Regional Roundup · 23 Races

Best Midwest Gravel Races for Fall 2026

23 Races Rated & Ranked · Published August 28, 2026

Looking for gravel races in the Midwest this fall? We found 23 events happening between September and November 2026, all rated by the Gravel God scoring system.

23 RacesAvg Score: 53/100T1 The Icons: 1T2 Elite: 4T3 Solid: 9T4 Grassroots: 9
T1 The Icons 86/100

Big Sugar Gravel

Bentonville, Arkansas
99.6 mi · 6,200 ft · October

The Life Time Grand Prix finale—where the season ends and titles are decided on Ozark gravel.

T2 Elite 71/100

Heck of the North

Two Harbors, Minnesota
100 mi · 3,400 ft · September

Technical snowmobile-trail gravel through Minnesota's North Shore at peak fall foliage.

T2 Elite 70/100

Chequamegon MTB

Cable, Wisconsin (Chequamegon National Forest)
41.7 mi · 2,561 ft · September

The Cheq—four decades of mass-start MTB speed from Hayward to Cable through Wisconsin's Northwoods.

T2 Elite 63/100

USA Cycling Gravel Nationals

La Crescent, Minnesota (2025-26); previously Gering, Nebraska (2023-24). 2027 host not yet announced.
110 mi · 7,500 ft · September

Stars and stripes on gravel—the national championship with open entry and a UCI Worlds pathway.

T2 Elite 60/100

THE EQUALIZER - Missouri State Championship

Marthasville, Missouri
62 mi · 3,786 ft · November

Missouri State Gravel Championship through wine country — now raced in November cold.

T3 Solid 59/100

Marji Gesick

Marquette, Michigan
100 mi · 6,000 ft · September

100-mile rugged Upper Peninsula mountain bike/gravel endurance.

T3 Solid 59/100

Red Granite Grinder

Athens, Wisconsin (Central Wisconsin)
150 mi · October

A 150-mile Wisconsin gravel day through dairy country, rivers, red granite roads, and peak hardwood color.

T3 Solid 57/100

Iceman Cometh

Kalkaska, Michigan
30 mi · 2,000 ft · November

30-mile Michigan mountain bike race with 4000+ riders in November.

T3 Solid 57/100

Toppling Goliath Gravel Grinder

Decorah, Iowa
62 mi · 3,500 ft · October

The Iowa Gravel Series championship: 100 kilometers of Driftless hills, brewery start and finish, and a hard 2:00 PM support horizon.

T3 Solid 56/100

Spotted Horse Ultra

Iowa
150 mi · 8,000 ft · October

Iowa prairie ultra-endurance gravel challenge.

T3 Solid 54/100

Filthy 50

Lanesboro, Minnesota
50.9 mi · 3,251 ft · October

Minnesota fall gravel—50 miles of rolling terrain, 1,000 riders, and peak autumn colors.

T3 Solid 50/100

Berryman Epic

Potosi, Missouri
50 mi · 5,400 ft · October

Missouri Berryman Trail mixed surfaces in Potosi.

T3 Solid 49/100

Pony Express 120

Marysville, Kansas
120 mi · 4,000 ft · September

120-mile Kansas farmland/prairie gravel in Marysville.

T3 Solid 47/100

Lone Wolf Gravel

Iron Mountain, Michigan
62 mi · 4,000 ft · September

Upper Peninsula Michigan wilderness gravel in Iron Mountain.

T4 Grassroots 44/100

Fairfield Harvest Rush

Fairfield, Iowa
62 mi · 3,000 ft · October

Harvest-season B-road gravel through Jefferson County — more backroads than most Iowa rides.

T4 Grassroots 44/100

Gray Duck Grit

Cannon Falls, Minnesota
62 mi · 3,000 ft · September

Southeast Minnesota gravel in Cannon Falls near Twin Cities.

T4 Grassroots 44/100

Lowell Classic

Lowell, Michigan
54 mi · 2,150 ft · October

West Michigan gravel in Lowell near Grand Rapids.

T4 Grassroots 43/100

Hibernator 100

Laona, Wisconsin
103 mi · 3,398 ft · October

A noncompetitive autumn gravel adventure through the Nicolet National Forest.

T4 Grassroots 43/100

Iowa State Gravel TT Championship

Amana, Iowa
40 mi · 1,500 ft · September

Iowa state championship gravel challenge.

T4 Grassroots 41/100

Hardwood Hustle

Nelma, Wisconsin
62 mi · 3,000 ft · September

Remote Wisconsin hardwood forest gravel in tiny Nelma.

T4 Grassroots 41/100

Soldier Cutoff Hillduro

Pisgah, Iowa
56 mi · 4,000 ft · September

Loess Hills gravel along the Soldier River Cutoff in western Iowa.

T4 Grassroots 41/100

Uncle John's Gravel Race

St Johns, Michigan
50 mi · 2,000 ft · September

Uncle John's Gravel Race. 50 miles of gravel through St Johns.

T4 Grassroots 40/100

Old Fashioned Gravel

Hokah, Minnesota
67 mi · 4,000 ft · October

Old Fashioned Gravel. 55 miles of gravel through Hokah.

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