Northern Tier
- Epic Ride
A high-latitude classic hugging the Canadian border, crossing the Cascades, Rockies, Great Plains, and Great Lakes before finishing in coastal Maine.
- Distance
- 4,296 miles
- Surface
- 95% paved
- 2+ months
- Route Type
- Point to Point
Ride the Northern Tier
This route runs from Anacortes, Washington, to Bar Harbor, Maine. Time a westbound start for after SR 20 reopens through the North Cascades, and bring a passport for the optional detour into Canada.
What to Expect
This route delivers a genuine cross-section of the northern United States, with landforms, flora, and fauna changing continually along the way. Riders climb two mountain ranges early on, cross the wide-open Great Plains, follow the Mississippi and the Great Lakes, and finish through New England’s hardwood forests and rocky Maine coast. It’s a long, demanding ride, with big mountain passes at both ends, relentless prairie winds in between, and months of changing weather, but services are rarely far away, and the variety keeps every week feeling new.
Riders climb Rainy and Washington Passes in the North Cascades, descend into Washington’s orchard country, and take on the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, with an optional detour into Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park. Farther east come Montana’s big-sky Hi-Line, the North Dakota badlands, and the river towns of the Upper Mississippi. The final stretch follows the historic Erie Canalway Trail, climbs through the Adirondacks and New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and finishes on the Maine coast near Acadia National Park.
The route climbs several Cascade and Rocky Mountain passes early on, then flattens across the Great Plains and Upper Midwest, where wind is often the biggest challenge. It rolls through river valleys and farm country before climbing again through the Adirondacks and White Mountains, then finishing on the rocky Maine coast. The full route includes detailed riding conditions and field notes for every climb and descent.
Services are generally steady across this route’s many towns and cities, though North Dakota and eastern Montana see the longest gaps between towns. Bike shops are scarce across the northern plains, so carry spare tubes and basic tools. Cell coverage can drop out in the mountains and on the Hi-Line, so download your Ride with GPS route for offline use.
Most riders start in the west in late spring or early summer, after SR 20 through North Cascades National Park reopens, and aim to finish in Maine before fall weather sets in. Expect everything from mountain snow and coastal rain to prairie heat, thunderstorms, and strong winds over the course of a summer-long crossing. Both coasts can be wet, so pack rain gear regardless of season.
Route Sections
Anacortes, WA to Sandpoint, ID, 454.9 miles
From Anacortes, a hilly area with curvy roads and moderate residential traffic, the route crosses the Skagit River flats before a long, gradual climb to the Pacific crest of the Cascades over Rainy and Washington Passes. Descending brings drier country and the Okanogan Valley’s orchards, followed by several more passes through ponderosa pine forest before the terrain flattens along the Pend Oreille River into Sandpoint, Idaho.
Sandpoint, ID to Cut Bank, MT, 444.9 miles
This section crosses the Idaho Panhandle and into western Montana, climbing Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, with a detour option into Waterton Lakes National Park across the Canadian border, before finishing on the plains near Cut Bank.
Cut Bank, MT to Dickinson, ND, 567.3 miles
The route continues east across Montana’s Hi-Line region and into North Dakota’s badlands and prairie on the approach to Dickinson.
Dickinson, ND to Fargo, ND, 342.6 miles
This section crosses North Dakota’s farmland and prairie towns on a fairly direct line east toward Fargo.
Fargo, ND to Walker, MN, 174.8 miles
The route enters Minnesota and begins transitioning from farmland into the state’s lake country on the way to Walker.
Walker, MN to Stillwater, MN, 256.0 miles
This section continues through Minnesota’s lake country, with glimmering lakes and forest, on the approach to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area near Stillwater.
Stillwater, MN to Muscatine, IA, 372.7 miles
The route follows the Mississippi River corridor south through Wisconsin and Iowa river towns toward Muscatine.
Muscatine, IA to Monroeville, IN, 405.7 miles
This section crosses Illinois and Indiana, with riders able to connect to the North Lakes route at Monroeville.
Monroeville, IN to Orchard Park, NY, 411.3 miles
The route continues through Ohio and Pennsylvania into western New York, finishing near Buffalo in Orchard Park.
Orchard Park, NY to Ticonderoga, NY, 426.5 miles
This section follows the historic Erie Canalway Trail east before climbing into the Adirondack Mountains toward Ticonderoga.
Ticonderoga, NY to Bar Harbor, ME, 439.6 miles
The route crosses into Vermont farmland, tackles New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and finishes along the Maine coast into Bar Harbor, near Acadia National Park.
Northern Tier Photos
Plan Your Ride
A summer-long crossing with mountain passes at both ends, this route calls for planning around seasonal highway closures and packing for every kind of weather.
Trip Planning & Logistics
Seattle’s major airport is the closest to the Anacortes start, and Bangor International Airport and seasonal service to the Bar Harbor area handle the finish. Anacortes is also the jumping-off point for the San Juan Islands, a popular side trip. Either direction works, though most riders travel west to east, and a typical supported group tour takes about 90 days. The route connects with the North Lakes, Great Rivers South, Lake Erie Connector, and Atlantic Coast routes for riders who want to customize their trip. This route is available in paper and digital formats through Adventure Cycling’s shop and includes routing, detailed service information, riding conditions, and field notes for trip planning.
A standard touring bike suits this mostly paved route well, with low climbing gears for the mountain passes at both ends. Pack rain gear, warm layers for mountain mornings, and sun protection for long, exposed days on the plains.
Camping and lodging are available at regular intervals along most of the route, with the Great Plains stretch requiring more advance planning given the longer distances between towns. Many small towns on the plains allow cyclists to camp in city parks, and Glacier National Park sets aside hiker/biker sites at some campgrounds. Reservations help during peak summer season near national parks and popular New England destinations. Some campgrounds charge solo cyclists the same as a full tent or RV site, though hiker/biker rates are sometimes available, and Warmshowers hosts are plentiful in the larger towns.
Services are steady across most of the route, though North Dakota and eastern Montana see the longest gaps between towns, so carry extra food and water through those stretches. Along the way, look for Washington apples, Minnesota lake-country cafes, and lobster at the finish in Maine. Check your digital route in Ride with GPS for service phone numbers, and call ahead for anything outside peak season.
Going-to-the-Sun Road has bicycle restrictions on certain stretches during midday hours in summer, so check current rules before riding it. Carry bear spray and store food properly through the North Cascades and the Northern Rockies, where grizzly and black bears live. On the plains, watch for fast-building thunderstorms with little shelter nearby, and expect heavy truck traffic in some areas. Share the road with horse-drawn buggies in Amish country, and check for ticks after riding or camping in the Midwest and Northeast.
Always check the Adventure Cycling Map Updates and Corrections for safety updates.
Routes change. Bridges wash out, businesses close, and construction pops up overnight. We strive to keep routes updated as those things happen. When we learn about a change, we reroute around sections that have become dangerous or are temporarily closed for road work, bridge outages, or construction, and we update service information as businesses open, close, or move. Digital routes are updated as soon as we’ve reviewed a reported issue.
You’re often the first to spot these changes out on the road. Help us keep this route accurate for the next rider by reporting anything you notice with our Route Feedback Form.
This Route Is Part of Something Bigger
It’s one piece of the Adventure Cycling Route Network, began in 1976 and built on a simple mission: to empower people to travel by bike. Our team maps and maintains it; our members and donors make it possible.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It’s our flagship, staff-built route network. The one that started it all 50 years ago with the TransAmerica Trail, the route that launched bicycle touring and bikepacking in America. Every route in it is designed and researched by our own team of cyclists and cartographers: months of research and on-the-ground testing go into each one, so what you get is more than a line on a map. Each Adventure Cycling route has detailed logistics, terrain and elevation info, points of interest, camping and lodging, safety alerts, and history, all in one place. It’s the most in-depth of our three networks, available as digital routes and most as paper maps too. It’s the route network we update most regularly as conditions change.
They’re related, but not the same thing. The Adventure Cycling Route Network is made up of routes we’ve researched, ridden, and mapped ourselves, chosen specifically for a great touring or bikepacking experience. The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) is a state-by-state national system that we serve as technical experts for, made official through each state’s department of transportation. The two overlap in a lot of places, but an ACRN route carries our own on-the-ground vetting; a USBRS route carries official state recognition.
It depends! If you want a route we’ve personally scouted end to end, with services, camping, and terrain notes built in, start with the Route Network. The ACA Route Network has routes of many different lengths and can be a much easier starting place for someone new to bicycle travel. If you’re an experienced cyclist piecing together an officially designated corridor, or riding somewhere the two systems converge, the interactive USBRS map is a good resource to use.
The Adventure Cycling Route Network is a premium network because of everything that goes into it. Unlike the U.S. Bicycle Route System (built by state DOTs) or Short Routes (submittedby cyclists in their own communities), every Adventure Cycling route is researched, ridden, and vetted end-to-end by our own team. Unlike other routes, Adventure Cycling routes come with extensive information on riding conditions, terrain notes, camping and lodging info, logistics, safety alerts, and points of interest. We also keep it current as roads and services change. The price supports that ongoing research and maintenance work, done by a nonprofit whose whole mission is making sure the route in your hands is one you can trust.
Turn-by-turn directions with a bike icon aren’t the same as a route built for specifically touring or bikepacking. Every mile in the Adventure Cycling Route Network has been researched and ridden by our staff and researchers, chosen to avoid dangerous traffic, and mapped with what a touring cyclist actually needs — food, water, camping, hotels, bike shops — spaced out along the way. The Adventure Cycling Route Network was built for cyclists by cyclists, is regularly updated, and comes with the resources and information needed to plan your ride.
No. The network includes routes for a wide range of experience and difficulty levels, from a first multi-day trip to a cross-country expedition. What every route has in common is that it was chosen with a touring cyclist’s needs in mind, whatever kind of trip you’re planning.
Not at all. Alongside iconic long-distance routes like the TransAmerica Trail, the network includes shorter regional routes, so it works for a weeklong vacation or a two-month journey.
For many years, we focused on paved routes, but today the network includes plenty of unpaved gravel riding for bikepacking. In fact, Adventure Cycling mapped the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in 1998, arguably the most impactful bikepacking route in the world. The Adventure Cycling Route Network also includes the Golden Gravel Trail, Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route, Arkansas High Country Route, and more. Some routes are a 50/50 mix of pavement and gravel. Some routes follow paved and unpaved bike paths and rail trails. The Adventure Cycling Route Network has terrain for every cyclist.
We revisit our printed maps every three to five years, and push corrections to our digital route data as we learn about changes on the ground. If you have an Adventure Cycling Route in Ride with GPS that we’ve updated, you’ll get a notification when you open the route to update to the newest version of the route. Updating will ensure you have the latest data, information, and points of interest vital to being on route. For cyclists who have Adventure Cycling paper maps, we keep a list of route- and section-specific updates current on our Map Updates and Corrections page.
Change comes from two directions: our own staff research and reports from the cyclists actually out there riding them. If a bridge washes out, a shoulder disappears, a campground closes for repairs, or a town loses its only grocery store, that’s the kind of thing that triggers an update. You can help us keep our routes accurate; fill out our Route Feedback Form.
Most of our Adventure Cycling Routes come as waterproof print maps and digital Ride with GPS navigational data. Our print maps are the #1 longstanding popular resource for traveling cyclists. They are waterproof, highly detailed and always work. For long trips, many cyclists use a combination of print maps and digital routes.
If you’re already comfortable and familiar with a GPS navigational aid such as Ride with GPS or a Garmin, our digital data packages are an excellent choice. We do not recommend GPX data for beginners since there are a few extra steps to installing and troubleshooting.
Once you purchase a digital route, you’ll get an email with a link to unlock it in the free Ride with GPS app — no separate subscription required for basic navigation. From there you get turn-by-turn voice directions, curated points of interest like campgrounds and bike shops, and field notes on the history, geography, and climate along your route, all available 100% offline. If you’drather use a dedicated GPS device, you can export the route as a GPX file to load onto a Garmin, Wahoo, or similar device.
To export GPX files of your Adventure Cycling digital route, use your laptop or desktop to open the email you received after purchasing your digital route. Click on the link that allows you to access your Digital Route. Finally, click on EXPORT ALL at the bottom of the screen. This is the only way to export files that include the route line, points of interest, and services. Files will be exported as one ZIP file.
Adventure Cycling uses abbreviations across its paper and digital routes to indicate particular services, land or road types, route names, direction of travel, and route type. Please see our key to abbreviations.
If you have questions on how to purchase a digital route or about the route content, please contact Adventure Cycling: cartography@adventurecycling.org or 406-721-1776.
If you have questions on how to use your Digital Route in Ride with GPS, please check the Ride with GPS support page or email them at info@ridewithgps.com.
If you’re new to Ride with GPS, please check out the following resources:
Our print map panels aren’t always oriented northwards for space and layout reasons. Refer to the north arrows to help orient yourself if you’re not sure.
No. The Routes and Mapping Department does not do custom routes for individuals. Check out the routes we’ve already mapped, and use the interactive map to piece our route networks together, forming a route that gets you from a point A to point B of your choice.
It started with a single route. In 1976, we mapped the TransAmerica Trail, and more than 4,000 cyclists crossed the country together for Bikecentennial — the nation’s bicentennial cycling celebration our founders organized. That one route became the seed of a network we’ve spent the decades since expanding. Today it’s more than 58,000 miles of mapped routes across the U.S. and Canada, from classic epics like the TransAmerica Trail, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and Pacific Coast, to shorter regional routes.