Gravel Cycling
To highlight our gravel routes, we’ve partnered with our friends at Gravel Adventure Field Guide and the Colorado Tourism Office to create a guidebook highlighting 10 gravel cycling routes. Beyond a map, this guide offers a curated collection of GPS routes, local art, and short stories designed to immerse you in the history and rhythm of Logan County.
Explore three iconic Logan County gravel routes below and order your Logan County Gravel Adventure Field Guide today.
Under 25 miles: Overland Gravel
Elevation: +202 Ft & 293 Ft
Max Grade: 1.1% & 1.1%
eBike Friendly: Yes
RideWithGPS Short Route: ridewithgps.com/routes/53998590
RideWithGPS Long Route: ridewithgps.com/routes/53998659
From the Logan County Gravel Adventure Field Guide:
This gravel route travels near a road that follows the original wagon tracks of the Overland Trail. It starts and ends at the Overland Trail Museum, which means you can dive deeper into the history tied to this region. For perspective, it likely would have taken five to ten days to travel from Sterling to Denver in a covered wagon in 1858.
A segment of the route travels between the North and South Schneider ditches along the South Platte River. The Schneider Ditch Company is a mutual ditch company founded in 1945; it manages water delivery to 18 landowners/shareholders and is responsible for collecting assessments to maintain the ditch and deliver water. Since this route runs adjacent to the South Platte River, you will have the opportunity to see a variety of bird species.
Download the RideWithGPF long route to begin your own legacy.
25 to 50 miles: Beatnik Dirt
Elevation: +498 Ft & +1,142 Ft
Max Grade: 5.1% & 3.5%
eBike Friendly: Yes
RideWithGPS Short Route: ridewithgps.com/routes/53141681
RideWithGPS Long Route: ridewithgps.com/routes/51913520
From the Logan County Gravel Adventure Field Guide:
This gravel route pays homage to the 1957 Jack Kerouac novel, On the Road. Sterling was a setting during the third of four cross-country trips, in the spring of 1949, taken by the book’s narrator, Sal Paradise, and his friend Dean Moriarty in a 1947 Cadillac limousine. The book explores freedom, friendship, and the search for an authentic life, themes that resonate with the gravel-cycling community.
Pedaling through the gently rolling prairie grasslands out of town, you’ll eventually reach North Sterling Reservoir. Expect expansive views in every direction, including to the bluffs and canyons to the north as you ride above and past the reservoir’s coves and inlets. What at first may seem unremarkable quickly becomes awe-inspiring as you experience the sun on your face, the laughter of friends, and the free-range-travel vibe of this ride.
Download the RideWithGPS long route to begin exploring our free range travel vibes.
Under 75 to 100 miles: Chimney Canyon
Elevation: +1,597 Ft
Max Grade: 6%
eBike Friendly: Yes
RideWithGPS Route: ridewithgps.com/routes/53333452
From the Logan County Gravel Adventure Field Guide:
This route allows gravel enthusiasts to explore an unexpected side of the Colorado-Wyoming border. The approach toward Chimney Canyon covers gently rolling or broken grasslands terrain, and a unique example of the landscape that lies between “High Plains farmland” and pronounced plateau geology.
Chimney Canyons is part of a “paleovalley” called the Chalk Bluffs, a broad ancient valley filled with coarse to medium- grained sandstone sediments that is geologically distinct from deeply incised river canyons through crystalline rock. The bluffs yield interesting fossil finds of mammals and reptiles, dating back 33.9 to 33.3 million years.
The ride’s views also highlight the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center, a renewable-energy facility with an array of wind turbines that has the capacity to deliver 430.2 megawatts into the regional grid via a 100-mile-long transmission line to a substation in Brush, Colorado.
Download the RideWithGPF route to begin exploring Chimney Canyon.
The Logan County landscape requires a blend of self-sufficiency and respect for the rhythm of our working farm and ranch communities. Embrace the solitude of our remote horizons by arriving fully prepared with the necessary hydration, tools, and a “safety-first” mindset, ensuring you stay right and ride single file when passing local traffic.
Plan Your Gravel Cycling Adventure
Beyond the gravel, Logan County invites you to linger in the cultural heart of Colorado’s Eastern Plains, where an inviting array of boutique lodging and storied watering holes provide the perfect sanctuary.
Whether you’re immersing yourself in Sterling’s vibrant public art, diving into frontier history at the Overland Trail Museum, or recovering lakeside at North Sterling State Park, the region offers a curated weekend experience that extends far beyond the ride.
From the first pour at our local brewery to the last sunset on the plains, you’ll find a rhythmic blend of adventure and community that defines the pioneering spirit. Start planning your free range gravel travel weekend.
