Best Gravel Cycling Destinations
Find the top destinations for gravel riding, with trails through forests, mountains, and countryside.
Algarve
Portugal
Portugal's sun-drenched playground for cyclists. World-class winter riding, the Serra de Monchique, and the Volta ao Algarve's iconic roads.
Avenue of Volcanoes
Ecuador
Avenue of Volcanoes cycling: Cotopaxi at 4,500m, Chimborazo to 5,000m, Riobamba — hometown of Olympic champion Richard Carapaz — and the Ruta de las Cascadas above Baños.
Bieszczady Mountains
Poland
Bieszczady Mountains: wild eastern Carpathians with brown bears, European bison, and the quietest cycling roads in Poland — a 200km loop through remote mountain passes at the Polish-Ukrainian-Slovak border tri-point where English-language cyclists have simply never arrived.
Black Forest
Germany
Cycling in the Black Forest: Schauinsland's forested switchbacks above Freiburg, Feldberg's summit plateau, and Germany's most scenically rewarding road cycling region on the Rhine's eastern edge.
Boulder & Front Range
United States
Cycling in Boulder & the Front Range: altitude training at 5,300ft, pro team roads, and Rockies climbing that reshapes what hard means.
Boyacá & the Central Andes
Colombia
Boyacá: the heartland of Colombian cycling culture — Nairo Quintana's home roads, the Alto de Letras world record, colonial Villa de Leyva, and altiplano climbing to 3,700m.
Canterbury & Southern Alps
New Zealand
Canterbury cycling: Arthur's Pass Trans-Alpine crossing, Aoraki Mount Cook approaches, Banks Peninsula coastal roads, and the turquoise glacial lakes of the Mackenzie Country.
Cappadocia & Central Anatolia
Turkey
Cappadocia: volcanic tuff cone valleys, fairy chimney routes through Göreme and Uçhisar, and the Erciyes HC climb from Kayseri — 22km and 2,100m of gain to a summit above 3,000m with near-zero traffic before 08:00.
Coastal Descents & Pacific Approaches
Ecuador
Ecuador coastal cycling: the greatest altitude descent in South America from 4,000m Andes to sea level, Machalilla National Park coastal roads, and the Cajas plateau above Cuenca.
Costa Almeria
Spain
Europe's driest cycling paradise. Desert landscapes, winter sun, and the mighty Alto de Velefique — Almeria's answer to the cols of Mallorca.
Crete
Greece
Cycling in Crete: Mediterranean island cycling at its most dramatic — White Mountain passes, Minoan plateau roads, and warm winters on Europe's southernmost major island.
Cyprus
Cyprus
Year-round cycling in the sun. Troodos mountain climbs, quiet coastal roads, and warm winters that draw European cyclists to Cyprus.
Dalarna
Sweden
Dalarna: Lake Siljan meteorite crater, 882 cycling routes around Siljansleden, Nipfjället — Sweden's hardest climb at 14.4km and 513m — and Vasaloppet cultural heritage.
Devon & Dartmoor
United Kingdom
England's cycling heartland. Dartmoor's savage moorland climbs, empty lanes, and a coastline that rivals anything in Europe.
Dilijan & Northern Armenia
Armenia
Dilijan cycling: "Armenia's Switzerland" at 1,500m — forested mountain roads, Haghartsin Monastery, and the Pambak ridge climbs through Armenia's most beautifully wooded landscape.
Finnish Lakeland
Finland
Finnish Lakeland: 180,000 lakes, Koli National Park 347m summit with panoramic Pielinen views, Punkaharju glacial esker ridge, and the quietest touring roads in Scandinavia. Bases at Jyväskylä and Tampere.
Garden Route & Eastern Cape
South Africa
Garden Route: 300km of Indian Ocean coastal cycling from Mossel Bay to Storms River, Outeniqua Pass through indigenous forest, Knysna lagoon, and Tsitsikamma's cliff-edge national park roads.
Gelderland & Hoge Veluwe
Netherlands
Cycling in the Hoge Veluwe: the Netherlands' great forest national park — car-free roads through heathland, sand dunes, and ancient woodland with free white bikes at the gates.
Girona
Spain
Cycling in Girona: Europe's pro cycling capital. Medieval charm, world-class climbs, and the cafe culture that draws the WorldTour.
Helsinki & South Coast
Finland
Helsinki & South Coast: 1,200km of city cycling routes, EuroVelo 10 Baltic coast, Turku Archipelago Trail with ten free ferry crossings, and the Salpausselkä ridge — Finland's most accessible cycling zone.
Hokkaido
Japan
Hokkaido: Japan's cycling wilderness — rolling lavender farmland at Furano, volcanic mountain passes through Daisetsuzan, near-zero traffic roads, and the solitude of the northernmost point of Japan.
Isle of Wight
United Kingdom
Cycling Isle of Wight: a compact island of surprising climbs, military road coast, and the UK's most celebrated cycling festival.
Istria
Croatia
Cycling in Istria: Europe's fastest-growing cycling destination, hilltop medieval villages, truffle forests, and Adriatic coastline on roads that barely know rush hour.
Lapland & Northern Finland
Finland
Lapland & Northern Finland: midnight sun cycling above the Arctic Circle, Ylläs fell 718m, Pyhä 540m, Saariselkä plateau, and Oulanka National Park — the most remote and spectacular cycling zone in the Nordic region.
Limburg
Netherlands
Cycling in Limburg: the Netherlands' only hilly province, home of the Amstel Gold Race climbs — Cauberg, Keuteberg, and Vaalserberg — bordering Belgium and Germany.
Luxembourg Ardennes
Luxembourg
Cycling in the Luxembourg Ardennes: the country's hardest terrain — Mont St. Nicolas, Vianden castle climbs, deep river valleys, and 482 catalogued routes on empty roads.
Moab & Southern Utah
United States
Cycling in Moab & Southern Utah: red rock gravel, national park roads, and desert canyon climbing in the most photogenic landscape in North America.
Mullerthal & Little Switzerland
Luxembourg
Cycling in the Mullerthal: Luxembourg's Little Switzerland — 112 catalogued climbs through limestone gorges, ancient beech forests, and rock formations on perfectly surfaced roads.
Peak District
United Kingdom
Cycling the Peak District: Britain's most accessible riding. Dark Peak moorland epics and White Peak limestone dales, an hour from Manchester.
Portland & Hood River
United States
Cycling in Portland & Hood River: year-round riding culture, Columbia Gorge roads, and Mount Hood climbs within an hour of a great cycling city.
Queenstown & Central Otago
New Zealand
Queenstown cycling: Crown Range — NZ's highest sealed road — Coronet Peak, the Otago Central Rail Trail, and lake and mountain scenery that stops you mid-climb to stare.
Quito & Northern Highlands
Ecuador
Quito cycling: UNESCO World Heritage old town at 2,850m, Sunday Ciclopaseo, equator crossing, TelefériQo to 4,050m, and Papallacta Pass on the descent to the Amazon.
Sardinia
Italy
Cycling Sardinia: Giro d'Italia roads, Gennargentu mountain climbs, and 1,800km of sun-drenched coastline with almost no traffic.
Scotland
United Kingdom
Cycling in Scotland: wild Highland passes, the North Coast 500, and Bealach na Ba. Britain's most raw and remote riding.
SkĂĄne
Sweden
Skåne: Sweden's climbing heartland. Four ridge systems — Söderåsen, Hallandsåsen, Romeleåsen, Linderödsåsen — with 9%+ gradients and beech forest descents from Malmö.
South Coast & Highlands Access
Iceland
Iceland's South Coast: black sand beaches, Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls beside the Ring Road, Þórsmörk valley, Hekla volcano approaches, and the gateway to the Landmannalaugar Highland interior.
Southern Passes
Andorra
Southern Andorra: Coll de la Gallina — the hardest climb in Andorra at 8.7% average — plus Creu de Batlle and gravel into the Spanish Pyrenean frontier.
SoÄŤa Valley
Slovenia
Cycling in the Soča Valley: emerald river roads, the hairpins of Vršič, Predel Pass history, and some of the quietest serious climbing in Central Europe above Kobarid and Bovec.
Stellenbosch & Winelands
South Africa
Stellenbosch Winelands: Helshoogte Pass through Kanonkop and Delaire Graff vineyards, Du Toitskloof mountain barrier to 820m, Bainskloof Pass on a 200-year-old mountain road — passes earned between Chenin Blanc and Pinotage.
Sudetes & Karkonosze Mountains
Poland
Sudetes & Karkonosze: Sniezka at 1,603m on the Czech border, Szrenica ascents from Szklarska Poreba, EuroVelo 9 through the Giant Mountains, and Wroclaw's 500km+ urban cycling network as a base — southwestern Poland's cycling offer in full.
Svaneti & Western Georgia
Georgia
Svaneti cycling: medieval stone towers above 2,000m, glacier valleys that look Himalayan in scale, and the approach through the Enguri Gorge — Georgia's most remote and spectacular mountain cycling zone.
Tatras & Zakopane
Poland
Tatras & Zakopane: Poland's highest cycling, limestone peaks rising to 2,499m, the Morskie Oko car-free road, Tour de Pologne mountain finishes, and Podhale plateau approaches with Tatra panoramas — the defining mountain cycling area of Central Europe's most underrated destination.
Taupo & Volcanic Plateau
New Zealand
Taupo cycling: Lake Taupo circumnavigation, Tongariro volcanic backdrop, the Timber Trail through native forest — and the Taupo Cycle Challenge, New Zealand's biggest cycling event.
Tbilisi & Georgian Military Highway
Georgia
Georgian Military Highway cycling: 212km from Tbilisi to Stepantsminda crossing Jvari Pass at 2,379m — one of the world's great road cycling corridors, with Ananuri Fortress at the reservoir, Gudauri ski resort, and Gergeti Trinity Church above Kazbegi at road's end.
Transalpina & Parang Mountains
Romania
Transalpina (DN67C): Romania's highest road at 2,145m summit — longer and wilder than the Transfagarasan, with near-zero traffic, genuine Carpathian solitude, and an HC 39.5km approach from Novaci that accumulates 1,680m of gain through alpine meadow and limestone ridge.
Transylvania (Brasov & Sibiu Region)
Romania
Transylvania cycling: Brasov and Sibiu bases with direct access to the Bucegi Plateau HC climb (1,180m gain to 2,086m), Piatra Craiului limestone ridge approaches, Bran Castle road circuits, and the Prahova Valley corridor — medieval Saxon towns as rest stops between Carpathian mountain approaches.
Tucson & Sedona
United States
Cycling in Tucson & Sedona: desert climbing on Mount Lemmon, red rock gravel, and the most reliable winter training base in North America.
Tuscany
Italy
Cycling in Tuscany: strade bianche gravel, Chianti wine loops, and medieval hilltop towns. Where riding meets la dolce vita.
Vermont
United States
Cycling in Vermont: covered bridge lanes, Green Mountain gap climbs, and the finest autumn foliage roads in North America.
West Coast & Kattegattleden
Sweden
Kattegattleden: 390km Helsingborg to Gothenburg, European Cycle Route of the Year 2018. Bohuslän granite coast, Halland beaches, Kinnekulle limestone plateau above Lake Vänern.