Cycle from Yellowstone with Minneapolis on this new cycling route

If you're looking for a fresh cycling adventure in the US in the future, you may be interested in a new route that guides cyclists from Yellowstone National Park to Minneapolis.

Called the 'Parks, Peaks and Prairies Bicycle Route,' the 1287-mile route by the Adventure Cycling Association also brings cyclists through Wyoming’s plains, past South Dakota and on to the continent’s biggest rivers and some of the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota. The new route offers a connecting option between the TransAmerica Trail and the Northern Tier bicycle routes, as well as crossing over the Lewis & Clark Trail near the new route’s midpoint.

A female cyclist riing her bike — The new route takes in some of the US's natural wonders © Brent Olson/Getty Images

"Our newest route takes in some of our country’s most beautiful natural wonders and national landmarks between the Rocky Mountains and the Midwest, and it brings our route network to a total of 50,000 miles,” says Carla Majernik, director of routes and mapping. "However, we never imagined the challenges of traveling this summer as we designed it. So while 2020 might not be the ideal time to ride the full Parks, Peaks, and Prairies route, it’s a great time to tackle smaller sections if you live nearby or to plan for riding in 2021 and beyond."

The new Parks, Peaks and Prairies route was extensively researched by volunteers and the organization’s cartography staff before being distilled into cyclist-specific maps in print and digital form. It is available in GPX data format here, and via the Bicycle Route Navigator app on Apple and Android stores.

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