Bikepacking in Western America

Hi everyone,

First of all, it’s great to meet you all (first message on the forum).

 

My name is Lucien, I'm 28 and I’m from Switzerland. I started my gravel biking journey last year and went on my first bikepacking trip in France this summer. That experience really sparked my desire to explore further.

 

Next summer, I’m considering a 3-week bikepacking trip in the U.S., likely around July or August. I’m especially curious about discovering one of the wild western states like Montana, Wyoming, or Colorado (or others?).

 

The reason I’m reaching out on this forum is that, from a Swiss guy perspective, these states are incredibly vast — and they all seem stunning, with what I imagine have some fantastic trails for gravel biking.

 

My question is: in the western U.S., which state would be the most ideal for a gravel bikepacking trip where I could alternate between camping and staying in Airbnbs or other accommodations?

I know my question is a bit broad, but since I don’t know much about these states, I’d be thrilled to get some first insights from locals or anyone who’s had the chance to explore these states on a gravel bike.

 

Thanks so much, and I look forward to discussing!

 

Best,

 

Lucien

All I can say is you'll probably find Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho much wilder than Colorado. Also I think you'll be able to find great trails in any state.

Has anybody tried the 'GDMBR'? This route looks amazing.

 

https://bikepacking.com/routes/great-divide-mountain-bike-route-gdmbr/

Hello Lucien,

 

Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are more wild than most of Colorado. The west slope of Colorado is still very wild. In particular the San Luis Valley is spectacular. The area around Grand Junction is also very nice. New Mexico and Arizona are also spectacular and have many places to explore.

 

You would probably not have problems with wildlife, just take appropriate precautions in bear country. There are many,many places to camp. Camping is allowed in most national Forest and BLM controlled land. Most if not all national parks have campgrounds, however reservations are required these days.

 

I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico and ride, camp throughout the western US. Feel free to contact me with any questions at donkiphart@yahoo.com.

 

Don

I forgot to mention many RV parks have tent camping areas.

Deep cuts into forests and river valleys. Coeur d Alene is an interesting and peculiar "western" town. Explore the history of resource extraction in the mountain west.

 

A Pacific Northwest gem, riff on the Seattle-to-Portland Backdoor, with 100% more fun, epic backcountry feels and adventure. Arriving in Portland for it's wealth of food and fun.

 

Deep and remote and totally doable.

 

Utah has some of the most visually spectacular surroundings, any of these would be epic - UTAH Bikepacking