The Wolf Bikepacking Race
About this race
262 Mi // 3 DAY // 2 NIGHT BIKEPACKING RACE
Finland - Ely - Grand Marais - Finland
Event Date: July 10-12, 2026
The Wolf Bikepacking Race is a three day stage race through the heart of Northern Minnesota's boreal forests. The event is designed to be a test of your cycling endurance and also a great way to be part of a bikepacking community.
The minimum age is 18.
Day 1: Finland to Ely: 89 miles with 3100 ft of climbing, 64% unpaved, 36% paved. Mostly well maintained gravel road. There will be a few miles of rough jeep road. It's a good mix of road surfaces for a first day.
Day 2: Ely to Grand Marais: 106 miles with 4500 ft of climbing, 86% unpaved. Mostly well maintained gravel road. This is the longest stage of the event and you will feel like you are truly in the wilds of Minnesota. An epic route with beautiful scenery. The drop into Grand Marais is one to remember.
Day 3: Grand Marais to Finland: 66 miles with 4000 ft of climbing, 81% unpaved. A beautiful last day of racing filled with a few punchy climbs. Long enough to test you, short enough to get you back home.
NOTE: Routes are subject to change due to weather or forest fires. We will update riders ASAP about any changes in routes if this occurs
Pick your distance
Gravel biking
The Wolf Bikepacking Race
Please note that all Heck of the North Production events (Le Grand du Nord, The Wolf & The Fox, and The Heck of the North) are self-supported. This means very limited assistance from volunteers, no/very limited signage en-route. All riders are required to sleep outside. This means using the sleeping system you carry on your bike throughout the event (tent, bivy, tarp, sleeping bag, etc.) Motels, cabins, pavilions, or other solid-roofed buildings are forbidden. Please adhere to the simple rules of this event. All riders are responsible for carrying the gear that they need for the trip. This means clothing, sleep kit, tools, nutrition and hydration. Riders will NOT need to bring cooking gear. All riders are expected to have a simple odometer or gps device on their bike. Cell coverage is spotty, unreliable/nonexistent on course. Do not rely on your cell phone for navigation. All riders must wear a helmet. We strongly recommend wearing some sort of eye protection, too. Have a backup plan in place. There is NO Wolf sanctioned sag support if you breakdown (physically or mentally) so We will assist as we are able. We have limited volunteers at the checkpoints. In the event of an emergency CALL 911. Drafting (pacelines or riding directly behind another rider) is not allowed. Aero bars are allowed. No E-bikes are allowed. All participants must use a self propelled bicycle (without a motor assist.) Outside support from teams, family, friends is forbidden. Riders ARE allowed to assist other riders if they so choose (nutrition, water, tools, wrenching support, first aid, etc.). Prearranged support will mean disqualification and a public shaming TBD. Please be civil, kind, and friendly to other riders, volunteers and the public. This is not the Tour de France- enjoy yourself, your neighbors and this beautiful part of the world! Always Ride as Far Right as is safe. Please share the road with other cars, ATV’s and users! Lastly- please do not litter. Thanks for being good gravel citizens!
Typical race-day weather
Based on 2 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Finland, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 5:19 AM and sets at 9:01 PM local time (CDT) in Finland on July 10, 2026 — 15h 42m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 1 Finland event
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