The World’s Most Picture-Perfect Bike Trails, According to Instagram

Adventure tour operator Explore Worldwide recently conducted a study to discover the world’s most picturesque cycle trails. The company looked at more than 100 popular bike routes to reveal which are the most photographed and shared on social media.

By analyzing the number of hashtags for each bike route found on Instagram and dividing it by each route’s length in kilometers, Explore Worldwide found the top 15 most picture-perfect cycle routes according to Instagram and its users.

The most picturesque cycle routes in the world are:

1. Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, and Virginia, United States
2. Going-To-The-Sun Road, Montana, United States
3. Lake Ohrid, Eastern Albania
4. The Shimanami Kaido, Hiroshima and Ehime Prefecture, Japan
5. The South Downs Way, Hampshire, and Sussex, United Kingdom
6. Kinderdijk Cycle Route, South Holland, the Netherlands
7. Simpson’s Gap Bicycle Path, Queensland, Australia
8. Carretera Austral (CH-7, Southern Way), Patagonia, Chile
9. Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Highlands, Canada
10. Crater Lake Loop, Oregon, United States
11. The Katy Trail, Missouri, United States
12. Romantic Road, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg, Germany
13. The Camel Trail, Cornwall, United Kingdom
14. Cape Point Nature Preserve, Table Mountain National Park, South Africa
15. Cilento National Park, Salerno Province, Italy

With 832 Instagram images per kilometer, Blue Ridge Parkway takes the top spot. This route spans North Carolina and Virginia, bringing travelers through the Appalachian Mountains to experience fun descents and witness the region’s diverse vegetation. Montana’s Going-To-The-Sun-Road ranks second, with 730 photo shares per kilometer. This route lies within Glacier National Park and features twists, turns and stunning views.

“We’ve had lots of fun compiling and analyzing this research, which highlights some of the most breath-taking places in the world that provide a truly memorable biking experience,” said Michael Edwards, managing director, Explore Worldwide. “We’re big fans of cycling in Albania and Italy and it’s great to see them feature so high on the list. We know these routes are popular with the cycling community and it’s fantastic to see both longer, epic tours across countries and some less-challenging routes that still provide cyclists with awesome scenery.”

Read more on this study here.