Best beginner bikepacking routes in Europe, North America and beyond

How did we choose these beginner bikepacking routes?

We picked beginner bikepacking routes a first-timer could finish on the bike they own. It follows on from our guide to bikepacking for beginners. Each route is two to eight days long, mostly gravel or tarmac, with food, water and a legal place to sleep every day. Its managing body or route organiser publishes the length, surface and season, all checked on 10 October 2026.

We don't give a prevailing wind for each route yet: Windline's wind study doesn't cover them. Where an official source describes the wind, we quote it.

Beginner bikepacking routes compared

Days marked * are our estimate at about 70 km (43 miles) a day; the rest are official.

Want this for your own route? Windline shows the wind for every stretch, timed to your pace. Free. Make a free ride page →

Which beginner routes are best in the UK and Europe?

Chalk downs, a Norwegian mountain road and a Spanish greenway, each with towns or lodges along the way.

King Alfred's Way, England

Cycling UK's 350 km (217 mile) loop from Winchester is 80–85% bridleways and byways: gravel, sandy heath and rutted chalk. It grades the route moderate, suggests four or five days, and recommends a mountain bike in wetter months. For a shorter taste, off-road riders take two or three days on the 160 km (100 mile) South Downs Way, says the national park.

Rallarvegen, Norway

A gravel road built for the Bergen railway, 79 km (49 miles) from Haugastøl to Flåm. It passes Finse, at 1,222 m (4,009 ft) Norway's highest railway station, then descends to the fjord. Cycle Norway gives the season as July to September. Hotels and mountain lodges mean you can leave the tent at home.

Vía Verde del Aceite, Spain

Andalusia's longest greenway runs 127 km (79 miles) from Jaén to Puente Genil through olive groves, over 13 metal viaducts. Jaén's tourism board says you can ride it all year, but not in midsummer heat.

Which beginner routes are best in the US and Canada?

Rail trails and a canal towpath, with towns or campsites spaced for short days.

Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal, USA

Pittsburgh to Washington, DC, is 536 km (333 miles). The GAP is mostly crushed limestone, climbing about 1.5% for 38 km (23.7 miles) from Cumberland to the Eastern Continental Divide. The C&O Canal Towpath is bumpier packed dirt, with dozens of hiker-biker campsites. See our GAP and C&O guide.

Katy Trail, USA

Visit Missouri calls the 386 km (240 mile) Katy Trail the longest rails-to-trails conversion in the US. It's mostly flat crushed limestone near the Missouri River. Camping isn't allowed on the trail, but towns along it have motels and campgrounds.

Le P'tit Train du Nord, Canada

A 234 km (145 mile) trail through Quebec's Laurentians, north of Montreal, on asphalt and stone dust. Backcountry camping is banned along it, but a local company moves luggage between lodgings.

Which beginner routes are best in New Zealand, Australia and Africa?

Two easy rail trails for the southern seasons, and one harder trail for later.

Otago Central Rail Trail, New Zealand

A Grade 1 trail, the easiest level, running 152 km (94 miles) from Clyde to Middlemarch on the South Island. The trail trust says most riders go from September to May and allow three to five days. One trail information site says spring is often windy, with a north-west wind helping riders heading for Middlemarch. See our Otago guide.

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, Australia

Australia's longest rail trail, 161 km (100 miles) from Wulkuraka to Yarraman in Queensland. The state transport department recommends hybrid or mountain bikes for its gravel and, in summer, finishing by midday. Camp only in designated areas.

Congo Nile Trail, Rwanda

Visit Rwanda's 227 km (141 mile) route follows Lake Kivu from Rubavu to Rusizi in about five days. It's the hardest here: BIKEPACKING.com's version climbs 5,822 m (19,100 ft). Ride in a dry season, mid-May to mid-September or December to February, and read your government's travel advice first.

Which one should you pick for your first trip?

Pick by the month, the time you have, and whether you'll camp.

• No tent: Rallarvegen, the Katy Trail or Le P'tit Train du Nord.
• Camping: the C&O's hiker-biker sites, or campsites on King Alfred's Way. Check wild camping rules by country first.
• Northern spring or autumn: the Katy Trail, the GAP and C&O, or the Vía Verde del Aceite.
• Northern winter: Otago or the Brisbane Valley.
• Ready for more: the Congo Nile Trail, then the Great Divide, 4,985 km (3,097 miles) from Jasper, Canada, to the Mexican border.

How do you plan any of these routes?

Fix where each night falls, and the daily distance follows. Use our bikepacking gear list and bikepacking bags explained to pack, and plan short days with bikepacking distance per day. Read the forecast for the hours you'll ride, and compare the wind with our too-windy table.