Most scenic cycling routes & destinations in Bangalore

After 1.5 years of riding & a few pandemic breaks in the middle, I've shortlisted some of the most scenic and cycling-friendly (unfriendly, too) routes around the city.

BHPian vinya_jag recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had been planning this thread for a while now. All of this started around a year and a half back, when we started cycling, for fitness, and formed a small group. None of us knew much about cycling, not sure which cycle to buy, how much distance to ride, where all could we ride to, etc. However, after a year and half of riding, and a few pandemic breaks in the middle, listing some of the most scenic and cycling-friendly (unfriendly too) routes around Bangalore (North).

Hennur Bamboo Forest

• Place: 5
• Cycling inside: Allowed sometimes
• Route: 3 (Via Hennur road)
• Difficulty: 3 (Watch out for traffic on Hennur road)
• Eateries around: None (Pack your food)
• Notes: Google Map destination leads you to a dead end. Stay on the main road to reach your destination. Each season has a different colour to these trees. If you are lucky enough, you might spot a peacock or two.

Route

Place

Avalahalli Forest

• Place: 5
• Cycling inside: Allowed always
• Route: 4 (Via Presidency school)
• Difficulty: 2
• Eateries around: None (Pack your food)
• Notes: Best place around Bangalore for Cycling forest trails. Mountain Bike or Hybrids are preferable. However, I have taken my road bike there. With a little difficulty and a little carrying around, you will be able to make the circuit of around 3-4 Kms within the forest itself.

Route

Place

Hesarghatta Lake

• Place: 4
• Cycling inside: Allowed always, Need to carry cycle and cross a couple of small gates
• Route: 4 (Via Avalahalli)
• Difficulty: 3.5
• Eateries around: Darshinis a few kilometers away (Pack your food for the lake bed)
• Notes: There are multiple routes to this place. Choose the Avalahalli route for easy access and fewer inclines and declines. Still a medium difficulty route with sparse traffic and scenic roads. You will find a lot of cyclists smiling at you along the way.

Route

Place

Hesarghatta Lake Via Rajanukunte

• Place: 4
• Cycling inside: As above
• Route: 5+ (Via Rajanukunte and KMF)
• Difficulty: 4 (Distance)
• Eateries around: As above
• Notes: Best road for cycling, or walking or anything. The KMF to Hesarghatta stretch is picturesque

Route

Place

Devanahalli Fort

• Place: 5
• Cycling inside: Allowed. Need to carry cycle up a few steps to reach the fort wall
• Route: 4.5
• Difficulty: 3.5 (Crosswinds)
• Eateries around: Along the way, you will find a few
• Notes: Airport road is a cakewalk on any day, stay on the flyovers and you will have uninterrupted cycling for hours. Distance and crosswinds while coming back make the ride tough.

Route

Place

Hennur bamboo forest & Chokkanahalli forest, Mandur bamboo forest

• Place: 5
• Cycling inside: ALlowed sometimes, but this route goes through Chokkanahalli forest
• Route: 4.5 (Via Airport road, Razak Palya road)
• Difficulty: 3
• Eateries around: None
• Notes: This is a circuit road, choosing the best routes for cycling

Route

Route pics

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