Endless Mountains Grand Depart

A multi-day self-supported race and touring event along the Endless Mountains 430, 250, and 115 loops.

• Begins in Towanda, PA on Sept. 20, 2025
• Free registration at emheritage.org/events

Endless Mountains 430
429.7 miles long with 41,590 ft. of elevation gain
High point – 2,347 ft.
Unpaved – 63-percent

Endless Mountains 250
247.8 miles long with 24,558 ft. of elevation gain
High point – 2,347 ft.
Unpaved – 60-percent

Endless Mountains 115
114.6 miles long with 11,278 ft. of elevation gain
Unpaved – 72 percent
**Due to permit restrictions of the State Game Land near the end of this route, racing the EM115 during the Grand Depart is not allowed. The route is intended to be done at a two-day tour pace, with riders camping at one of three campsites or finding other lodging before the route detours at mile 84.3.**

The first-ever bikepacking race and touring event in the scenic Endless Mountains of northeastern PA was such a massive success, it’s coming back for another year!

We are pleased to welcome new and returning cyclists to our area on September 20, 2025, for the second annual Endless Mountains Grand Depart. These 430-mile, 250-mile, and 115-mile multi-surface masterpieces are comprised of rural dirt and gravel roads, rail-trails, and paved roads through small historic downtowns, and various ascents over scenic rolling hills. The overall route, the Endless Mountains 430, formerly known as the Endless Mountains Gravel Bikepacking Loop (EMGBL), begins and ends in Towanda, Pennsylvania, along the beautiful Susquehanna River’s North Branch. The Loop officially launched in July 2022 following a two-year collaborative design process between multiple regional organizations and avid cyclists. The EM 430 is intended to be an epic multi-day adventure route across the four counties of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming in the Endless Mountains of northeastern PA. Now, the Endless Mountains Grand Depart will transform these multi-day adventures into a challenging and picturesque endurance race. The EM 250 and 115 focus on the western half of the region, where dirt and gravel roads, public lands, challenging hills, and breathtaking scenery are highly abundant.

The Endless Mountains Gravel PA loops were created and designed by the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau, Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency, Susquehanna County Promotion & Tourism Agency, the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission, our four county planning departments, and a group of avid cyclists from our region. The Endless Mountains Grand Depart is the first official bikepacking event of this magnitude in Pennsylvania, which is managed by these organizations and trail developer David Landis of Village to Village Trails, LLC.

Disclaimer: This is a self-supported race event in which riders participate and ride at their own risk.

Learn more at:
https://emheritage.org/endless-mountains-gravel-bikepacking-loop/