Best Bikepacking Camping Routes
Bikepacking differs from touring in its emphasis on off-road or mixed-surface routes, minimal framebag-based luggage, and wild or semi-wild camping rather than campsite-to-campsite riding on paved roads. The routes below span the spectrum from well-mapped long trails with established camping infrastructure to loose desert corridors where route-finding and water management are as demanding as the riding itself.
1. Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, USA and Canada
The GDMBR runs 4,418 kilometres from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, entirely on gravel, dirt roads, and forest tracks. It is the defining long-distance bikepacking route in North America. The route passes through five US states and crosses the Continental Divide twenty-three times. Camping is a mix of designated national forest dispersed sites, paid campgrounds in towns, and wild camping on BLM land. Resupply is roughly every two to four days depending on section. The Adventure Cycling Association's route maps and GPS tracks are the essential navigation resource.
2. Silk Road Mountain Race corridor, Kyrgyzstan
The SRMR race route through Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan mountains is one of the most demanding bikepacking corridors in the world but also one of the most scenically extraordinary. The full race is 1,700 km with over 23,000 metres of climbing on tracks that range from graded gravel to unmapped shepherd paths. Outside of the race window (typically August), the route functions as an expedition-grade bikepacking trip. Camping is entirely wild — yurt camps and guesthouses provide the only facilities. Permits are required for some military zones near the Chinese border.
3. Vätternrundan and Kungsleden combination, Sweden
Sweden's freedom to roam (allemansrätten) makes it one of the world's most bikepacking-friendly countries. The Kungsleden trail in Lapland runs 440 km through Sarek and Abisko national parks; the southern sections are rideable on a fat bike or gravel bike during summer. Wild camping throughout. The Vätternrundan paved loop around Lake Vättern (300 km) is a supported touring option that can be combined with the northern trail for a multiweek Sweden crossing. June provides the longest daylight; August is the driest month.
4. Carretera Austral, Chilean Patagonia
The southern Chilean highway runs 1,240 km from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins through a landscape of fjords, glaciers, and temperate rainforest. The road is a mix of paved and gravel surfaces. Camping in Parque Nacional Chiloé and the NamibRand-scale camping infrastructure at places like Camping Grey and Campamento Paine Grande further south provides paid camping; wild camping on the roadside is broadly tolerated outside national park boundaries. Wind is the defining challenge — the prevailing direction is south-to-north, making a northbound ride significantly harder.
5. Munda Biddi Trail, Western Australia
The Munda Biddi is a 1,000-km purpose-built off-road cycle trail from Mundaring, east of Perth, to Albany on the south coast. The trail passes through jarrah and marri forest, the Wheatbelt, and the Karri forests of the south coast. Purpose-built huts and designated camping areas are spaced roughly every 30 to 50 km, making resupply and water logistics straightforward by long-distance bikepacking standards. Open from May to October; the summer months produce extreme heat and fire risk.
6. Transylvania and Carpathian Arc, Romania
Romania's Carpathian mountain range offers one of Europe's least-exploited bikepacking landscapes — dense forest, gravel forest roads, and wild camping possibilities on a continent where wild camping is increasingly restricted. The Transylvania Trail, a 1,550 km loop around the Carpathian arc, is well-mapped by the Transylvania Trail Foundation. The route passes through villages with regular resupply and accommodation options. Spring and early autumn are the optimal windows; summer produces thunderstorm risk and high temperatures in the valleys.
7. Atlas Mountain Race corridor, Morocco
The AMR race route covers approximately 1,800 km through the High and Middle Atlas ranges and the Saharan edges, with wild camping throughout. The terrain is mixed gravel road, piste, and occasionally unmarked desert track. Water sourcing from mountain villages requires local communication and basic French or Berber. The race window is typically January-February, but the route is rideable outside of midsummer heat from October through April. Camping in the gorges of the Todra and Dades valleys and on the Erg Chebbi dunes are the signature overnight locations.
8. Hokkaido Bikepacking, Japan
Hokkaido's road network and camping infrastructure make it the most accessible bikepacking destination in Asia for international riders. Public campgrounds (ryokin kyampujo) charge between 300 and 800 yen per night and are spaced every 30 to 60 km along the main routes. The coast roads, the Furano valley farming country, and the Daisetsuzan highland crossing are the core bikepacking corridors. June through September is the riding window; the northern interior is accessible from mid-June after snow clearance.
9. Western Highlands Way, Scotland
The West Highland Way (154 km, Milngavie to Fort William) is the primary walking and cycling corridor in the Scottish Highlands. Wild camping is legal in Scotland under the Land Reform Act and the route passes through genuine highland wilderness from Tyndrum north. The Cateran Trail and the Great Glen Way extend the rideable distance significantly. All-year riding is possible but October through March brings genuine winter conditions above 500 metres. Bothies provide emergency shelter on some routes.
10. Canning Stock Route, Western Australia
The CSR is a 1,850-km 4WD track through the Great Sandy and Gibson Deserts, originally used for stock driving, now used primarily by 4WD expedition vehicles. Bikepacking the CSR is a serious expedition-level undertaking requiring water drops, comprehensive navigation, and mechanical self-sufficiency. The route has been completed by bicycle; it is not a casual undertaking. Wild camping throughout — no facilities from Wiluna to Halls Creek. The window is April through September; summer temperatures exceed 45 degrees.
Bikepacking camping setup
Framebag-based bikepacking rigs carry less volume than traditional panniers. Most bikepackers run a three-bag setup — frame bag, handlebar roll, and seat pack — totalling 15 to 20 litres, which forces material selection toward the ultralight end of the camping spectrum. A 900-gram solo shelter, a 600-gram sleeping bag, and a 250-gram sleeping pad are realistic targets. Water capacity of three to four litres minimum is required for any desert or remote route.
See them all in one view
Open the map to see how these places cluster — and what else is within reach of each one.