If you are completely new, read this first
- The trail is a line, not a road. A coast-to-coast dirt route is a GPX file someone scouted and drew. Different people have drawn different lines through the same country. The official one is Sam Correro's Trans-America Trail. One Man Trail shared a free hand-traced re-trace of the same corridor. gpsKevin sells a third version. They are not the same, and none of them is “the” trail.
- Get the file into an app before you leave. Gaia GPS or onX Offroad on your phone, or a Garmin. Load the GPX, download offline maps for every state you will cross, and ride a section near home to learn the app.
- Check legality and conditions the night before, every night. MVUMs for Forest Service roads, onX for private property, InciWeb for fires, the state 511 site for closures, and the Facebook groups for what riders hit this week.
- Plan fuel by section, not by day. Stretches in Nevada and Utah run past 150 miles between pumps. Know your real range loaded, then subtract twenty percent for sand and headwind.
- Ask someone who rode it last week. The Facebook groups and ADVrider threads below are where washouts and gate closures show up first.
Where the tracks come from
Every coast-to-coast GPX file you will find traces back to a handful of people. Know who they are before you download anything.
- TransAmTrail.com · Sam Correro ↗
The original and official Trans-America Trail. Sam scouted it starting in 1984, spent twelve years assembling it from public roads, and maintained it until he retired in July 2025 at 86; Brent 'Homer' Smith now runs it. Paper maps, roll charts and current GPS tracks, sold as a small family business. If you ride his trail, buy his stuff.
What riders say. The safe, legal, supported choice. The roll charts are detailed enough that people have crossed the country on them alone, the route is kept away from private property and close to fuel and lodging, and it is re-scouted when things close. The recurring complaint, which is what drove One Man Trail to re-trace it, is that the GPS tracks have historically been coarse and can sit off the actual road. Expect to pay for it, and expect it to be right.officialpaid - One Man Trail (archived) ↗
A rider who crossed the country on the TAT twice, then hand-traced the whole line in Gaia GPS in 100-mile sections so it sits on the actual road, and shared the files free 'as is'. His site went offline in 2026; this is the archived page with his notes.
What riders say. Valued for one thing: accuracy. Because it was drawn inside Gaia against real roads, the line does not wander off into fields the way older GPS recordings do. The caveats are his own: it is one rider's 2022 route, it is not the official trail, there is no support, and roads and bridges on it have closed since. Riders pair it with the official maps or a current source for closures.free - gpsKevin Adventure Rides ↗
A long-running alternative TAT track set with easier "green" and harder "red" options, sold as GPX or on a loaded SD card. Also sells the California Adventure Trail and Great Eastern Adventure Route.
What riders say. The longest-running argument on ADVrider. Kevin's set is popular for its easier green and harder red options and closer adherence to the older route, and plenty of riders have crossed on it happily. The two persistent criticisms are that parts of it are reported to cross private land where owners have complained and citations have been issued, and that many feel it trades on Sam's decades of work. There is no support for the GPX version. If you use it, check every questionable stretch against onX property lines and an MVUM, and be ready to turn around.paid - Backcountry Discovery Routes ↗
A 501(c)(3) non-profit publishing free, big-bike-friendly, border-to-border dirt routes for a dozen states, 600 to 1,300 miles each, with fuel, food and lodging waypoints. The gold standard for how this should be done.
What riders say. Universally respected. Free, scouted, filmed, with fuel and lodging waypoints and Butler paper maps to match. Designed by and for motorcycles: most main routes are double-track a stock 4x4 can drive, but BDR is explicit that they were not built for trucks and some sections do not suit them. Expert-only sections, tight switchbacks and loose climbs, come with bypass tracks in the GPX. The Colorado route crosses several passes above 12,000 feet, so watch the season.freenonprofit - Gravel Travel Canada · TCAT ↗
Home of the Trans Canada Adventure Trail, roughly 15,000 km from St. John's to Vancouver Island, with free GPX downloads.
What riders say. Riders describe it as fun and genuinely hard: nearly all off-road, remote, two to three months for the whole thing, and only for people already comfortable with multi-day fully loaded dirt. Surfaces run from fast hardpack to rutted mud. It uses abandoned rail lines, and some of the old rail bridges are reported as unsafe to cross, with missing ties and no rails. Plan bypasses for those.free - Trans Euro Trail ↗
The European equivalent of what we are building: free, volunteer-maintained dirt routes across 30-plus countries, run by local "linesmen".
freecommunity - ADV Cannonball · free GPX ↗
Free tracks from past private tours, including a Pacific Coast route from Victoria BC to Tijuana.
free - USDualSports ↗
Rider-shared GPX loops and a calendar of dual-sport events across the US.
freecommunity - Jerry Blewis track downloads ↗
One rider's library of mostly off-road dual-sport tracks, free to download.
free
Paper maps and roll charts
Phones die. Bring paper for the day you need it.
- Butler Motorcycle Maps ↗
Waterproof, tear-resistant maps for every BDR plus the Adventure Series. The best-designed motorcycle maps in print.
paid - TransAmTrail.com maps and roll charts ↗
Sam Correro's 18 planning maps and turn-by-turn roll charts for the official TAT.
officialpaid - USFS Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) ↗
The legally binding map of which Forest Service roads are open to motorcycles, per forest, as free geospatial PDFs. Also a layer in Gaia and onX.
freeofficial
Navigation apps
Any of these will read a GPX file. Pick one, learn it at home, and download offline maps before you leave cell coverage.
- Gaia GPS ↗
What One Man Trail traced the line in. Gaia Overland and Gaia Topo layers plus MVUM and public-land overlays. iOS and Android.
What riders say. The planner's app. Riders who build multi-day routes at home want its layers: MVUM, land ownership, cell coverage by carrier. One Man Trail drew his tracks in it and recommends the Overland or Topo layers. The complaints are the subscription and a heavier interface on the bike.paidiosandroid - onX Offroad ↗
Best-in-class private property boundaries and open/closed trail status. Worth it for staying legal alone.
What riders say. The on-the-bike app. Best private-property boundaries and open/closed trail status, plus turn-by-turn that works offline. Riders who want quick answers rather than deep planning prefer it. Many keep both this and Gaia installed and switch.paidiosandroid - DMD2 · Drive Mode Dashboard ↗
A motorcycle-first Android launcher and navigator built by a rider: offline topo maps, GPX progress, roadbook reader, handlebar-remote friendly. Free with paid plugins.
What riders say. Riders who run it on a bar-mounted Android tablet tend to love it: maps that show what is off the beaten path, GPX progress that feels natural, no lag. The costs are a learning curve, finicky OBD2 setup, and Android only. iPhone users can pair for notifications but cannot run the app.freeandroid - Guru Maps ↗
Simple offline vector maps with solid GPX import and track recording. iOS and Android.
paidiosandroid - OsmAnd ↗
Open-source offline maps built on OpenStreetMap. Free, fiddly, powerful.
freeiosandroid - Garmin Explore / BaseCamp ↗
For riders on a Zumo, Montana or inReach. BaseCamp is the desktop tool for loading and splitting GPX files onto Garmin units.
free - Rever ↗
Route planning and ride tracking with a community layer; BDR partners with it for their tracks.
paidiosandroid
Staying legal
Trespassing is how trails get closed. These tell you where you are allowed to be.
- Bureau of Land Management · visit ↗
Where to camp and ride on BLM land, which is most of the public dirt in Nevada, Utah and Oregon.
freeofficial - Stay The Trail ↗
Colorado non-profit with a clear explainer on reading MVUMs and riding responsibly.
freenonprofit - Tread Lightly! ↗
The national ethics program for motorized recreation. Their principles are the reason many of these roads are still open.
freenonprofit
Camping, fuel, fire and weather
The things that actually end trips.
- iOverlander ↗
Crowd-sourced wild camps, water, mechanics and showers. The overlanders' bible.
freecommunity - FreeCampsites.net ↗
Free and cheap dispersed camping, with reviews.
freecommunity - Recreation.gov ↗
Reservations for federal campgrounds and permits.
freeofficial - The Dyrt ↗
Campground reviews and a decent free-camping map layer.
freepaid - InciWeb ↗
Active wildfire incidents and closures. Check it every morning in fire season, July through October in the West.
freeofficial - NOAA weather.gov ↗
Point forecasts for anywhere, including 12,000-foot passes. Type a lat/long into the search box.
freeofficial - State 511 road conditions ↗
Every state runs a 511 site or app with closures, construction and seasonal gates. Bridge and highway closures show up here first.
freeofficial
Riders who have done it
Ask before you go. Someone rode your section last week.
- ADVrider ↗
The forum. Decades of ride reports, regional sub-forums and a Tent Space list of riders who will put you up.
freecommunity - Horizons Unlimited · HUBB ↗
The overlanding forum, older and more international than ADVrider. Good for logistics questions.
freecommunity - Trans-America Trail · Official and Original (Facebook) ↗
Sam Correro's own group. Current conditions on the official route.
communityofficial - Trans-America Trail (TAT) group (Facebook) ↗
The larger general TAT group. Noisy, but conditions and detours get posted here fast.
community - TCAT group (Facebook) ↗
Trans Canada Adventure Trail riders.
community
About the “What riders say” notes
Those notes are not our verdicts and we are not speaking for anyone. They are a summary of what we found riders saying in the forum threads, reviews and pages linked under each one, read in September 2026. Threads move on, products change, and we may have read something wrong. If you make one of these products or have ridden with it and think a note is unfair or out of date, tell us and we will fix it. Corrections and additions will be open to rider accounts once those exist; until then this page is maintained by hand and links are checked when added, not continuously.