Great Divide — bikepacking from Banff to the Mexican border
4,400 km and 61,000 metres of climbing on Rocky Mountain dirt. Two months of real self-sufficiency.
The Great Divide is the reference bikepacking route — forest roads, passes above 3,000 m and towns more than a hundred kilometres apart.
You do not plan this by pretty stages, you plan it by resupply and water. Every section is measured in litres carried and days of food between stores.
Ride it end to end in two months, or in week-long sections — Colorado and New Mexico are the most accessible from Europe.
How many km and how many days?
The full route is 4400 km and about 55 days. Enter any km and days: if you are not doing it in one go, split it into several trips.
24 days, 4399.9 km and 61000 m of climbing: about 183.3 km a day and 23 nights on the way.
The towns with beds on this section give 24 legs; to stretch it to 55 days add rest days when you build the plan.
- Banff → Elkford147.5 km · 2000 m D+
- Elkford → Fernie147.5 km · 2000 m D+
- Fernie → Eureka147.5 km · 2000 m D+
- Eureka → Whitefish147.5 km · 2000 m D+
- Whitefish → Ovando155 km · 2125 m D+
- Ovando → Lincoln155 km · 2125 m D+
- Lincoln → wild camping155 km · 2125 m D+
- wild camping → Helena155 km · 2125 m D+
- Helena → Butte225 km · 3000 m D+
- Butte → Lima225 km · 3000 m D+
- Lima → Flagg Ranch225 km · 3000 m D+
- Flagg Ranch → Pinedale225 km · 3000 m D+
- Pinedale → Atlantic City175 km · 2250 m D+
- Atlantic City → Rawlins175 km · 2250 m D+
- Rawlins → Slater175 km · 2250 m D+
- Slater → Steamboat Springs175 km · 2250 m D+
- Steamboat Springs → Silverthorne213.3 km · 4000 m D+
- Silverthorne → Salida213.3 km · 4000 m D+
- Salida → Del Norte213.3 km · 4000 m D+
- Del Norte → Abiquiu190 km · 2300 m D+
- Abiquiu → Cuba190 km · 2300 m D+
- Cuba → Silver City190 km · 2300 m D+
- Silver City → Hachita190 km · 2300 m D+
- Hachita → Antelope Wells190 km · 2300 m D+
Create your account and keep going with these 24 days.
It is free and takes a minute.
- Save the plan and pick up where you left off
- Carry it on your phone, map and times included
- Send it to your group with one link
- Download the itinerary and the calendar
Stages and sections
Approximate distances and climbing. Every guidebook and GPX varies by a few kilometres.
Stops along the route7
Four facts per village — what is worth a stop, where to sleep, where to eat and the practical warning.
Sleep — Elkford, Fernie, Eureka
Eat — Grocery in Fernie; 120 km stretches with nothing
Good to know — Carry bear spray
See on the map
Sleep — Ovando, Lincoln, wild camping
Eat — Seeley Lake, Ovando
Good to know — Good bike shop and Amtrak stop
See on the map
Sleep — Butte, Lima, Flagg Ranch
Eat — Yellowstone — resupply at Colter Bay
Good to know — Last big town for days
See on the map
Sleep — Atlantic City, Rawlins, Slater
Eat — Great Divide Basin — 200 km with no reliable water
Good to know — Waterless Great Divide Basin ahead
See on the map
Sleep — Silverthorne, Salida, Del Norte
Eat — Breckenridge, Salida
Good to know — Resupply before high Colorado
See on the map
Sleep — Abiquiu, Cuba, Silver City, Hachita
Eat — Last real resupply in Hachita — 70 km to the border
Good to know — Eat well before Indiana Pass
See on the map
Sleep — Abiquiu, Cuba, Silver City, Hachita
Eat — Last real resupply in Hachita — 70 km to the border
Good to know — No services — arrange a pickup
See on the map
Daily distance by level
Travel and paperwork
Season — Mid-June to mid-September. Earlier means snow on the Colorado passes; later means storms and cold in Montana.
Kit and packing list
Copy this list into the plan as cards and a checklist, and split shared kit across the group.
Food, water and self-sufficiency
Indicative budget
Reference prices to work out what the route costs before you go.
Paperwork, insurance and permits
Keep it in your calendar
Once you build this route as a plan, every stage is a card with time, duration and place. From the plan link anyone can download the calendar (.ics) or add it to Google Calendar and Outlook, with reminders before each day and before payment or confirmation deadlines.
What to lock before you leave
- Measure each section in litres of water and days of food, not kilometres.
- Keep the Antelope Wells transfer number inside the plan.
- Book a rest day every six — people quit from fatigue, not from the terrain.
- Share the group kit list so you do not carry two toolkits and two first aid kits.
Frequently asked questions
In Keago this route becomes a plan — one card per stage with time and duration, the daily track, each night's accommodation with link and location, the meals, and both travel tickets where the whole group can see them. Everyone confirms and you know who is missing.
Create your account and keep building your Great Divide — bikepacking from Banff to the Mexican border plan.
It is free and takes a minute.
- Save the plan and pick up where you left off
- Carry it on your phone, map and times included
- Send it to your group with one link
- Download the itinerary and the calendar