9 Long-Distance Bikepacking Routes On My Bike-It List
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There’s something really gratifying about long-distance bikepacking. I guess thru-hikers feel the same way: you travel from point A to point B with everything you need strapped to your back or bike frame. To be fully self-sufficient out on the trail or road is a great feeling.
I’ve done a number of bikepacking trips and one long-distance adventure across the state of Washington. Bikepacking is one of my favorite ways to explore the world and I’m constantly researching and dreaming up new trips. In this post, I share a few long-distance bikepacking trips on my bike-it list that I hope to check off in the future.
Which ones are on your bucket list?
Discover 9 adventurous long-distance bikepacking trips around the world
1. The Munda Biddi Trail
Western Australia was never a real draw to me until I discovered this route. The Munda Biddi trail is a 1,000+ km (620mi) route that runs from the city of Perth in the north to Albany in the south.
Munda Biddi means “path through the forest” in the local Noongar Aboriginal language and the trail looks just that – a thousand kilometers through Western Australia’s Darling Range and Eucalyptus forests. I feel giddy just thinking about it.
One of the best parts about this long-distance bikepacking trail is that the logistics are pretty easy to plan. There are well-spaced huts and campgrounds as well as frequent small towns for resupplying.
2. The Great North Trail
I first visited England during the summer of 2017 and I instantly fell in love with the country. The wide open fields, the beautiful stone buildings, the lovely gardens, and the farm fresh food – it felt like home.
I’ve been dying to go back to the UK and I think the Great North Trail is what’s going to get me there. The route starts in central England’s beautiful Peak District and travels north through a variety of different landscapes all the way to the tip of mainland Scotland in the north.
The route is 738 miles and it sounds like an epic adventure!
3. The Jordan Bike Trail
I can’t remember how I stumbled upon the Jordan Bike Trail, but ever since I saw this long-distance bikepacking route I’ve wanted to take it on.
It’s a 400-mile pedal that runs from the north to the south of Jordan in the Middle East and traverses mountains and desert and through old Middle Eastern villages.
4. The Lesotho Traverse
Africa is such an amazing place. The landscapes are so incredibly beautiful and the people are some of the friendliest I’ve encountered in my travels. I’ve only visited the eastern African countries of Kenya and Tanzania, so I would love to explore other regions like this southern bikepacking route through Lesotho.
To be honest, I really have no idea what Lesotho is about, but the photos are incredible!
5. The Old Ghost Road
My brother and sister-in-law honeymooned in New Zealand with their mountain bikes and one of the (or the?) highlights of the trip was bikepacking the Old Ghost Road.
This route is an old gold miner’s road that has been converted into a hut-to-hut bikepacking route. The whole route is only 53 miles, but it is supposedly breathtakingly beautiful and rugged. Plus you get to sleep in a bed at night.
6. The Trans Tasmania
Tasmania has been at the top of my list of places to visit for a long time. Even before I got serious about mountain biking (Blue Derby in northern Tasmania is supposed to be amazing), I’ve wanted to explore this fascinating place.
It’s home to the Tasmanian Devil, wallabies, delicious wine, snow-capped mountains, and tasty local food. The Trans Tasmanian Trail is a long-distance bikepacking route that traverses the whole state from north to south and sounds like one of the best ways to experience Australia’s island state.
7. The TransDinarica
“The TransDinarica is 2,000 kilometers, rolls across eight countries, and stays off the beaten path in Europe’s wildest region. Crazy. Stunning. Completely immersive. It is the next challenge in your mountain bike experience.”
What!? 2,000km and 8 countries?! That sounds amazing! This route is going to happen someday.
The TransDinarica starts in Slovenia and winds its way down through the southern Adriatic countries of Croatia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia.
I don’t think the route is well-established yet, but I’m always up for an adventure.
8. The Swamp Thing Trail
I’ve actually visited Estonia on a 10-day cruise through the Baltic Sea, but it’s one of those countries where I knew I wanted to return. Estonia is absolutely beautiful, especially its capital city of Tallin.
There’s a 240-mile bikepacking route called The Swamp Thing Trail that runs the length of Estonia and it has me wanting to jump on a plane right now!
9. Madagascar
There’s no published self-supported bikepacking route across Madagascar that I’ve found, but Madagascar is a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. Especially to see the lemurs and baobab trees.
There is this multi-day Madagascar cycling tour with TDA Global Cycling that looks pretty epic.
What are some long-distance bikepacking trips on your bike-it list? Have you don’t any of the ones listed above? Leave a comment below!
There are significant issues with the Great North Trail – in parts it is really a walking route converted to a cycling trail – there are hundreds of fields with gates to open and close – I’ve done the first part from Matlock to Edinburgh – it drove my friends nuts – I would much more recommend the GTMC in France (which I have done over 14 days). Interesting article
Good to know! I’ve been eyeing the Great North Trail as well – do you know anything about that? And the new Pictish Trail looks awesome, too. I need to spend some time over Europe on my bike!
Thanks – I haven’t heard of the Pictish Trail – looks interesting – we have cycled in Scotland from coast to coast (Aberdeen to Fort William) – it is very remote – it’s good to go in may, when the wild flowers are out, and before the midges appear ( biting insects) !
There are so many amazing routes that I would love to do 🙂 Have you checked out bikepacking.com? They’re always adding new routes to their site. One that is one my list is the Newfoundland Trailway (https://bikepacking.com/routes/newfoundland-trailway/)