Bikepacking is becoming more popular as a way to go exploring and enjoy the outdoors. It has become easier with the amazing invention of bikepacking bags that are light which allows you to ride easily.
A lot of people video and document their adventures to encourage more people to get out there and explore more places. These videos also help to educate and motivate people of all ages to start backpacking.
This article details what bikepacking is and lists the top 10 bikepacking trails throughout America for you to explore.
What is Bikepacking?
Bikepacking can lead you to explore many places and find different cultures along the way. If you’re new to backpacking, it is an exciting hobby or exercise choice that is easy to pack! A bag with a few meals and backpacking water filters are a great point to start at.
A lot of people say that it is safer to do bikepacking as you are riding along the trails which are laid out, making it easier for people to find you if anything happens. It has the thrill of mountain biking but in the span of a few days and is a lot safer, especially if you are going out with your friends.
Bikepacking vs. Touring
Bikepacking versus Touring is a common debate. With bikepacking, you can find a route and enjoy the ride, whereas with touring has not designated trail and you typically need a guidebook of sorts to help you get around your chosen location. Typically, bikepacking is a lightly loaded bike that is self-supported which will help you as you ride on dirt roads along with remote places.
Bikepacking utilizes a low storage method to go along rocky, sandy paths and the light storage makes it easier to get across. There are many bikepacking lists online, the main storage item will be your bikepacking bag which is designed to be aerodynamic, allowing you to ride fast and feeling light along the paths.
Bikepacking utilizes a low storage method to go along rocky, sandy paths and the light storage makes it easier to get across. There are many bikepacking lists online, the main storage item will be your bikepacking bag which is designed to be aerodynamic, allowing you to ride fast and feeling light along the paths.
While touring, you will have a heavy bike full of important things that will help you live, this, in turn, will make it a lot harder to bike in mountainous terrain as it will pull you down. Bags, such as pannier and rucksacks, that are used for touring will rattle along the path and weigh you down on your trip.
Top 10 Bikepacking Trails in the USA
The US has tons of backpacking trails that allow you to see the gorgeous landscapes and rocky paths America has to offer. There are a vast amount of trails that locals will help you find and assist you in if you’re new to the area, you can go for a couple of days or camp out in the lodges that the routes have to offer.
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Soquel Demonstration Forest – California
In California, there is a route through the Soquel Demonstration Forest, it contains an extensive 20-mile trail which is rarely busy. This route is great to challenge yourself as it contains sections with downhill roads that wind to single woodland tracks. This route contains a lot of steep parts where a lot of people do multiple laps because locals say it is so much fun to ride down. It is 30 minutes away from small towns which will be helpful to new learners as there will be a place to rest and recover after the steep climbs.
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The Colorado Trail – Colorado
The Colorado Trail is a 500-mile route that cuts through the most beautiful parts of Denver to Durango with small campsites along the way to let you rest. Along the route is the East river valley, a winding downhill track that presents a breathtaking backdrop of the imposing Crested Butte and the Red Mountains. It contains 8 mountains, with some parts of the trail that contain elevated parts where you have to be careful, but the view from the high mountains is breathtaking.
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The Arizona Trail – Arizona
An adventurous route is the Arizona trail, it is 817-mile-long and spans from the Mexican border to Utah. This is the perfect trail if you want to ride long mountains and deserts with a part that will allow you to cross through the Grand Canyon. This trail is very difficult amongst bikepackers, it contains very open landscapes where it becomes hot easily. Along the way, you will see historical sites and a desolate environment with vast and diverse ecosystems.
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Cabezon Peak – New Mexico
An exciting trail around New Mexico’s Cabezon Peak is a great way to start bikepacking, it is a volcanic plug that is showcased by many bikepackers. This route has high desert and sandy paths which makes it a great route for all levels of riders. This landscape is spotted with cacti scrublands and has a lollypop route, but the most exciting landmark here is the silent volcano that erupted 4 million years ago which makes a great place for kids and to take pictures. The only problem that you may face is high winds or very cold nights in winter but it’s very easy to just plan in summer or spring on a crisp cool day.
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Horseshoe Trail – Ohio
The horseshoe trail in Ohio with a 1.2-mile route where you will encounter a waterfall, a swinging bridge and gorgeous views that are a great way to get your exercise in. This could be a difficult trail as it contains this hazard of a swinging bridge. This route can be navigated in different ways, going counterclockwise will be a lot more difficult as it contains steep hills but going clockwise will allow you to rocket down the trail. There are muddy areas after it has been raining but there are many ways to go around the parts to be safer. This is a route that is popular amongst mountain bikers and hikers so there are many loges and restrooms around
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Monumental Loop Trail – New Mexico
The Monumental Loop Trail in New Mexico is a booming 500,000 acres of national and desert parks. The loop aims to show bikepackers the whole area where woolly mammoths and prehistoric animals would have roamed, it’s a great feeling to ride along where these animals would have lived out their lives. This trail is very tiring as you would be needing a lot of water since there is hardly any shelter to stop and rest away from the sun. There are parts of the track where the route is blocked with harsh sandy dudes that your bike can be stuck in.
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Appalachian Trail – East Coast
New England has a range of bikepacking routes that you can explore, the Appalachian Trail is a popular trail among the local bikepackers. This trail is a 17-mile adventure that takes you around ancient bedrock with a view of the tectonic range without even crossing a single road. This trip is typically a 6 to the 8-day trip but luckily, the trail holds many mountain sides with an old-growth hemlock forest where you can rest for the night and fill in your biking journal.
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Oregon Coast Trail – Oregon
In the Pacific Northwest, there are many different bikepacking routes that show off a gorgeous view. The Oregon coast trail has the best hike and biking hiking trail which can be shortened from 383 miles by traversing through shorter routes. There are sandy beaches and forested headlands that will guide you to your destination, so this part of the route makes it great for your kids to enjoy as they can play around.
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Centennial Trail – South Dakota
In South Dakota, there is a 111-mile trail called the Centennial Trail. It passes through thick forests, prairies and encompassing buttes, this route also will make you feel like you are biking through the old west as you go through quintessential American scenery at times. There is a lake section where you can camp out or, by using your water filter, you can stop for a meal. There are very loose and steep hills, but you will find yourself rocketing down them through the easy road sections allowing you to relax.
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Continental Drift
The most challenging route is the 3000-mile trail from Canada to Mexico called the Continental drift. This route contains a variety of landscapes including high deserts, river valleys and open grass fields. This route is difficult as it contains gravely pathways and dirt roads making them uncovered and not in nature. Some parts of the trail are unmaintained which will be very hard for inexperienced bikepackers to ride through.
Bikepacking for Fitness and Enjoyment
Finally, bikepacking is a great way to relax especially after a long week or month of work, it contains the misconception of you needing to have all the expensive gear but that is not true.
It’s very easy and accessible. You can start by bikepacking 50 or 60 miles close to your home to get a grasp of it. Some many events and races take place in a lot of trails where you can ride with other people which is another event you could partake in to raise money or feel accomplished to motivate you.
Like any hard to reach trails, the whole journey will give you a great sense of accomplishment once you finish your trail, it can motivate you to do more and allows you to meet people with the same interests. It teaches you a lot of new skills which may become very helpful in your future.