Golden Gravel Trail: a new great gravel bike route from the Mississippi to the Pacific

Bikepackers have a big new challenge. Adventure Cycling Association, one of the major US bike-touring organisations, has marked its 50th anniversary by opening the Golden Gravel Trail, its longest off-road route: more than 1,100 km longer than the famous Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

The route

• From–to: from Cape Girardeau, on the Mississippi, to Port Orford, on the Pacific coast.
• Eight states: Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon.
• Terrain: about 70% unpaved, mostly well-maintained gravel roads.
• Mountains: it crosses several Rocky Mountain ranges in Colorado, Utah and Idaho. The high point is Cumberland Pass, at 3,668 metres.

The association recommends carrying two or three days of food for the most isolated sections and up to a day’s water, especially in the arid stretches of eastern Oregon.

73 days in the saddle

Colorado couple Jules Stennes and Patch Doyle, experienced long-distance riders, have completed the route: 6,124 kilometres in 73 days, averaging about 80 km and 12 hours of pedalling a day. In 2022 they finished the Big Sky Spectaculaire, a 1,400 km self-supported race across Montana.

Along the way they faced thunderstorms, aggressive farm dogs and “countless hills”. Their verdict is clear:

“About 90% of it is mental,” say Stennes and Doyle.

Closer to home

You don’t have to cross the Atlantic for a multi-day trip. Spain’s new Reto Ibérico, a 500 km loop between Cuenca, Guadalajara and Teruel, is a great place to start. And on any long route, water is key: here’s how much water to carry.