2027 USA ADV Cannonball Announced
Coast to Coast.
Portland to Portland.
PORTLAND, Maine, June 19, 2026 The ADV Cannonball Rally announces its third annual USA Edition, departing Portland, Maine on June 8, 2027 and finishing at the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon on June 16. The route covers more than 4,000 paved miles, 126,450 feet of cumulative elevation gain, and crosses eleven states in nine days of riding with no support crew, no chase vehicles, and no rescue. Riders are on their own from the first checkpoint to the last.
The rally begins with mandatory check-in on June 7 in Portland, Maine and closes with an awards banquet on the evening of June 16 in Astoria, Oregon.
Nine days. More than four thousand miles. One hundred and twenty-six thousand feet of climbing.
The route opens on the Kancamagus Highway through New Hampshire's White Mountains, moves west through Vermont's Green Mountains and the Adirondacks, and pushes across the Great Lakes states before turning decisively toward the Black Hills of South Dakota. Day Five takes riders over the Beartooth Highway, one of the most celebrated motorcycle roads on the continent, and through Yellowstone National Park's Lamar Valley. The final days cross northern Idaho on US-12 through Lolo Pass, climb the Cascades past Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens, and descend to the Pacific through the Oregon coast range.
| Day | Section | Miles | Elev. Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Portland, ME → Watertown, NY | 415 | 17,300 ft |
| Day 2 | Watertown, NY → Perrysburg, OH | 500 | 3,000–5,000 ft |
| Day 3 | Perrysburg, OH → Onalaska, WI | 580 | 9,600 ft |
| Day 4 | Onalaska, WI → Custer, SD | 685 | 12,500 ft |
| Day 5 | Custer, SD → Bozeman, MT Hardest day | 640 | 28,000 ft |
| Day 6 | Bozeman, MT → Lewiston, ID | 475 | 17,300 ft |
| Day 7 | Lewiston, ID → Leavenworth, WA | 275 | 9,750 ft |
| Day 8 | Leavenworth, WA → Portland, OR | 375 | 21,500 ft |
| Day 9 | Portland, OR → Astoria, OR | 102 | 5,500 ft |
Day Two offers a genuine strategic choice. The standard Lower Route follows approximately 500 miles through the US from Watertown to Perrysburg. The optional Maple Route crosses into Canada through Prince Edward County and Toronto via three ferry crossings and two international border crossings.
ADV sections are available on Days 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 for riders seeking off-pavement challenges.
Open to Any Two or Three-Wheeled Machine
The 2027 USA Edition introduces expanded eligibility that makes this the most inclusive Cannonball-style event in North America. Any two or three-wheeled machine is welcome: modern adventure bikes, antique and vintage iron, dual-sports, tourers, naked bikes, scooters, sidecars, Can-Ams, Polaris Slingshots, Morgan 3-Wheelers, and trikes. The ADV Cannonball is proud to welcome riders who have been looking for a home since the Antique Motorcycle Cannonball and the Scooter Cannonball left a void in the calendar. If it rolls on two or three wheels and runs under its own power, it has a place at the start line in Portland.
This is not a concours event. There is no trailer support, no parts van, no mechanic on standby. Every rider is responsible for their own machine from the moment they leave the hotel until the moment they cross the finish line. Self-rescue at every stage is not a possibility to prepare for. It is a certainty to plan around.
Two Rider Classes
The 2027 edition formally recognizes what has always been true of the ADV Cannonball: not everyone is here for the same reason, and that is exactly the point. Pro-Class is limited to 59 entries and is for riders competing for the First Overall Award, where every checkpoint, every minute, and every routing decision carries weight. Mile Crusher Class is for riders chasing the adventure itself, whether that means targeting one of the specialty awards, riding every optional ADV section, or simply finishing each day with a story worth telling. Both classes share the same route, the same hotels, and the same start line. What separates them is intention, not ability.
The checkpoint scoring system rewards efficiency, navigation skill, and endurance in equal measure. Standard checkpoints are worth 10 points each, Extreme checkpoints 21 points, and the first rider to reach each day's finish line earns an additional 25 points. The competitor with the most points at the end of the rally wins the First Overall Award.
For those who want nothing to do with a podium, the route itself is reward enough. The ADV Cannonball has always served two kinds of rider: the one who is here to compete, and the one who is here to see this country properly for the first time. Both finish in Astoria.
About the ADV Cannonball
The ADV Cannonball Rally is a GPS-based, self-supported, multi-day motorcycle endurance rally. This is not a race. Riders navigate by GPX track and score checkpoints through an automated Rally Scoring App that tracks every competitor in real time. Points are recorded automatically as riders hit checkpoints, with a live public leaderboard available throughout each day at MotorcycleGumball.com, so anyone following along can watch the standings shift in real time. Riders gather each evening at official hotels to compare notes and prepare for the next stage. There is zero support infrastructure. Every rider is expected to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, and ready to self-rescue.
Now in its third year in the USA, the ADV Cannonball has built a reputation as one of the most seriously planned and genuinely demanding motorcycle events in North America, with routes vetted for scenery, significance, and the kind of riding that riders remember for the rest of their lives.
About Aaron Pufal
Chasing Legends
Aaron Pufal is the Rally Master and creator of the ADV Cannonball, the producer of the ADV Cannonball Podcast, and the author of Chasing Legends: Motorcycle Stories from the Podcast Trail, a six-time award-winning book. The book draws on three seasons of conversations with the riders, filmmakers, and authors who shaped modern adventure motorcycling, from Ted Simon's kitchen table in France to the forecourt of the Ace Cafe in London.
Available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook: a.co/d/0hvq3LHh
ADV Cannonball Podcast
Hosted by Pufal and Taylor Lawson and winner of the Dot Comm 2025 Gold Podcasting Award, the ADV Cannonball Podcast covers adventure riding, motorcycle rallies, overlanding, and the culture of long-distance motorcycle travel. New episodes every week.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms: ADV Cannonball Podcast
2027 USA Edition Schedule
Awards Banquet: The Loft at The Red Building, 20 Basin St Suite A, Astoria, OR 97103, 6:00 PM
Official rally regulations and registration: www.advcannonball.com
