continental divide trail motorcycle gps tracks

So with that in mind, although there are plenty of paved sections, there's often no easy alternative, or there's issues with private land or access to off-road alternatives. This is an epic crossing of the European continent, from (almost) the most northeast to the furthest southwest tip of the continent, predominantly off-road or traffic free. Some of these divisions are obvious as you'll cross ten international borders, but often less obvious on the ground, as the reality of crossing international borders on a bike is that the landscape rarely changes, and even the language can be somewhat the same cross-border as well. These divides are economic and social, geographic and geologic, historical and cultural, with numerous languages and customs, laws and regulations, but all within the European Union. While this route is called the European Divide Trail (EDT), it's unlike the Great Divide Mountain Bike route in North America, as this route doesn't follow the Continental Divide, rather it crosses many different divides on its journey through Europe. The challenges will come from the logistics of finding water, food and accommodation, the weather throughout the multiple seasons it'll doubtless take to ride it, and the act of riding a heavy bike, off-road, more than 7,500 km (4,660 mi) across Europe. Here, easier tracks and trails have been linked together into a route that's greater than the sum of its parts. While more challenging bikepacking routes can be great fun, following them for months on end is perhaps less sustainable. The inspiration for this route came from a need for a dirt road touring route exploring an alternative side of Europe, mostly away from the popular tourist destinations. The route passes through the seemingly endless forests, alongside lakes, rivers and on the dirt roads of Scandinavia, through the patchwork of farmland, woodland, heathlands and grasslands of Central Europe, then into the south and eventually the Iberian Peninsula where the diversity of landscapes will surprise you, and the trails are often loose and rocky.

From Grense Jakobselv in Norway to Cabo St Vincent in Portugal, this is the longest predominantly off-road bikepacking route in the world, put together by Andy Cox, aka Doubletrackfanatic.

Continental divide trail motorcycle gps tracks