done it) to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, for anyone who wants to add a visit to San Francisco into their trip! Or wed load our bike onto Amtrak train for a few hours and then spend the weekend riding back home down the Pacific Coast. Bikepacking Central Oregon: High Desert and Volcanic Geology from K Falls to Bend. 103 mi. I recently had the chance to do a quick overnighter in the southern portion and it did not disappoint. The COLT bikepacking loop is a 450-km mix of rail, ATV and snowmobile trails with some good climbing on loose gravel roads. Combining urban trails and tarmac, the route turns due south through metropolitan San Diego area and then veers east, climbs steadily for a day along the Sweetwater River up to Alpine before derailleur destroying descents through Oriflamme Canyon and there the riders meet the desert sands.