Badlands gravel route map and rider guide

About 800 km of self-supported gravel from Granada, through the deserts and mountains of eastern Andalusia.

September 4 to 9, 2027 Granada and Almería, Andalusia

Badlands is a self-supported gravel ride of about 800 km that starts in Granada in late summer. The organizer insists it isn't a race: there are no rankings, bib numbers or prizes. You ride Solo or as a Pair, with nothing but what you carry and what you buy along the way. It has run every year since 2020, and the 2026 roster had 400 riders from 47 nations.

The route changes every year. In 2026 it was an 817 km loop out of Granada, through the Gorafe Desert, the Tabernas Desert and the Cabo de Gata coast, past Almería and back over the mountains to Granada. The map shows the 2026 track and the places the organizer named on it. The 2027 track goes to registered riders a few weeks before the start, and the checkpoints aren't published.

Download the region's map before you go, and load the official track into it once it arrives. The organizer warns that where the route crosses the Sierras de Baza and Los Filabres you can ride more than 100 km without a village.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Badlands. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Badlands course map

Every course's checkpoints on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Badlands courses

Course	Distance	Climbing	Start	Time limit
The 2026 loop	817 km (507.7 mi)	14,420 m (47,310 ft)	Sun, Sep 5, 8:00 AM	108 h

Badlands The 2026 loop

Granada to Granada through the Gorafe and Tabernas deserts and the Cabo de Gata coast, as ridden in 2026.

Distance: 817 km (507.7 mi)
Climbing: 14,420 m (47,310 ft)
Start: Sun, Sep 5, 8:00 AM
Time limit: 108 h

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The figures here are the 2026 track's: 817 km and 14,420 m of climbing. For 2027 the organizer gives about 800 km and 15,000 m, and won't share the track until a few weeks before the start.

In 2026 the Gorafe Desert section went through Freila for the first time. After Almería came three climbs in a row: Los Pedrolos (767 m, km 575), La Chanata (1,423 m, km 612) and El Romeral (1,216 m, km 658), about 3,000 m of climbing in 100 km. The El Zalabí pass, up to 1,641 m at km 712, was new.

You start at 08:00 on Sunday 5 September and have until 20:00 on Thursday the 9th, 108 hours. Finish after that and you're a DNF, though you can keep riding and hand your tracker back where the organizer says.

checkpoints

km	Where	Cutoff
0	Granada
817	Granada	Thu 9 Sep 20:00

Pale eroded hills and dry scrub in the Tabernas Desert — Shana Van Roosbroek / Unsplash

Getting a place

Entry is by application, then a draw. For 2027 the form is open from 20:00 CET on 1 November to 20:00 CET on 6 November 2026, and the draw is on 14 November at 17:00 CET. You get one application, Solo or Pair. The organizer says applications usually far outnumber places.

About half the places go by random draw. After that the organizer favors women, underrepresented groups and anyone who has applied without luck for at least three years, and keeps some places for sponsors. At least 160 places are drawn. If you're picked you have five days to register and pay by bank transfer: €325 Solo or €650 for a Pair. That covers the track and handbook, a tracker, a welcome pack and the warm-up events. Everyone else goes on the waitlist.

You get 70% back if you cancel by 31 March 2027 and 50% until 15 July, nothing after that. Places can't be deferred.

What self-supported means here

Eroded gullies and ridges of the Gorafe Desert under a clear sky — Jorge Segovia / Unsplash

Everything you eat and drink, you carry or buy along the way without planning it. You can't book accommodation or arrange support before the ride, and planned crews and virtual base camps are banned. A Pair can share with each other but with no one else, and nobody may draft or ride in a group (a Pair excepted).

Friends and family are welcome at the start and finish only. If you get lost, ask locals or use your GPS, but don't call home. If you quit, you get yourself back. Helmet and front and rear lights are mandatory, a reflective vest is required by law at night, and headphones aren't allowed. Check your phone at least at the checkpoints.

Camping is restricted: the regional rules ban camping for leisure outside campsites, though the organizer says there are plenty of places to stay along the route. In 2026 it described villagers offering riders food, water and emergency beds.

Getting to Granada

The Alhambra in Granada, with snow on the Sierra Nevada behind — Mario La Pergola / Unsplash

Granada's airport is about 15 km west of the city, with buses into the center and flights to Madrid and Barcelona. You can also come by train or bus from Madrid, or by bus from Málaga.

The 2027 start is set for 08:00 on 5 September in Granada, though the organizer may move the place or time by up to 24 hours. In 2026 riders left from the Palacio de Congresos and were escorted through the old city to the Abadía del Sacromonte, then rode on toward El Fargue. Warm-up rides run on 2 and 3 September, with accreditation and the briefing on the 4th. Bring ID, a copy of your insurance and the deposit for your tracker.

Heat, cold and kit

Grassy headlands above the sea at Cabo de Gata, with a peak on the horizon — Natalia Sedova / Unsplash

September in Granada averages highs around 29°C and lows around 13°C, by AEMET's 1981 to 2010 normals for the airport. Almería on the coast averages 28°C and 20°C. The organizer warns that summer middays in the Gorafe and Tabernas deserts can pass 40°C, while nights above 2,000 m can drop close to 0°C. Torrential rain is unusual but possible.

The rules strongly recommend a bivvy bag, an SOS kit, sunscreen, electrolytes and winter clothes. Fill your bottles at every chance: villages can be far apart in the mountains.

Badlands checkpoints and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

Granada

37.16574, -3.59841
Freila (2026 route)

37.52889, -2.90726
Almería (2026 route)

36.84142, -2.46281

Badlands FAQ

When is Badlands 2027?

The ride starts in Granada at 08:00 on Sunday 5 September 2027, and the time limit is 20:00 on Thursday 9 September. Warm-up rides are on 2 and 3 September, and accreditation and the briefing on the 4th.

How long is Badlands?

About 800 km with about 15,000 m of climbing in 2027, by the organizer's 2027 page. The 2026 track was 817 km with 14,420 m. The route changes every year, so the exact figures come with the track.

How do you get into Badlands?

Apply between 1 and 6 November 2026, then wait for the draw on 14 November. About half the places are drawn at random. Women, underrepresented groups and riders who have applied for three years or more get priority for the rest, and some go to sponsors.

Is Badlands a race?

Not by the organizer's definition. There are no rankings, bib numbers or prizes, and the rules call it a personal challenge. Finishing times are published afterward, and every rider's tracker is public on the Badlands website during the ride.

Can you have support on Badlands?

No. There are no crews, you can't pre-book rooms, and a mechanical or a wrong turn is yours to sort out. If you take a lift to a bike shop, you go back to the exact point you left. Friends and family can see you at the start and finish.

What bike and tires for Badlands?

A gravel bike. The organizer recommends 45 to 50 mm tires and wide gearing. It says the terrain isn't very technical but warns about the climbing.

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Updated October 13, 2026. An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.