Tell me more ×
Bicycles Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people who build and repair bicycles, people who train cycling, or commute on bicycles. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

What are good resources to use to find dirt roads, fire roads, gravel roads, or disused paved roads for planning a gravel grinder or ultracross style ride.

Any particular atlases, online mapping resources, government departments to check?

share|improve this question

3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Good quality road maps will differentiate between paved and unpaved roads. I really like my Gazetteer State Maps

share|improve this answer
Delorme used to make books of maps per state that usually distinguished unpaved roads. Don't know if they're still in business, though, after they had to go digital. – Daniel R Hicks Oct 12 '12 at 20:44
You are talking about the gazetteer maps which I linked to. They are still very much available. – Glenn Oct 12 '12 at 21:11
Awesome, I think I have one of those particular gazetteers for my state hanging around the house somewhere. I'll investigate that as a first option. – Benzo Oct 13 '12 at 5:58
up vote 0 down vote

Without knowing your location I can't give specifics. If you check for a local or regional mountain bike assoc. they should have some trail guides. In the northeast we have the new england mountain bike assoc. Most of these groups have websites with trail reviews. Not all of the trails are singletrack or downhill many are cartroads and firebreaks. Many trails are accessed via fireroads with descriptions and difficulty ratings. I use MTBR.com they have a state by state listings and reviews from users. Some will have maps or links to get them. Some have gps coordinates to locate key areas.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

I found this map of Pennsylvania with dirt roads overlaid a while back. Not aware of similar projects but I imagine/hope they are out there.

share|improve this answer
Years ago I had in mind creating a sort of wiki for bike maps -- vetted by local bikers. Never got very far with the idea, though. – Daniel R Hicks Oct 14 '12 at 12:14
Again, great tip. this should be very helpful since I am in Pennsylvania. – Benzo Oct 14 '12 at 15:39
Heh, that's lucky. Look out for gravel rail-trails you can use as the "backbone" for your ride too. There are a couple around me that make planning this type of ride much easier. – AlexCuse Oct 15 '12 at 12:35

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.