cycling
04. August, 01:14 Uhr
**Why?**
It is a goal for some to reach the highest elevation point in each US state, which is a form of "peak bagging". There is a cool subreddit about it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Highpointers/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Highpointers/)
The most common methods to complete highpoint are hiking, driving, and mountaineering. I wanted to add biking in the mix as many of them are accessible to cyclists.
**Defining a “bikeable highpoint”**
I’ve defined it as a highpoint that is both accessible and permitted to be summited by cyclists. I’ve included highpoints that still require a little bit of walking/hike-a-bike (less than a mile out-and-back), but where the majority of the ascent is by bicycle. I’ve included some road, gravel/dirt, MTB, and bikepacking options. If you spot an error or have suggestions I’d love for you to tell me! I’ve also included an honorable mentions section for states where the highpoint cannot be summited by bicycle.
**Mauna Kea, HI**
Considered to be one of the hardest climbs you can do by bicycle. A gravel bike is probably the best way to get up, although people do summit with road bikes. There is the standard route: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/1.Mauna-Kea
And there is the “Impossible Route” which only a handful of people have completed: http://www.theimpossibleroute.com/Impossible\_Route\_Mauna\_Kea
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/5456.Impossible-Route:-Mauna-Kea
**Mt. Washington, NH**
There are only two times you can cycle to the top of Mt. Washington: for the auto road bike race (https://www.mwarbh.org/) and for the “early bird” test period for which you need to be registered for the race. I will be doing the race this August 😊 This is also considered to be one of the hardest rides in the US. A road bike with some easy gearing is a good way to tackle this beast in the east.
**Mt. Elbert, CO**
Mt. Elbert is accessible to cyclists and would require a MTB to get up and down the mountain.
https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7042199/south-mount-elbert-trail-1481
https://www.trailforks.com/route/mt-elbert-shuttle/?activitytype=1&z=12.1&lat=39.13078&lon=-106.44312
Also be sure to check out Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans while in the area. A road bike is best suited for these strenuous climbs.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/50.Mt-Evans
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/11.Pikes-Peak
**Clingman’s Dome, TN**
Another tough climb best suited for a road bike: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/206.Clingmans-Dome-Cycling-Climb
**Mt. Mitchell, NC**
Another strenuous climb best suited for a road bike: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/621.Mt.%2520Mitchell
**Brasstown Bald, GA**
Despite the limited elevation gain and short ascent, it is supposed to be a challenging climb with steep gradients (avg. >10%). Best suited for a road bike.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/600.Brasstown%2520Bald
**Sassafras Mountain, SC**
Another short, but steep southern climb best suited for a road bike:
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/614.Sassafras%2520Mt.
**Point Reno, Washington D.C**
Want to ride with others, do a bunch of climbing, and visit D.C.’s highpoint? Well, there is a group for that! https://www.facebook.com/groups/hillsofdc/
The route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40975745
Can also bikepack along the C&O towpath starting in Cumberland Maryland and ending in D.C. only a short ride away from Point Reno: https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/co-canal-towpath/
**Britton Hill, FL**
Plenty of nice road biking to be had in this part of FL that passes by farmland. While visiting FL also hit up Sugarloaf Mt. which is the most prominent hill in FL and this hill is actually a legitimate hill with a 7% avg grade. Yes there is a legitimate hill in FL!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vDHIM-M0fc
[https://pjammcycling.com/climb/4115.Sugarloaf-Florida](https://pjammcycling.com/climb/4115.Sugarloaf-Florida)
**Mt. Greylock, MA**
There are two ways up this climb by bicycle: a more challenging route from the north and an easier route from the south. While in the area, also check out the Ashuwillticook rail trail which is by the mountain. Best suited for a road bike.
More difficult route: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/725.Mt.%2520Greylock
Easier route: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2072.Mt.-Greylock-South
**Mt. Davis, PA**
This climb is best suited for a road bike: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2207.Mount-Davis
There is also a gravel race that passes by Mt. Davis: https://www.mtdavisgravelgrinder.com/
There is the option to do a 150 mi bikepack or daylong sufferfest along the Great Allegheny passage starting in Pittsburg and make Mt. Davis a side stop!
https://gaptrail.org/
**High Point, NJ**
This route would probably be best suited for a road bike: https://pjammcycling.com/climb/757.Rte%252023-High%2520Point
For something spicier there is also this route with some mixed surfaces, steep ascents, and a side stop on Sunrise Mt: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42321664
**Spruce Knob, WV**
This climb unfortunately starts off quite steep with little lead-in. Best suited for a road bike.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/731.Spruce%2520Knob%2520
**Jerimoth Hill, RI**
There are plenty of hilly dirt/gravel roads in and nearby Foster RI, the town Jerimoth Hill resides in. So good opportunities to do a gravel/dirt ride on a gravel bike. I couldn’t find any information explicitly banning the use of bikes on the path to Jerimoth hill, and I didn’t see any signage when I visited. I may be wrong on this. If cyclists are allowed on the path then a gravel bike would do fine. If not, walk the bike to the highpoint as it is less than a mile out and back. I’ve included a route that also hits up the Tri-point of CT, RI, and MA:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42346596
**Ebright Azimuth, DE**
This highpoint can be reached by bicycle, but I have qualms about recommending biking in the area. While the neighborhoods directly around the Azimuth look safe, all the roads outside did not appear bike friendly. I looked at traffic maps and google street views of the Wilmington area. Many of the roads have a high speed limit, are narrow with little shoulder, and have tons of traffic.
**Cheaha Mountain, AL**
There are two ways of summiting this mountain by bicycle: an approach from the east and a western approach. Both routes would be best suited for a road bike.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/584.Mt.%2520Cheaha%2520West
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/583.Mt.%2520Cheaha%2520East
**Woodall Mountain, MS**
This highpoint can be reached by bike. It is my understanding that the road leading to the highpoint is dirt. So a gravel bike may be best for this summit. Although there looked to be a lot of nice road riding in the area, so a \~1 mile ascent on a dirt road with a road bike is feasible.
**Black Mountain, KY**
From the route below, continue onto Black Mountain Ridge Road to reach the highpoint.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/767.Black-Mountain
**Mt. Sunflower, KS**
This high point is accessible by bike. A gravel bike or cyclocross bike would be best suited for the dirt and chunky gravel roads surrounding and leading to the Kansas state highpoint.
**Magazine Mountain, AR**
There is one section of hike-a-bike to get to the highpoint from the road, but it is less than a mile out-and-back so I am counting this. There are multiple ways to get to this highpoint including an MTB route! There are two road bike routes, one easier than the other:
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/5169.Magazine-Mountain-South
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/5170.Magazine-Mountain-North
I also found this nifty road-bike route:
https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/36628486
There are a series of MTB routes north of the highpoint. One would have to take a small section of road to reach the short hike-a-bike section to reach the highpoint.
https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/mount-magazine-state-park/things-to-do/mountain-biking
**Black Mesa, OK**
I watched YouTube videos of people on the trail and it could likely be done on a hardtail MTB or full suspension MTB. Also be sure to check out Oklahoma’s self-proclaimed “World’s Highest Hill” aka Cavanal Hill LOOOOLLLL!
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/5186.Cavanal-Hill
https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.1157
**Campbell Hill, OH**
This highpoint is accessible to cyclists and is best suited for road bikes. From the Google maps street view the surroundings do not look interesting and the roads in the vicinity have a small shoulder, so I cannot recommend this with as much enthusiasm as the others on this list.
**Panorama Point, NE**
The roads surrounding the area and leading to the highpoint are gravel/dirt of the chunky variety. A gravel bike, cyclocross bike, or hardtail MTB would be best suited for reaching Panorama point. While there be sure to check out the NE-CO-WY tri-point!
**Timm’s Hill, WI**
This highpoint is accessible by road bike, gravel/hybrid bike, and MTB! There is a little hike-a-bike section to the highpoint, but it is less than a mile out-and-back. The MTB trail that leads to the trailhead of the highpoint is called Timm’s Hill Trail:
https://www.travelwisconsin.com/mountain-biking/timms-hill-trail-197407
https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/3602050/timms-hill-trail-httpwwwtimmshilltrailcom
**Hawkeye Point, IA**
A gravel/cyclocross bike is best suited to tackle the many chunky gravel and dirt roads surrounding Hawkeye Point.
**Hoosier High Point, IN**
There a plenty of paved roads that lead to Indiana’s highpoint so this could be done on a road bike. There is a very short hike-a-bike section to the state highpoint, less than a mile out-and-back.
**Taum Sauk Mountain, MO**
There is a paved road that goes almost all the way to the top of Missouri’s highpoint. There is a short path at the top of the paved road that would someone to hike the bike for a short period of time, but it is less than a mile out-and-back.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2590.Taum-Sauk-Mountain
**Mount Arvon, MI**
There is a labyrinthian set of dirt logging roads surrounding Mt. Arvon that can be traversed by gravel/cyclocross bike or hardtail MTB. A few individuals online were kind enough to share the route they took through the maze of dirt roads to get to the summit area.
https://quincykoetz.com/2017/07/mountain-biking-mt-arvon-michigan-state/
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/3005728
**Charles Mound, IL**
The Illinois highpoint is on private property and it would be best practice to ask permission from the land-owners if it is okay to park your bike in their driveway. The walk to the highpoint from the driveway is less than a mile out-and-back so I am counting this highpoint for the list. The roads surrounding the area are mostly paved (the driveway to Charles Mound is dirt), and be sure to check out the WI-IL border which is very close to Charles Mound.
**Honorable Mentions**
**Mt. Mansfield Auto Road, VT**
There is only one time during the year to bike up the Mt. Mansfield Auto Road and that is during the Race to the Top of Vermont event, which I will be doing in August 😊. The road surface is dirt/gravel and very steep. So a gravel bike or cyclocross bike with easy gears would be the best option for this brutal climb. Some people did the climb with a road bike. https://racetothetopvt.weebly.com/?c=mkt\_w\_chnl:aff\_geo:all\_prtnr:sas\_subprtnr:1538097\_camp:brand\_adtype:txtlnk\_ag:weebly\_lptype:hp\_var:358504&sscid=71k7\_s836s&utm\_source=ShareASale
However the auto road does not reach the highpoint of Vermont, and the hike to the highpoint is more than a mile out-and-back and would be cumbersome to do with a bike. Another option for people who like to mountain bike is to go to the second highest point in Vermont which is Mt. Killington. There is awesome mountain biking there: https://www.trailforks.com/region/killington-bike-park/map/
**Whiteface Mountain, NY**
This is the highest point in NY accessible by bike and a tough climb. There are two ways of getting to the top, one of which is easier than the other.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/160.Whiteface-Mountain
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/1609.Whiteface-Mountain-Franklin-Falls
**Sugarloaf Mountain, ME**
This is the highest point accessible by bike in Maine, and would require a mountain bike: https://www.trailforks.com/region/sugarloaf-mountain-resort/?activitytype=1&z=14.1&lat=45.03331&lon=-70.30820
https://www.sugarloaf.com/summer-activities/mountain-biking
**Mount Washington Road, CT**
This is a ride that starts in MA taking the Mt. Washington road to Connecticut past the trailhead to Mt. Frissell (the CT state highpoint), and going through New York. While on it be sure to make a detour to see Bash-Bish Falls in MA. Very pretty!
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42330780
**Beartooth Pass, WY**
While this scenic route is not particularly challenging as far as climbs go, it is strenuous and long, and is also the highest paved road in the State. This is best suited for a road bike:
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/227.Beartooth%2520Pass%2520South
**Mt. Harrison, ID**
This is a strenuous road climb and also the highest paved road in the state. Railroad Ridge is the highest road in Idaho and would require a gravel/cyclocross bike or hardtail MTB.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/163.Mt.%2520Harrison
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/6648-railroad-ridge.html
**Wheeler Peak, NV**
No this is not the Wheeler Peak of New Mexico, which is New Mexico’s highpoint. This is the peak with the highest paved road in Nevada that is best suited for a road bike. The highest road in NV is for Mt. Washington, and would require a gravel/cyclocross bike or hardtail MTB.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/149.Wheeler%2520Peak
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/7192-mount-washington.html
**Bald Mountain, UT**
There are a few ways to traverse the highest paved road in the state of Utah, suitable for a road bike. While not a particularly challenging climb, it is fairly long. There is also Mt. Brigham which has a dirt/gravel road making it the highest road in the state. This would require a gravel/cyclocross bike or a hardtail MTB.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/1591.Bald-Mountain-Pass-West
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/1602.Bald-Mountain-Pass-North
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/6742-mount-brigham.html
**Crater Lake and Steen’s Mountain Loop, OR**
The roads up to Crater Lake is the highest paved road in the state of Oregon and there are multiple routes that can be taken. There is also the Steen’s mountain bikepacking adventure which traverses the highest road in the state.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/3877.Crater-Lake-Hwy-62-to-Watchman-Overlook
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/4025.Crater-Lake-Hwy-South-to-Watchman-Overlook
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/3881.Crater-Lake-North-to-Watchman-Overlook
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2206.Crater-Lake-North-Entrance-to-Rim
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/3876.Pinnacles-Road
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2205.Crater-Lake-VC-to-Rim
https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/bicycling/steens-mountain-loop/
**Toas Valley and Sandia Crest, NM**
Just outside Wheeler peak there is the Toas Valley Ski area which offers MTBing in the offseason. Sandia Crest, the highest paved road in New Mexico, is about 3 hrs south of Toas Valley and can be done on a road bike. The highest road in the state is a gravel road on Baldy Mountain.
https://www.skitaos.com/blog/articles/taos-mountain-biking-trails-recommendations
https://taosskivalley.com/play/summer-activities/mountain-biking/
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/203.Sandia-Crest-Cycling
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/7175-baldy-mountain.html
**Mt. Graham, Mt. Lemmon, and Arizona Snowbowl, AZ**
Mt. Lemmon and Mt. Graham are two of the most beautiful road bike climbs in the US. While the gradients are not challenging, both are long climbs (> 20 miles) making it a strenuous effort. The Arizona Snowbowl is a ski area on the side of Mt. Humphreys. There is a road bike climb up the Arizona Snowbowl road, but there is also plenty of great MTB trails in the area when skiing is not in session. Last, there is the dirt/gravel road to Mt. Baldy, which is the highest road in the state.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/80.Mt-Graham-Cycling
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/156.Mt-Lemmon
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/329.North%2520Snowbowl%2520Road
https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8006914/arizona-snowbowl
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/7061-mount-baldy.html
**Mt. Rainier Road and Hurricane Ridge, WA**
While it is not possible to cycle up to Mt. Rainier, it is possible to climb the road via multiple routes. The climb up Hurricane ridge is supposed to be gorgeous as weel, so I included it. The highest road on Washington State goes to Slate peak and would require a gravel/cyclocross bike or hardtail MTB.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2011.Mt.-Rainier-Sunrise-VC
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/807.Mt.%2520Rainier
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/2018.Mt.-Rainier-Stevens-Canyon
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/170.Hurricane-Ridge-Cycling
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/4015-slate-peak.html
**Whitetop Mountain, VA**
A short distance away from Mt. Rogers (the highpoint of VA) is Whitetop Mountain, which is one of the highest roads in VA. I’ve included a mixed-surface route below that included the climb to the summit of Whitetop Mountain,
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42382586
**McDonald Observatory, TX**
The road to the McDonald observatory is the highest paved road in Texas. There is also plenty of road and gravel biking to be done in the area surrounding the Guadalupe Peak trailhead, which involves many long climbs.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/714.Hwy%2520118
**Rock Creek Road, CA**
The state of CA boasts some of the steepest roads in the US (many are in San Francisco). The highest paved road in CA goes to Rock Creek Road which reaches an elevation of 10,000+ ft! The highest road in CA goes up White Mountain Peak and is a gravel/dirt road which would require a gravel/cyclocross bike or hardtail MTB to summit.
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/155.Rock%2520%2520Creek%2520Road
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/3861-white-mountain-peak.html
**Denali National Park, AK**
The national park webpage for Denali warns cyclists that they cannot out-bike a charging grizzly bear! Bikepacking in Denali national park is common and might be a nice activity to perform before summiting Denali by foot 😊 A gravel/cyclocross bike or hardtail MTB are best suited for cycling in Denali National Park.
https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/cycling.htm
https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/denali-park-road-biking.htm
https://bikedenali.com/
