Its doable in three days and neither of the two on-route camping options require a reservation, though making it between them might require a push. Microwave Pizza Pockets, dill pickles, and hot chocolate were on the Chevron Station menu. Some of the best bikepacking routes are short trips found right in your backyard. Sean has old school cycle touring in his blood, with a coast to coast USA ride and a number of month-long European tours in his very relaxed palmares. All rights reserved. Canada. / 235 km 4 days Reaching over 5,000ft at times, it offers bouts of flowing singletrack and a medley of abandoned dirt roads, set to one sweeping panorama after another. A gravel bike for extensive trips. Tour Divide racer winners may smash the whole route in a fortnight, but most riders would allow at least 6-8 weeks, with time to loll in pools, enjoy company and rest when you need to, and be sanguine about setbacks. . After a brief highway section, I joined a Laguna Beach duo in Anza to pedal and push our rigs the next 3-hours through a mud-slog. Bring a lot of water since the only reliable water is at Red Box Station. Beginning in Reno, it blends burly desert jeep roads with classic Tahoe singletrack. We have over 300 original and curated bikepacking routes in our global network spanning nearly 50 countries. On my bike I feel free. But this year, because of the extreme precipitation, it meant even more road riding than I was willing to ride and still feel safe. If youre looking for spectacular scenery, this may be the route for you. Quite different from the other expeditions here, this is a gentle but beautiful route thats ideal for bikepacking beginners: super-accessible, and dotted with campsites and accommodation, markets and eateries. Summer is the best time to bikepack in the Tahoe area, since high-elevation areas will be blocked by snow through winter and spring (theres a reason the area is famous for its ski resorts!). The debate was short-lived. It's all about exploring the roads, gravel roads (or groads), and trails less travelled. Bikepacking 101 Bikepacking Routes The source for original bikepacking routes, guides, and dirt touring itineraries from off the beaten path. Connecting Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, Cleghorn Fire Road, Baldy Notch, Glendora Ridge Road, and Rincon-Redbox Truck Trail, it's a gorgeous backcountry ride that boasts a fearsome amount of climbing and some steep grades along its 145 miles length. Is bike packing irresponsible in the time of coronavirus, even if it is totally self-supported? Gravelmap is a tool for finding and sharing local gravel roads for biking, gravel grinding, exploration and more. Sardine Lookout Tower Overnighter is a mini adventure that gives riders a taste of the beautiful forests, meadows, and reservoirs around Tahoe National Forest. The small town of Julian on State Highway 79, just north of Cuyamaca, offers an excellent starting and ending point to a day ride or multiple day bikepacking excursion. Spring and fall are excellent times to bikepack in the southern California desert. Mountains, sea, lakes, beach, rivers and forest, this route has all the nature you could want, with plenty of epic climbs and remote gravel tracks. Now with oral contraception, the buff herd is around 150 and is one of the main tourist attractions. Heres a short 46 mile loop that includes some of the highlights, and an even shorter 36 mile overnighter. Note that all those routes have a lot of elevation gain for their mileage, which is pretty much unavoidable in Coe. Gravel Routes in California - Gravelmap Map Search Hi, Im Phil. There is also camping for a fee at Joshua Tree National Park. 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. Well-maintained community trail takes you between Meaford and the sections terminus Thornbury. Oregon is blessed with ancient forests dripping with moss, stunning volcanic peaks, prairies, swimming holes and hot springs, and this route gives you them all. Its the foundation of the modern culture of bikepacking. Skip to content. The route mostly follows the Old Boboyan Road, which is a management trail through the area. If the 2,700-mile North-South Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (above) seems too tame, the East-West Trans-America Trail route will give you plenty of scope for dreaming. Here are several standout bikepacking routes in Southern California, ordered roughly from north to south. De eerste 4 dagen helemaal niemand gezien, niet gek met 3 The 50mm gravel tires are made-in-France and sell for 50 for the smoother Overide, or 53 for the more knobby Touareg & Tundra. Bikepacking in Central California is dominated by the extensive Los Padres National Forest. 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. More here. Given the proximity of the mountains, lakes, forests, and deserts, youre able to have a variety of options, so hop on your bike and enjoy the ride. Three years ago, Johan Cronje, a local bike packer, created the 300-mile JBC that takes in the mountains of Cuyamaca (and beyond), the trails to and from the Pacific Coast, and the sands of the Anza-Borrego Desert. 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. Only a small fraction of our trails and public land have been mapped and described from a bikepacking perspective. On the next highway stretch before the steep Mesa Grade, an oncoming pickup truck passed on a double line and came within a foot of our handlebars. 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. I was keen to shave a day off my time this year. Routes are mapped and chronicled by a core group of experienced route designers and a thriving group of contributors from around the world. If 670 miles is a smidge too much for you, there are lots of ways to enjoy bits of the trail - this 120-mile loop is easily accessible from Portland, for instance: Anaxshat Passage (opens in new tab). Click here to login, or start an account if youre not yet a member of the Bikepacking Collective. As a proud Californian and bikepacker, Id like to help change this. Idaho has great terrain for riding, including long distance bikepacking, (Image credit: smokenfire420.wordpress.com), Not many people think of North Dakota as having good riding, but the Maah Daah Hey Trail proves that it does, Arizona's Black Canyon Trail features the iconic southwestern desert, (Image credit: Bureau of Land Management), The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route travels a large amount of alpine terrain, five-part account by Tom and Sarah Swallow, Woman chased by a pack of wolves escapes on her e-MTB, Ass Savers Win Wing review a simple, effective clip-on solution, Pro bike Cameron Masons 2023 British Nationals winning Specialized S-Works Crux, Tifosi Rail Sunglasses review huge coverage and three interchangeable lenses, POC releases two new Omne helmets, one for performance and one with cargo capabilities. The North Bay / Mount Tamalpais area is a prime candidate for Bay Area bikepacking routes, such as this overnight loop out of Fairfax. Its seriously hilly - in fact, it averages more climbing per mile than the Colorado Trail (160ft vs 133ft) so its not for you if youre not on top form. This rugged island off the coast of LA was suggested by a reader, and looks like it would make an amazing 2-3 day bikepacking trip! The moderate elevation makes it rideable throughout most of the year, but its best in spring or fall when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold. It also features in the above-mentioned Tour de los Padres route as well. Bikepacking.com and others have already developed several routes in this area, and there are many more options waiting to be explored. South of the highway, still in Tahoe National Forest, a vast web of dirt roads branch off from Henness Pass Road near the tiny town of Forest (which has some nice singletrack nearby). I havent had a chance to explore these yet, but here are some other areas of northern California that look intriguing: More of those backcountry discovery route ideas here. Go in spring, and you may see the desert bursting into flower. A gravel bikepacking bike gets bonus points for extra mounting points (braze ons, eyelets, barnacles, etc.) Congrats on the new bike and best wishes for some great adventures. The routes include scenic lakes, the Pacific Ocean, Joshua Tree National Park, and even an inland sea. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. Puis ces . 103 mi. 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! The Great Divide is high-profile, well documented and almost 100% rideable. Thirty riders showed up in the morning for breakfast fuel at Higher Grounds as snow and sleet fell outside. 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. Expect to climb several long passes, including the day-long hike-a-bike up Mt. I dont recommend coming to the bay just for the bikepacking, but if youre in the area or passing through and want to explore what the area has to offer, here are a few routes to check out. This 146-mile route starts at Big Bear Lake and takes you on some diverse terrain like forest roads, ATV trails, sandy two-track, and even some unused paved roads. This could easily be called 10 of the 100 best bikepacking routes in the USA this country is made for wild, wonderful self-supported adventures, and there are trips of a lifetime in pretty much every state. Thank you for your site and blog. Gravel Bike California The State of Dirt Main Menu. It was tough deciding between this and the 100-mile White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park just west of Moab. My wife and I have gravel bikes with 42s and 47s. From the bottom, and from the top! Its only occasionally technical but its an endless series of climbs and descents, reaching 9000ft, and includes a couple of long stretches of hike-a-bike, so youll need to be fit. Elevation: 4000 ft. Start/End: The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA. For anyone dreaming of a longer trip, or interested in riding from Sacramento to Tahoe (perhaps to link up with Tahoe Twirl or Bones to Blue!) The northernmost section (Arroyo Seco to Gorda) and southernmost section (from New Cuyama to Santa Barbara) are the highlights in my opinion. Wild rocky scrub, huge empty spaces, tough canyons, and hurrah singletrack that weaves through swathes of the iconic saguaro cactus, which can grow up to 12 meters tall, will see you on your way. Think of bikepacking as a camping trip you take with your bike. Mountains, beaches, golden hills, desert There is something here for every kind of outdoor enthusiast. This 497-mile route takes you from San Bernardino, near Los Angeles to San Diego on the Mexican border. Winter can work well for lower-elevation routes (check snow conditions for any sections over 6000 feet or so). Bikepacking, is the synthesis of mountain biking and minimalist camping, simply put, bikepacking. As a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, I struggle with the lack of a true bikepacking scene here. The mellow 16-mile ride left us time for cold plunges in the Pacific Ocean and hiking along the cliffs above Shark Harbor. We have over 300 original and curated bikepacking routes in our global network spanning nearly 50 countries. Highlights: Fun singletrack, river crossings, beautiful roads, remote canyons, steep climbs. I decided not to continue the Stagecoach because I felt unsafe on the highway. I finished the pct this September 2021 for my 60th birthday havent used my bikes for at least ten years due to an autoimmune disease but with fortitude and planing I did hike from Mexico to Canada been training on an e bike and hope to put a few thousand miles on dirt this next year love your site and will stay tuned. Sometimes it feels a bit claustrophobic. Youll be amazed at how remote this ride feels in places, and how glorious the views are. Southern California, specifically the area to the east of Santa Barbara, LA, and San Diego, is an obvious place to start. The various sites that catalog routes don't seem to have much to offer, but hoping the brain trust here has some ideas. The Bay Area Ridge trail, though a tempting concept, is still very much unfinished. This gravel adventure bike features a durable and lightweight alloy frame and a reliable and stylish carbon fork. The resort town of Avalon at the islands southern tip would make a posh place to relax before, during, or after your ride. Great Divide Bikepacking Route: Essential Q&A. 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. The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the worldby locals, in their own backyards. . Design a route: Use maps, guidebooks, websites and word of mouth to find roads and trails you can ride on. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. From our sponsor; more content below. Theres no such thing as certainty in bikepacking, but the number of online resources around the GDMBR including regular maps addenda on trail conditions and closures from the Adventure Cycling Association means that you can totally nerd out on your preparation. Joining two meccas of MTB, this high desert route is a longtime classic. Add mellow bike paths, remote forest roads, fantastic camping real estate, and an abundance of swimming spots and it makes a wonderful introduction to this beautiful area. Learn more or say hi. Hi there, Im Alissa. California Gravel Ride Recaps, Gravel Race Recaps, Gear Reviews | Ohio Gravel Grinders. Or toss some spare change inthe PayPal tip jar. All rights reserved. Backcountry bivvying options are endless; in some places youll need a permit. Pavement and panniers or singletrack and seat bag, I love it all. Gravel backroads and dirt forest service roads are backbone of these bikepacking routes, but don't expect smooth riding the whole way (and definitely don't bring your road bike). Gravel Guides; . / 800 km 10 days The SoCal Desert Ramble, Southern California comment 146 time Mar 10 compose Cass Gilbert USA 112 mi. AU, Leg 1 - Perth to Adelaide, complete! You experience a diverse set of geographical features along this route from alpine elevations of 11,913', wide-open grasslands, and remote desert in New . The information found here is simply a resource for planning and inspiration to be used with your own due-diligence. For those seeking desert solitude tinged with a touch of the bizarre, we present the SoCal Desert Ramble. The road plateaus and the pavement ends under the East Summit and the rest of the island is dirt roads or singletrack. 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. We rolled our loaded bikes onto the ferry, secured them at the back of the vessel as choppy waters were forecasted, and found a bench on the upper deck for the 90-minute ferry from Dana Point ($75 round-trip + $8 for the bike). Shop Grizl 21 items Availability Show Filters New Compare Grail CF SL 7 Shimano GRX RX810 GS, DT Swiss Gravel LN $2,699.00 Financing available for this product -13% Compare Grizl 6 Shimano GRX RX400 GS, DT Swiss Gravel LN Trail Sale: Limited time only $1,299.00 Freins disque vlo route; Kit de purge route/cx/gravel; Liquides de freins; Patins de frein vlo; Plaquettes de freins route . Weather is often sunny year-round, and wide-open desert landscapes are good for the soul. 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. Though remote in some places, it also takes in a bit more civilization than the Baldy Bruiser, including quirky desert communities and sights like Joshua Tree, Salton Sea, and the unforgettable Slab City. The Boboyan Divide Route. Both challenge riders from low-elevation areas with a peak elevation of over 9500 feet. There are stretches of this route that have no amenities for some time so its important to do some careful planning beforehand. bikepacking roots and our logo are registered trademarks. The wide elevation range, from around 1500 feet up to nearly 8000 feet, means this route is best ridden in fall or early winter when temperatures arent too hot and snowpack at the high points is manageable. Heres a backcountry discovery route that highlights many of the main dirt roads and camping areas. Im Alissa, your virtual guide, here to help you make your biggest, boldest adventure dreams a reality. The route has many resupply options along the way as well as camping and a few hotel options to look into. This scenic 80-mile lollipop loop winds through parts of Joshua Tree National Park and can be completed in 2-3 days. Or wed load our bike onto Amtrak train for a few hours and then spend the weekend riding back home down the Pacific Coast. Find event and ticket information. We called our trip the TransGabriel Challenge: three days, 78 miles and 18,000 feet of climbing by bike on dirt and gravel . Here youll find links to all the trip reports, route overviews, and other route-specific resources based on my own rides, plus curated lists of recommended routes based on my research and daydreams. We have everything! I love your blog and appreciate your willingness to share and write about this Awesome sport/ hobby. Soon after Californias stay-at-home order was first announced, the bikepacking community began debating its consequences on planned adventures. Patterson, and fly down the accompanying backcountry singletrack descents. There may be long steep stretches without water so be prepared and plan ahead. Wild camping is plentiful, and hosted options including cyclist-only lodgings! 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. Starting and ending in Borrego Springs, the Anza-Hapaha Loop covers 83 miles of canyon, desert, and badlands. For 2-3 days of bike packing, look into linking the trails from Cuyamaca the Cleveland National Forest to Noble Canyon, and the Mount Laguna Recreation Area. 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.
