Escape Adventures has excellent news for the adventurous cyclist. You can choose from three newly created mtb and road tours across three states. See the details of each trip below and clear your calendar. Let’s ride.
New Mountain Biking Tour of North Dakota’s Maah Daah Hey Trail
Escape Adventures now offers a 5-day camping and mountain biking tour of the 144-mile-long Maah Daah Hey Trail System (MDH) in North Dakota, showcasing some of America’s most unique and breathtaking terrain.
Majestic plateaus, jagged peaks and valleys, large expanses of rolling prairie, and rivers intertwine to offer the adventurous outdoors enthusiast a taste of pure, unadulterated badlands.
Located adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the MDH is one of the lengthiest stretches of continuous trail in America. Hailed as an IMBA epic, the MDH unfolds on 95% singletrack.
The guided tour starts at $1,399 per person double. For more information, visit https://escapeadventures.com/destination/north-dakota-bike-tours/.
“From the northern unit to the ultra-charming, cowboy-poet town of Medora, we spend five days riding what’s commonly called the most stunning stretch of The Northern Plains.”
Escape Adventures Director Jared Fisher
From rolling prairie to endless red-baked buttes, the MDH crisscrosses the most undersized commercial unit in the National Park Service. Accordingly, no national park outside Alaska is better suited for pure backcountry trekking and wildlife encounters. A day on the trail might bring riders face-to-face with bison, elk, bighorn sheep, wild horses, pronghorn antelope, coyote, and wild turkey.
The MDH is comprised of nine trail units of varying size and difficulty. From north to south, they are the Wolf (8.8 miles), Long X (5.8 miles), Summit (3.8 miles), Overlook (0.3 miles), Maah Daah Hey (144 miles), Bennett (3.2 miles), Cottonwood (6.9 miles), Ice Cave (1.5 miles) and, Buffalo Gap (18.9 miles).
Day 1-2: Meet in Medora. Shuttle to trail just outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. An introductory ride takes guests on a great sampling of the Badlands. Ride Bennett Trail through high prairie grasses and wooded draws. Spend the evening under a bright blanket of stars, taking in the coyote calls that punctuate the night sky.
Day 3-4: Ride Devil’s Pass. Spectacular views across the Little Missouri River Valley eventually give way to the river. Camp near Teddy’s own Elkhorn Ranch. Continue to Buffalo Gap and Wannagan Creek, where riders enjoy quick descents on buff singletrack mixed with petrified Cypress trees. Camp near Wannagan Creek.
Day 5: Ride Buffalo Gap along the outskirts of the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Finish in Medora.
All internal land expenses and services are covered in the cost of the tour. All transportation, food preparation, meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, group supplies, and community gear are included. Backcountry permits, licenses, park fees, reservations, and accommodations are included, along with at least two professionally trained trip leaders, a mobile-first aid and mechanic station, spare bikes, and support vehicles.
Cycle the Oregon Coast with Escape Adventures
Rolling down National Scenic Highway 101 along the foothills and beaches of the Pacific Northwest, Escape Adventures’ 6-day Oregon road cycling tour pulls out all the stops to showcase the beautifully diverse Oregonian coastline, one of the state’s Seven Wonders. From the Columbia River at the state’s northwest edge, guests wend their way along what locals call the People’s Coast, Oregon’s publicly owned coastline—360 miles—enjoying magnificent sea stacks, sandstone cliffs, deep inlets, and rich ocean breezes.
Blissfully detached from noise and commercialism, Coastal Oregon lends itself to unparalleled road biking. Several small group tours are available in August and September, starting at $1,599 per person. Custom and private tours are also available. For more information, visit https://escapeadventures.com/tour/road-cycling-the-oregon-coast/.
“The Oregon Coast Bike Route is one of the most spectacular stretches of road in the United States, offering countless scenic panoramas, hitting legendary spots, and unveiling some hidden gems off the normal tourist path.”
Jared Fisher CEO of Escape Adventures
Tour Highlights:
- Visiting Cannon Beach, named one of the world’s most beautiful places by National Geographic and home to Haystack Rock
- Overnighting in Manzanita, Oregon’s third most photogenic locale
- Cycling Three Capes scenic route (alternate to US-101)
- Exploring Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area
- Hiking to Hart’s Cove, a wonderfully withdrawn seaside inlet
- Birdwatching atSiletz Bay
- Touring Newport,home of the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
- Traversing one of the region’s best-known scenic bridges
- Cycling through Suislaw National Forest to Cape Perpetua
- Touring the 125-year-old Heceta Lighthouse
- Witnessing Darlingtonia State Natural Area
All internal land expenses and services are covered in the cost of the tour. All transportation, food preparation, meals (except where noted on itineraries), snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, group supplies, and community gear (portable chairs, large awnings, coolers, utensils, etc.) are included. Backcountry permits, licenses, park fees, reservations, and accommodations (lodging) are included, along with at least two professionally trained trip leaders, a mobile-first aid and mechanic station, spare bikes, and a support vehicle(s). The trip price does not include airfare, lodging before the trip start, or bicycle rental and camping gear (if on a camping tour) unless otherwise noted on the itinerary or website.
Escape Adventures Unveils NEW Bentonville, Arkansas Mountain Biking Tour
The Ozark Mountains provide the backdrop for one of the best mountain bike trail systems in the country. Bentonville is every bit the charming town it was when Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, opened the original Walton five-and-dime back in 1950. From the quaint town square, the town’s footprint ripples outward, offering world-class culinary options, microbreweries, colorful boutiques, a state-of-the-art museum, and miles upon miles of singletrack.
Originally mountain biking was developed here as a recruitment tool for Walmart back in 2006. The Walton Family donated the first piece of land to establish a trail system that is now affectionately referred to as Slaughter Pen. Escape Adventures is thrilled to offer a NEW 5-day mountain biking tour exploring the region. The tour starts at $2,999 per person double. For more info, visit https://escapeadventures.com/tour/bentonville-mountain-bike-tour/.
“From tough climbs and thrilling descents to jumps and tricks on breakaway singletrack, the trails of Northwest Arkansas offer exciting and challenging rides,” said Jared Fisher, Director of Escape Adventures. “This part of Arkansas has an awesome art and culinary scene to boot.”
DAY 1 | Slaughter Pen
Visitors to Slaughter Pen trails in Bentonville enjoy a truly unique urban mountain biking experience. The 40-plus miles of singletrack flow alongside the paved Razorback Regional Greenway and by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where the path is dotted with public art.
DAY 2 | Little Sugar Trail
Today’s ride takes guests to the hollers and ravines of the new Little Sugar Trail System. The trail includes bluffs along Sugar Creek and a waterfall on Tanyard Creek as it wraps its way around Windsor and Avalon Lakes. Expect plenty of switchbacks and berms, as well as more advanced features like drops and jumps that have been generously sprinkled in throughout the system. Next, head to downtown Bentonville to tour the first Walton 5&10. The museum is in the original 5&10 that Sam Walton opened in 1950 on Bentonville’s town square.
DAY 3 | The Back 40
The Back 40 trail system weaves its way up and down the ridges and valleys that undulate across the east side of Bella Vista, including grinding climbs that alternate with fast, swooping descents. The 21-mile Back 40 Loop encircles the whole network with additional miles of trails crisscrossing the interior. Special sections will include “The Ledges,” a trail that gets its name from the karst ledges riders have to traverse along the route. Portions of Rago have also been rebuilt to include rock features and jumps. Despite being close to Bentonville, these miles will make you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere
DAY 4 | Hobbs State Park and Crystal Bridges
Hobbs State Park, Arkansas’s largest state park, spans a 12,054-acre tract of Ozark landscape along the southern shore of Beaver Lake. This area of the Ozarks consists of plateaus, ridges, valleys, and streams featuring a forest of pine, oak, and hickory. There are also disappearing streams, springs, and seeps that have carved the many hollows in this fragile limestone landscape. Trail-wise, there will be great diversity this morning, like most of Bentonville’s riding. Flowing ridge rides, short climbs, and rolling descents – this will be an awesome morning of riding with a delicious break for a picnic lunch. Later, visit the Crystal Bridges Art Museum, a world-class collection of American art, stunning architecture, and 120 acres of Ozark forest (including five miles of trails).
DAY 5 | Coler Preserve
Although it might feel like you are in the backcountry of the Ozarks while riding Coler, the trails are about two miles west of downtown Bentonville. The trails feature multiple flowy jump lines, challenging technical rocky sections and several huge gap jumps. Riders will visit the “Hub” near the top of the mountain, a 20-foot-tall, steel-and-wood structure that guides riders to the start of three downhill runs. From there, choose which trail to take and the level of difficulty. Coler is now the state’s most challenging enduro-style jump trail system.
About Escape Adventures: Since 1992, Escape Adventures has been blessed to shape and lead adventure travel vacations through some of the most awe-inspiring natural destinations in the world. Building on over 100 destinations, Escape Adventures caters to the full spectrum of active travelers’ fitness levels and activity types. From road cyclist to mountain biker to electric biker, hiker, and multi-sport enthusiast, and from the first timer to friends and family groups of all ability levels, Escape Adventures looks forward to many new and exciting adventures with you.