INDOT is currently developing a guidance document to facilitate the United States Bicycle Route designation process in Indiana. Please note that INDOT will not be accepting applications for United States Bicycle Route designations until this guidance document is complete. Keep your eye out for public comment opportunities to contribute and provide feedback on the development of INDOT’s United States Bicycle Route Designation Guidance.
The United States Bicycle Route (USBR) system is the national cycling route network of the United States. It consists of interstate long-distance cycling routes that utilize multiple types of bicycling infrastructure, including off-road paths, bicycle lanes, and low-traffic roads. As with the complementary United States Numbered Highways system for motorists, each USBR is maintained by state and local governments. The USBR system is intended to enable bicyclists to traverse the entire country. The USBR system was established in 1978 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the same body that coordinates the numbering of Interstate highways and U.S. Routes.
In September 2015, INDOT, the Adventure Cycling Association, Bicycle Indiana, and the Hoosier Rails to Trails Council announced the designation of three US Bicycle Routes that span Indiana from border to border, a combined total of more than 600 miles. AASHTO approved INDOT’s applications for USBR 35, USBR 36 and USBR 50 as officially numbered bicycle routes that connect local communities across the nation.
The designated USBRs are for experienced long-distance bicycle riders – generally considered “touring cyclists” – who are comfortable riding on most types of facilities, including roads without any special treatments for bicyclists. This group also includes utilitarian and recreational riders who are confident enough to ride on busy roadways and navigate in traffic.
USBR 37
Designated in Fall of 2024, this 186.9-mile route starts at USBR 36 on the Erie Lackawanna Trail connecting Rensselaer, Monticello, the Town of Battleground, Lafayette and West Lafayette, Lebanon, Zionsville, and Carmel where it joins USBR 35 on the Monon Trail.
The following Ride with GPS hyperlinks are provided by the Adventure Cycling Association, allowing visitors to zoom and pan on an interactive digital map. Ride with GPS is a third-party website with no direct affiliation to INDOT.
USBR 37 Southbound - Ride with GPS
USBR 37 Northbound – Ride with GPS
USBR 235
Designated in Spring of 2021, this 122.1-mile route starts at USBR 35 in Downtown Indianapolis, connecting southwest to Martinsville, Bloomington, and Nashville, eventually reconvening with USBR 35 in Rockford, just north of Seymour.
USBR 35
The nearly 381-mile, north-south route crosses Indiana from LaPorte County on the Michigan border to Jeffersonville at the Big Four Bridge over the Ohio River. Because USBR 35 was previously approved through Michigan, the route now connects southern Indiana to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for a total of 865 miles. USBR 35 follows county roads, city streets, state highways and off-road trails, traversing along diverse topographies and ecosystems, including wetlands, forests, fields and agricultural land. Cyclists can explore cultural and historical attractions and bicycle facilities along the route, including the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Of all motor and bike routes in Indiana, USBR is the only international route. The requirement for local approvals in creating USBR 35 also set a model for creating other cross-state and local bike routes in Indiana.
DISCLAIMER: The USBR 35A alternative route section is only intended as an emergency back-up route to be used when trails or other designated facilities are unexpectedly closed. INDOT does not endorse the use of the alternative route by anyone other than the most experienced bicyclists who are comfortable with traveling along side high-speed automobile and truck traffic. INDOT will be reconsidering any suggested use of US 31 north of Indianapolis for bicycle or any other non-motorized transportation.
USBR 36
This 58.7-mile route runs between Illinois and Michigan, with 35 miles of the route on off-road trails. The route begins near the southern tip of Chicago in Hammond, where it soon diverts from an urban setting to a loop trail around Wolf Lake and its 1,000-foot boardwalk bridge through naturalized areas hosting a myriad of wildlife. The route connects with the Erie-Lackawanna Trail, and along the Oak-Savannah and Prairie-Duneland trails. These off-road trails eventually lead riders to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The Dunes Highway, or U.S. 12, takes cyclists through Michigan City and eventually crosses the Michigan state line.
USBR 50
This 160-mile route connects from the Illinois border, near Terre Haute, to Richmond on the Ohio border. The Ride Across Indiana bicycle ride follows this route, which passes through rolling hills and agricultural land, and many bike-friendly communities in central Indiana. USBR 50 intersects with USBR 35 in Indianapolis
