Hi! I'm looking to crowdsource some 150-500 mile gravel-centric touring/bikepacking routes in western North America that are geared towards bikes with sub-45mm tires (I have a cannondale topstone with 42s). Packed dirt, gravel, non-technical singletrack, even less-trafficked paved roads: have you mapped a trip that you enjoyed and are proud of?
Bikepacking.com has tons of great options, but I'm finding that they're heavily skewed towards setups with suspension and 2-inch plus tires. I am now looking at gravelmap and using strava to plot my own routes that combine nice-looking long segments of gravel/dirt, connected by lower-trafficked paved roads. This is a lot of fun, but also a lot of guesswork, so I figured I'd try and crowdsource some tried and tested routes as well.
I recognize the spirit of bikepacking/touring is exploration, and I'm not trying to get around this or be lazy – I simply figured it couldn't hurt to ask, since I'm new to this.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
by cowboyhatsnglowstix
1 Comment
If you are a strava user you can have a look at this [ride](https://www.strava.com/athletes/89323608/posts/33350645?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=social&share_sig=B0BB76611731106550) that I am riding in the spring. The route is 185 miles and over 22,000′ of ascent (120 miles of Class II-IV native surface road, 45 miles road, 20 miles Class I MUP). There is potential to add more gravel, and remove some of the pavement, but it will add more ascent. There are no resources along the route, you will have to pump your water and carry all of your calories, there is often no cell service and very few “bail out” options but, there are very, very few cars. If you were to ride the route over two days you can spike at [clear creek campground](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Clear+Creek+Campground/@40.9336739,-122.5878556,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x54d26e7631b690cd:0xc13571d88114530f!8m2!3d40.9336739!4d-122.5878556!16s%2Fg%2F11bwgwbjy_?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) on day one, around mile 54, and [madrone campground](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Madrone+Campground/@40.9244376,-122.098239,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x54cd8399f3f1da9b:0x26051b5c2300d4ca!8m2!3d40.9244336!4d-122.0956641!16s%2Fg%2F1wbrxhy3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) on day two, around 111 miles. Alternatively you can dispersed camp along much of the route since it is mostly public lands administered by the USDA Forest Service. I live in the area and cycle these roads often, I ride 42’s and have no issues.