The ADV/Dual Sport Rider’s Unpaved Road Rating System is here.
The 2ERide Moto Travel packing list is here.
Below is an incomplete list of published overland/adventure riding routes; multi-day routes to ride an adventure or dual sport motorcycle (or 4×4 Jeeps and such) off the paved roads. These are NOT off-road (OHV) trails; ADV routes almost exclusively use public (if unpaved) roads that require a plated, street legal vehicle.
Some I have ridden, some are on my list to ride. Most of the tracks are free to download, some require payment. None are “verified” or endorsed by me as guaranteed to only use legal, public roads, and I make no claim as to whether the route is any good, or whether the .gpx files are accurate, up to date, and maintained. I’ll add more as I become aware of them; there doesn’t seem to be one central place to learn about adventure riding routes, I become aware of available .gpx tracks* through scattered sources. (Although ADVrider.com is always the top place to be.)
Developing overland adventure (off pavement) routes takes quite a bit of effort. Its not always straightforward to find legal, unpaved roads to ride, and then determine how to string them together to take advantage of the most fun and scenic riding, while also not running into dead ends, or running out of gas/vehicle range. In our local area in VA, its taken years to find the best dual sport/”adventure” riding available in a day ride range. It can be difficult to find where to ride further afield, which is why I am always on the quest to acquire good tracks provided by other riders. The tracks below have been made publicly available by their creators.
*Off pavement routes are updated frequently – ALWAYS download the latest .gpx track before you go*
North America
United States
Backcountry Discovery Routes – BDR
ridebdr.com
These are top quality routes throughout the US that are generally organized as one route per state in the western US, or a route through multiple states in the eastern US. BDR routes have had a lot of development, are maintained and updated by an organization dedicated to the task, and are unlikely to have problems. The tracks are free to download. (ALWAYS DOWNLOAD THE LATEST TRACK BEFORE YOU GO, and check the website for updates about your chosen route). The Butler map for the route is not necessary (or sufficient for navigation), but is worth every penny.
As of 2022, we’ve ridden 3.5 BDRs so far (MABDR, COBDR NMBDR, NEBDR), and would love to ride all of them. What I love about the BDR routes is that they take all the work out of figuring out where to go. It doesn’t get easier than this to have a nice adventure ride with some of the best roads in a given area, and interesting overlooks and stops along the way; just plug the tracks into your GPS and be guided along your own private tour of the back country. Most of us don’t have time to scout an area away from home with enough depth to find which roads go through, which roads have acceptable difficulty for a loaded travel bike, where to get gas, or where find the best scenic highlights. With a BDR, you can just take a week long vacation and go on a nice ride, enjoying the fruits of other people’s labor that spent months (or sometimes years) figuring out a good route.
TransAmerica Trail – TAT
www.transamtrail.com
Originally developed by Sam Correro as a labor of love over several decades, the Trans America Trail has become a famous 6500 mi+ coast to coast route across the US on as many unpaved roads and back roads as possible. People travel from all over the world to see the US via the TAT, and it has become a “bucket list” trip for many riders.
We rode the entire TAT in 2021 (Kevin did it on the Zero DSR electric motorcycle! He was the first electric motorcycle to complete the Trans America Trail. Prior to 2021, no other electric vehicles had made the trip. 7610 miles in 57 days)
Smoky Mountains 500 – SM500
SM500 facebook
SM500 advrider
A 500 mile loop through NC, TN, and north GA. There are two versions: one for motorcycles, and one for Jeeps/4x4s. There is also a 750 mi and 1000 mi version.
We’ve ridden the SM500, its highly recommended.
Trans-Virginian Adventure Trail – TVAT
www.adventurehorizons.com/trans-virginian-trail
A nearly 1000 mi route through VA and WV.
We’ve ridden parts of this, and intend to finish it.
Adventure Horizons also has several other published routes in VA and WV.
Puppy Dog Ride VT
“The Puppy Dog Ride is a mostly dirt route, traversing Vermont from northern border to southern border. The entire route is on maintained, public roads and should be navigable on any street bike, depending on the weather and the season.”
We rode the Puppy Dog Route on our way back from Quebec in 2022, and thought it was lovely and scenic. The technical difficulty is very low, as advertised. The route is simply unpaved back roads.
Continental Divide Trail – CDT
www.advpulse.com/adv-rides/continental-divide-trail
2700 mi from Canada to Mexico roughly following the continental divide through the Rocky Mountains.
The Kentucky Adventure Tour – KAT
annessky.net/kat
A 900+ mi loop around the southeastern Kentucky.
South Carolina Adventure Route – SCAR
scadventureroute.wixsite.com/website
1000 mi route through rural South Carolina
South East Adventure Trail – SEAT
https://advrider.com/f/threads/seat-south-east-adventure-trail.1225114/
Green Country Oklahoma Adventure Tour – GOAT
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/green-country-oklahoma-adventure-tour-goat.1425284/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2919260181421930/about
450 miles through NE Oklahoma. Roughly 70% off pavement, and 30% scenic paved roads.
Oklahoma Adventure Trail – OAT
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/making-of-the-oklahoma-adventure-trail.836706/#post-19901268
A loop around the state of Oklahoma that strives to stay off the paved roads, and takes riders through scenic and historic areas of the state. The route is actively curated, and the latest .gpx tracks can be downloaded on the first page of the ADVRider.com thread linked above.
Canada
Trans-Quebec Trail – TQT
https://advhub.net/communities/tqt/
“Inaugurated in August 2021, the Trans-Quebec Trail is a 5600 km long [and growing] route comprised of back-country roads and trails that will take you through some of the more beautiful rural communities, national parks, nature reserves, towns, and villages of rural Quebec.”
*We watched a presentation on this route at HU VA in 2024 that gave us an excellent impression, both about the attractiveness of riding in this part of the world, and with regard to track management. The creators have looked at the latest contemporary large ADV projects, including the TET and the BDRs, and have incorporated lessons learned about creating a sustainable organization, and keeping GPS track files up to date as conditions change. The TQT appears to be an excellent and professional addition, and perhaps a leading model for others to follow.
Trans Canada Adventure Trail – TCAT
www.graveltravel.ca
15,000 km route across Canada (*may not be actively managed. High chance of stale data.)
Europe
The Trans Euro Trail – TET
transeurotrail.org
51,000+km of .gpx tracks throughout most of Europe – from the arctic circle to the edge of Africa. This appears to be very well managed, and riding parts of the TET is definitely a bucket list item for me.
*.gpx tracks are the files your GPS device uses to display a track. A track is different than a route (which, confusingly, is also formatted as a .gpx file), you need to learn the difference and understand how to navigate in order to follow any of the above trails. You can’t just plug these into google maps and follow turn by turn directions. Go elsewhere on the internet if you are new to off-road navigation, its not simple, and I don’t have the patience to explain it to you.
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