The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is the crown jewel of North American bikepacking. 2,745 miles of Forest Service roads, BLM land, and rural gravel tracing the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta south to Antelope Wells, New Mexico at the Mexican border. It’s not a trail — it’s a route stitched together from existing dirt roads, which means true remoteness and true self-sufficiency.
You’ll cross the Continental Divide more than 30 times, accumulate over 200,000 feet of elevation gain, and pass through some of the least-visited terrain on the continent. The Canadian Rockies section is stunning and relentless. Montana delivers vast open basins and serious mountain passes. Wyoming’s Basin brings hundred-mile desert crossings. Colorado’s San Juans are technical and dramatic. New Mexico’s high desert is spare and ancient. Resupply towns can be 80-100 miles apart — planning your food carry is as important as your fitness.
The annual Tour Divide race covers the route self-supported under 20 days for elite riders. Most bikepacking travelers take 45-60 days. Go south in June-July, departing Banff in the second week of June to outrun Canada’s late snowpack and arrive in New Mexico before monsoon season makes the roads impassable. Bring a weather-capable gravel or mountain bike — this is not a route for anything with drop bars and 32mm tires.