GPS tracks and maps

Most of these rides are in California or Nevada, and all require a plated bike. The author has personally done all these rides either on a Suzuki DRZ400S dual sport, Husqvarna FE450 enduro, Husqvarna 701 enduro, or a BMW F800 GS adventure bike. The Suzuki and Husqvarna tires tend to be around 30/70 (road/dirt), while the BMW tires are about 50/50. All the tracks were captured during the rides with an Garmin Oregon 600, Zumo 395, or Montana 650T GPS. In some cases a complete track may not have been captured due to equipment malfunction or battery issues. Tracks may also reflect some mistakes (e.g. taking the wrong turn).  Such errors have been edited out where found, but some may still exist.

Current number of rides listed: 51

Difficulty rating
1 - Paved, with possibility of some chip-and-seal or light gravel. Any bike should do.
2 - Moderate amount of dirt (fire roads), may have a few ruts and/or minor water crossings.  Good for bigger adventure bikes with trail tires.
3 - More dirt w potential rock, sand, mud, or water crossings.  Dual sport preferred, but adv bike doable with 50/50 tires and reasonable skill.
4 - Lots of dirt with more technical challenges such as deep sand, steep climbs, rockier, mud, deeper water crossings. DS highly recommended.
5 - Very technical. Expect to crash and get your ass kicked. Rider should have advanced skills and capable dual sport or dirt bike.

Route Description	Map	GPX file	Notes	Difficulty
Alaska, Canada, including the Dempster to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Sea		See the GPS track list (by each day) in the summary of the Alaska-Canada blog description here	9000 miles roundtrip over 29 days, from Sacramento CA to Tuktoyaktuk, then into popular ride locations in Alaska, and then back. See the blog on the Alask-Canada adventure ride for details	2 ~ 3
Baja 2017: border at Tecate to Cabo San Lucas and back by adventure bike		See the GPS track list (by each day) in the summary of the Baja ride description here	2000 miles roundtrip over 9 days, following more of the Pacific down, and the Sea of Cortez back up. See the blog on the Baja exploration for details	2 ~ 3.5
Baja 2023: border at Tecate to Loreto by dual sport		Baja2023_day1_Tecate_to_Mikes.gpx Baja2023_day2_Mikes_to_GonzogaBay.gpx Baja2023_day3_GonzogaBay_to_GuerreroNegro.gpx Baja2023_day4_GuerreroNegro_to_SanIgnacio.gpx Baja2023_day5_SanIgnacio_to_SanJuanico.gpx Baja2023_day6_SanJuanico_to_Loreto.gpx	800 miles over 6 days. See the video here.	2 ~ 4
Carrizo Plain loop		Carrizo Plain dual sport loop.gpx	Mostly dirt, most well graded, but some more technical climbs on the east side into the Tembler Mtns. Best done in the early spring when wildflowers are out.	3
Continental Divide Route from Mexico to Canada, traversing the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.		See the GPS track list (by each day) in the summary of the CDR ride description here	3000 miles following the spine of the Continental Divide from Mexico to Canada, about 80-90% off road. See the blog on the Great Continental Divide ride for details	2 ~ 3.5
Coyote Flat out of Bishop		CYFL - Coyote Flat out of Bishop dual sport route.gpx	Long stretches of deep sand on flat, and relatively steep initial switchback climb with deep ruts. See day 5 of the Eastern Sierra ride blog for details.	4
Cache Creek, Bear Valley, Indian Valley, Upper Clear Lake, and Lake Pillsbury		Cache Creek Casino, Bear Valley, Indian Valley, Upper Lake, Lake Pillbury loop.gpx	Few minor rutted sections near approach to Indian Valley. General store at Lake Pillsbury makes a good turn-around point.	2
California BDR (partial & modified) from Beatty to Yuma in 4 days		CABDR_mod track day1.gpx, CABDR_mod track day 2.gpx, CABDR_mod track day 3.gpx, CABDR_mod track day 4.1.gpx	Epic adapted version of the California BDR from north to south starting in Beatty and ending in Yuma. Some tougher sections not found on the normal BDR not recommended for bigger adventure bikes. See the video here.	3.5
Colorado BDR from Cortez to Meeker in 5 days		COBDR_day1 - Cortez to Ouray.gpx COBDR_day2 - Ouray to Buena Vista.gpx COBDR_day3 - Buena Vista to Eagle.gpx COBDR_day4 - Eagle to Steamboat Springs.gpx COBDR_day5 - Steamboat Springs to Meeker.gpx	One of the most scenic BDRs of the west.  Doable on a big bike for more experienced riders, but more fun on a dual sport.  Some of the rocky passes and mud when it is raining can create some challenges. Video here.	3.5
Death Valley: Eureka Dunes, Steel Pass, Saline Valley hot springs loop		Eureka Dunes - Steel Pass - Saline Valley hot springs loop.gpx	Excellent dual sport ride. Mix of some sand, rocky ledges, loose rock in washes, fast dirt roads. Great stop to soak at the hot springs.	3.5
Death Valley: Panamint Springs to Darwin and back via 4wd backroad		Panamint Springs to Darwin 2018.gpx	Good diversity of terrain from some rocky slopes, sand, and washes. Interesting remote town to explore.	3
Death Valley: Panamint Springs to Saline Hot Springs via Hunter Pass, Racetrack, and Lippencott Pass		Panamint Springs - Hunter Pass - Racetrack - Lippencott - Saline Valley Hot spring loop.gpx	Most technical section on Lippencott Pass.  Epic washboard on the Racetrack road is the ultimate torture test. See day 2 of the DV Panamint Springs ride blog for details.	3.5
Death Valley: Panamint Springs to via Goler Canyon to Barker Ranch, then over Mengel Pass down to Bad Water via Westside road to Furnace Creek, then rtn via pavement		PanamintSprgs-BarkerRanch-Westside-FurnaceCreek loop.gpx	Technical sections on Mengel Pass, plus many sections of loose sand.  More of a '3' up to Barker Ranch (Charles Manson's last holdout). See the day 1 of the DV Panamint Springs ride blog for details.	3.5
Death Valley: Ridgecrest to Pahrump via Trona Pinnacles, Goler Canyon, Ibex Dunes, playa		DV 2024-01 - Ridgecrest to Pahrump.gpx	Epic: Mix of very rocky terrain, some steep sections, ruts, sand, washes, fast dirt. See the video here	3.5
Death Valley: Pahrump to Beatty via Shoshone, Deadman pass, Amargosa, backway into Beatty		DV 2021-02 - Pahrump to Beatty.gpx	Mix of very rocky terrain, some steep sections, ruts, sand, washes, fast dirt (harder single track option is skipped).	3.5
Death Valley: Pahrump to Beatty via single track, Deadman pass, Amargosa, Beatty		DV Pahrump to Beatty w singletrack.gpx	Mix of even more rocky terrain, some steep sections, ruts, sand, washes, fast dirt with harder single track option	4
Death Valley: Beatty to Ridgecrest via Titus Canyon, Wildrose, Auggeberry Point, Ballarat, Trona		DV 2021-02 - Beatty to Ridgecrest via Titus.gpx	Mix of rocky terrain, sandy washes, fast dirt. See the video here	3
Donner Pass train tunnels		Donner Summit train tunnel dual sport track.gpx	Loose sections on approach to train tunnel road, otherwise it is a '2'. See the blog for details. Note: Heard this route may no longer be legal for motorcycles?	3
Downieville to Quincy via Poker Flat and LaPorte		Downieville to Quincy via LaPorte dual sport route.gpx	Dirt from Downieville to LaPorte, then paved to Quincy. Very hard climb out of Canyon Creek ravine from Poker Flat makes it a 5 (better have other riders to help), otherwise the dirt is mostly a 3. Water crossing can be deep.	4.5
Ebbetts Pass to Bear Trap Wilderness		Ebetts Pass - Bear Trap ride.gpx	Mix of pavement on Highway 4 and more technical dirt in the Bear Trap wilderness. Later contains lots of rocky, loose and steep climbs.	2/4
Folsom - Amador county foothills ride		Folsom-Amador_foothills_ADV_ride.gpx	Good mix of dirt, scenery, and twisty backroads. Some seasonal water crossings on dirt between Scott and Latrobe.  Slightly harder rutted canyon section past Somerset	2-3
Folsom to Fiddletown, Ione, Sutter Creek, Michigan Bar loop		Folsom ElDorado Somerset Fiddletown SutterCrk Ione MichiganBar.gpx	Nice scenic foothill ride out of Folsom. Trickest section are some seasonal water crossings on dirt between Scott Road and Latrobe and Michigan Bar, plus some mud east of Michigan Bar. Otherwise mostly paved w minor water crossings.	2
Folsom to Mokelumne Hill to Murphys loop via backroads		Folsom Ione PardeeLake MokelumneHill SheepRanch Murphys loop.gpx	Mostly paved except for dirt from Sheep Ranch to Murphys.  Can have some mud or sand depending on season.	2
Folsom, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras loop with more dirt		ElDorado_Amador_Calaveras_loop_ride 2022-03.gpx	More dirt intensive version of the previous ride also covering Sheep Ranch and Summit Level roads.	3
Foresthill - Colfax - Iowa Hill - Sugar Pine loop		Foresthill - Iowa Hill dual sport loop.gpx	Dirt on Yankee Jim from ForestHill to Colfax, and from Sugar Pine back to Foresthill Road. Can have some rocks in places, but otherwise fairly smooth. Nice twisty climb up Iowa Hill from the north fork. See the blog for details.	2
Foresthill - Mosquito Ridge road - Robinson Flat - Soda Springs - Nevada City loop		Foresthill MosquitoRidge RobinsonFlat SodaSprings loop.gpx	Foresthill down Mosquito Ridge (twisty asphalt), Robinson Flat and Soda Springs via dirt/rocky trail (few steep sections & water crossings), then back to Nevada City on highway 40 and 20. Good adventure bike challenge.	3
Gardnerville - Diamond Valley - Indian Creek - Monitor Pass backroads		Gardnerville - Diamond Valley - Indian Creek - Monitor Pass backroads dual sport.gpx	Most challenging dirt and large loose rock on Monitor Pass backroad turn up due to previous forest fire, otherwise this is a '2'.	3
Georgetown - French Meadows - Foresthill backroad		Georgetown - French Meadows - Foresthill loop.gpx	Mostly paved, with a few rough sections between Wentworth Springs and French Meadows	1.5
Hope Valley - Red Lake to Blue Lakes over Red Pass, and then back as a loop		Hope Valley - Red Pass - Blue Lakes loop.gpx	Rocky sections over Red Pass and descent into the Blue Lakes basin.	3.5
Lockhart Basin from Moab, Utah to the Needles Outpost in the Canyonlands		Lockhart Basin north to south.gpx	Epic scenery, with countless steep and rocky sections, with some sand. Rated for experts riders only. Alternate leg of the Utah BDR. Agile dual sports only. Should only be taken with other riders to help get the bikes thru. Video here.	4.5
Mono Craters backroads via Taylor Canyon		Mono Craters loop.gpx	Sections of very loose volcanic ash, akin to coarse sand. Some fun sections with sweeping turns on big berms of loose ash.  Best done on a dual sport.	3.5
Morrison Divide trail off the Colorado BDR		CO_Morrison_Divide_trail.gpx	A more difficult 13 mile tributary loop off the Colorado BDR.  More suitable for a dual sport due to the more single track nature, steepness, and mud on this trail. See the video here.	4
Nevada City to Downieville via Malakoff Diggins, Alleghany, and Galloway street		Yuba River Nevada City to Downieville.gpx	Lots of dirt with a few rougher sections. Steep descent on looser dirt to Downieville on Galloway street.	3.5
Nevada City - Downieville - Jackson Meadows - Washington Loop		YBGC - Yuba River gold country loop from Nevada City to Downieville and back.gpx	Long ride: Lots of technical sections with babyhead sized boulder fields between Jackson Meadows and Washington. See the Nevada City - Downieville ride blog for details.	4
Nevada City to Downieville via Mountain House and Goodyear Bar, then up to the Saddleback mtn fire lookout, return on highway via 49		NevadaCity Downieville Saddleback loop.gpx	Mountain House+Goodyear Bar route from Nevada City to Downieville, but Tyler Foote Crossing can be rocky and rutted near Yuba middle fork.	3.5
Nevada City, Alleghany, Downieville, Sierra Buttes, Bassetts loop via Galloway steet out and Mountain House and Goodyear Bar on the return		NevadaCity-Alleganey-Downieville-SierraButtes-Bassetts-loop2.gpx	More technical version of the previous descending very steep Galloway street into Downieville and looping out to the epic rocky Sierra Buttes lookout climb, then return via Mountain House.	4
North Coast 1: Leggett to Sinkyone, Shelter Cove, Kings Range, back down PCH to Salt Point		North Coast - Leggett to Sinkyone, Shelter Cove, along the PCH to Salt Point.gpx	Mix of pavement and well graded dirt. Most rutted sections along Usal Road and Kings Peak Road.  Better suited for a bigger adventure bike than North Coast 2.	2.5
North Coast 2: Fort Bragg to Sinkyone (Lost Coast), Shelter Cover, and Garberville.  Loop ride via PCH, Usal Road, Kings Peak Road, Wilder Canyon, and back via Highway 101/1		Fort Bragg, Usal Road, Needles, Shelter Cove, Kings Peak, Garberville, and back.gpx	Epic ride with incomparable scenery.  Usal Road and Saddle Mountain (steep loose rock) via Kings Peak are the most challenging.  Usal could be a nightmare if wet and muddy. Best on a dual sport.	3.5
Placerville via Mosquito Rd to the old Bret Harte hotel site, then to Georgetown via Rock Creek Rd		Placerville-MosquitoRd-Georgetown-Coloma-Folsom.gpx	Good terrain of dirt bracketed by twisty asphalt on either end. Mosquito Rd and path to Bret Harte tends to be muddy when wet. See the video here.	3
Placerville at Mosquito Rd to Georgetown, then Coloma, and ending in Folsom via back road dirt and twisty asphalt.		Placerville-MosquitoRd-Georgetown-Coloma-Folsom.gpx	Good backroad dirt and asphalt twisties route. Condition tends to be good.	2
Sheet Iron route: Stonyford to Fort Bragg via Sherwood Road.		Stonyford to Fort Bragg SheetIron.gpx	Great dual sport ride. Mix of conditions: Rocky and rutted with some steeper hills. Sherwood road is awesome, but prone to mud when wet. Video here.	3.5
Sheet Iron return route (modified): Fort Bragg to Letts Lake at Stonyford via Clear Lake		Fort Bragg to Letts Lake via Clear Lake SheetIron return.gpx	Mix of trail conditions, but not as technical at Sheet Iron day 1 route. Thus a bit more big bike friendly. One moderate water crossing from Bartlett Springs toward Stonyford.	3
Sweetwater Mountains: Desert Creek to Lobdell Lake		Sweetwaters Desert Creek camp to Lobdell Lake and back.gpx	Rocky and rutted sections on some steep climbs plus some mud. Best done on a dual sport. See the Sweetwater mtns ride blog for details.	3.5
Sweetwater Mountains: Desert Creek single track		Sweetwaters_Desert_Creek_enduro_track.gpx	Very rugged single track with many creek crossings, sandy washes, rocky climbs, and steep descents. Best done on an enduro style bike. See the video here.	4.5
Sweetwater Mountains: Mt. Patterson - Desert Creek - Walker loop		Mt Patterson loop from Walker 2024.gpx	Rugged double track with many rutted, rocky, and steep sections, reaching an altitude >11,650'. Best done on a dual sport. See the video here.	4
Tahoe Rim Trail east side		Tahoe rim trail east dual sport.gpx	Lots of short technical sections, including steeper climbs, babyhead rocks and sand.	4
Truckee to Martis Peak and down to Kings Beach		Truckee to Tahoe via Martis Creek and peak dual sport.gpx	Mix of paved and dirt roads in reasonable condition	3
Truckee loop out to Stampede Reservoir, Verdi, and Babbits Peak		Truckee Stampede Verdi BabbitsPeak loop.gpx	Big variety of conditions with steep climbs, rutted sections, loose dirt	3.5
Volcanic Tablelands out of Bishop		Volcanic tablelands dual sport track.gpx Volcanic tablelands adv bike track (easier).gpx	Relatively maintained dirt roads, composted mostly packed volcanic ash. See day 4 of the Eastern Sierras ride blog for details.	2/3
White Rim Trail of Canyonlands National Park, Utah		White_Rim_trail loop_Potash_road_Moab.gpx	One of the most scenic dual sport rides of the American Southwest. Wide mix of terrain including rocky slopes, sand, and mud when wet. Best done on a dual sport or adventure bike with skills. Permit required. Video here.	3.5
Yerington - Bodie		Minden to Yerington 2024.gpx Yerington to Bodie 2024.gpx	Lots of rocky and sandy sections in remote locations that will challenge your desert riding skills.	3.5