BikePacking

Day 40: Cycling to Whitefish for our flight back home

EvE Jun 17, 2024

Today we cycled from the Stillwater Lake Campground via Whitefish to the Lasalle RV Park. We had clouds all day, it was chilly and cold at times, and after setting up the tent it started to rain. We rode on non-paved roads until Whitefish, from there it was paved.

Travel: WWR Bikepacking

Western Wildlands Route

unknown Jun 17, 2024

“The 2,700-mile Western Wildlands Route (WWR, formerly known as the Wild West Route) offers bikepackers a non-technical riding experience through the vast expanses of wild and public lands in the Intermountain West. Nearly 70% of the route is on public lands - 18 National Forests, 6 National Parks and Monuments, and 4 areas with Bureau of Land Management National Conservation Lands designation.”, according to Bikepacking Roots.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 39: Reaching the end of the WWR

EvE Jun 16, 2024

Today we cycled from the Tobacco River Campground to the Canadian border, and from there to the Stillwater Lake Campground on our way to Whitefish. The day was clouded. In the morning there was a partial blue sky in the east, but it did not reach us. We clouds, some rain, some hail, and some sun today. In the morning we rode paved roads to the border and Eureka. A little after Eureka we rode on gravel and double-track.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 38: The end of the summer weather

EvE Jun 15, 2024

Today we cycled from the Kilbrennen Lake Campground to the Tobacco River Campground 18mm before the Canadian border. The day started completely clouded, and as forecasted, the rain started at 10:30. After 13:00 it became better again with one or two short rain showers. We rode non-paved for most of the day, only a few kilometers on paved roads.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 37: A deli at the perfect location

EvE Jun 14, 2024

Today we cycled from our dispersed campsite at the Noxon Reservoir to the Kilbrennen Lake Campground. We had blue skies with a few clouds. The road surfaces were a mixture of paved and non-paved.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 36: The campsite that was not there

EvE Jun 13, 2024

Today we rode from the City Limits RV Park in Wallace to a dispersed campsite at the Noxon Reservoir. We had blue skies all day. We rode a quarter of the distance on a quiet paved road and the other half on non-paved (gravel, double-track, loose sand, etc).

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 35: The Hiawatha Trail

EvE Jun 12, 2024

Today we cycled from our dispersed campsite on the Olympian Trail to the City Limits RV Park in Wallace. We had blue skies all day. A little bit of a breeze which felt chilly sometimes. We road non-paved all day, except in the town of Wallace.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 34: Back to the original route

EvE Jun 11, 2024

Today we cycled from the Kreis Pond Campground to a dispersed campsite on the Olympian Trail between St Regius and Haugan. The morning started cloudy, but after a few hours we had lots of sunshine. We rode non-paved most of the day, except between Superior and St Regius.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 33: The detour continues

EvE Jun 10, 2024

Today we cycled from the Angler’s Roost RV Park in Hamilton to Kreis Pond Campground between Missoula and Superior. We had clouds and sun all day. A little bit of rain when riding out of Missoula. We had a lot of paved roads, but ended the day on gravel.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 32: Again a huge detour because of snow

EvE Jun 9, 2024

Today we cycled from the Spring Creek Campground to Angler’s Roost RV Park close to Hamilton. The day started with sun and dark clouds, which changed to blue skies with a few clouds, and later to very threatening clouds, followed by rain showers and lightning, and finished with threatening clouds and some light rainfall. We cycled on paved roads all day.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 31: From creek to creek to river

EvE Jun 8, 2024

Today we cycled from our dispersed campsite at Morgan Creek to Spring Creek campsite. We had blue skies all day, sometimes a little breeze, but it was welcome. We only rode on gravel roads today.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 30: More snow, and difficult climbs

EvE Jun 7, 2024

Today we cycled from the basic Eightmile Campground between Stanley and Challis to a dispersed campsite at Morgan Creek. We had blue skies, with some friendly clouds all day. We rode almost all day on gravel roads and double-track. Only in Challis we rode on pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 29: The Salmon river and ghost towns

EvE Jun 6, 2024

Today we cycled from the dispersed campsite 45km after Ketchum to the basic Eightmile Campground between Stanley and Challis. We started the day with blue skies, during the morning dark clouds formed and started to chase us, in the afternoon it was overcast, with threatening clouds before dinner, and it ended with some clouds and sun until the sun disappeared behind the mountains. We rode mainly on non-paved roads, except for a couple of kilometers in the morning and 20km out of Stanley.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 28: The Harimann Trail

EvE Jun 5, 2024

Today we cycled from our dispersed campsite 25km before Bellevue to another dispersed campsite 45km after Ketchum. We had blue skies all day, sunny, warm day. Most of the day we have cycled on gravel roads, double-track, single-track, a a bit on pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 27: That poor snake

EvE Jun 4, 2024

Today we rode from the Mountain View RV Park to a dispersed campsite 25km before Bellevue (just before a large climb). The weather was great again, blue skies, with only a few clouds, warm temps, strong winds. Most of the day was on non-paved, a section at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve was paved highway.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 26: Lava country, and rain

EvE Jun 3, 2024

Today we cycled from our dispersed campsite 30km after Blackfoot to the Mountain View RV Park in Arco. We had threatening clouds all day, got rained on for about 45 minutes in total, had again super strong winds, and a little bit of sun in the late afternoon. Except for riding into town, we only got, sometimes difficult, double-track.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 25: Idaho grasslands, and a brutal headwind

EvE Jun 2, 2024

Today we rode from the simple Sagehen Flat campground to a dispersed campsite 30km after Blackfoot. Today we got a cloudy day but also a (less warm) sun was shining. The road surfaces today were paved and non-paved 50/50.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 24: Entering Idaho

EvE Jun 1, 2024

Today we rode from our dispersed campsite near the Smokey Canyon Mine to Sagehen Flat campground between Soda Springs and Blackfoot. The day started with blue skies but soon clouds formed above the mountains, there seemed to be rain behind us, but we only got threatening clouds in the afternoon, and eventually friendly clouds with some sunshine to end the day. We have cycled mostly on gravel and some double-track.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 23: The snow got us again

EvE May 31, 2024

Today we rode from the North Eden campground in the Bear Lake State Park to a dispersed campsite 1km after the Smokey Canyon Mine, and 3km before the top of a pass. We mostly cycled on gravel today. The weather was a clear blue sky all day, plus a bit of a sometimes chilly wind.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 22: Wyoming, Utah, Wyoming, Utah

EvE May 30, 2024

Today we rode from the Phillips RV Park in Evanston to the North Eden campground at Bear Lake. Today we had beautiful weather with blue skies and a few clouds. We did have the colder wind again. The road surface was mainly on gravel and double-track, and some pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 21: Wide open Wyoming

EvE May 29, 2024

Today we rode from the Cottonwood campground in the Rockport State Park, Utah to the Phillips RV Park in Evanston, Wyoming. We had blue skies with friendly clouds all day. The road surfaces we cycled included pavement, rail-trail, and gravel.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 20: Difficult roads and another detour

EvE May 28, 2024

Today we rode from our dispersed campsite east of Strawberry Reservoir to Cottonwood Campground in the Rockport State Park. We had lots of sunshine, but also some threatening clouds. Road surfaces were difficult double-track, pavement, gravel, and a path used by wildlife.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 19: Meeting Anna and John

EvE May 27, 2024

Today we rode from the campground in the Palisade State Park to a dispersed campsite 15km east of Strawberry Reservoir. We had blue skies with a few clouds all day. We mostly rode a paved road, and a short difficult single-track.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 18: A beautiful valley

EvE May 26, 2024

Today we rode from the RV Park in Antimony to a campground in the Palisade State Park. We had blue skies with some clouds all day. We started on pavement, at noon back on off road surfaces, and in the late afternoon we did some more on pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 17: Detour because of the snow

EvE May 25, 2024

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite close to Bryce Canyon National Park to a dispersed campsite on the Aquarius Plateau. Oh no, we did not make that. We ended the day at an RV Park in a small community. The weather started great with blue skies. In the afternoon that changed to clouded, and then rain. We were supposed to have a gravel and double-track all day, but eventually the afternoon was paved.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 16: Memorial Day Friday, few camp spots

EvE May 24, 2024

Today we rode from Kanab to a dispersed campsite 10km before Bryce Canyon National Park. We started the day with blue skies, in the afternoon there were clouds, no sun, but the sun returned in the late afternoon. The first 40km was on a paved road. The rest of the day on a gravel road (with sometimes a layer of 1 to 5cm of really fine grained sand.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 15: Entering Utah

EvE May 23, 2024

Today we rode from our dispersed campsite near the Vermillion Cliffs to a motel in Kanab. We had blue skies all day, and the damn wind again. The road was paved for the first 10km, follow by gravel, good and bad, and the last 20km was also paved.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 14: More Red Rocks

EvE May 22, 2024

Today we rode from the dispersed campsite on the Navajo territory to another dispersed campsite near the Vermillion Cliffs. We had blue skies all day, and wind. The road surface was in the morning good gravel, mainly double-track. In the afternoon we had a paved road along the Vermillion Cliffs.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 13: Cycling around the Grand Canyon

EvE May 21, 2024

Today we rode from the dispersed campsite close to Grand Canyon National Park to another dispersed campsite on the Navajo territory after Cameron. Today with blue skies to start and end the day, during the day we had some clouds. Overall warm but not too warm. Most of the day we rode on a paved road, except for a few kilometers where we entered Grand Canyon National Park, and the Navajo territory.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 12: Single-track on the Arizona Trail

EvE May 20, 2024

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite north of Flagstaff to another dispersed campsite just outside Grand Canyon National Park. Today we mainly had overcast, it started an ended with additional sunshine between the clouds. There was also an very strong wind, with powerful gusts, all day long. The roads were not easy today. Some difficult trails with rocks, dried clay, gravel, and single-track.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 11: Passing Flagstaff

EvE May 19, 2024

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite at the top of Schnelby Hill north of Sedona to another dispersed campsite north of Flagstaff. We had blue skies all day, however, because of the elevation and wind it was never too warm. We had some rough roads today, combined with nice gravel roads and a little pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 10: The beautiful but challenging Schnebly Hill

EvE May 18, 2024

Today we rode from the Sunrise Resort RV Park close to Happy Jack to a dispersed campsite at the top of Sedona’s Schnebly Hill. We started with blue skies, had some clouds during the morning, and ended the day again with a clear sky. The road surfaces today were either paved or very rough off-road.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 09: The Mogollon Mountains

EvE May 17, 2024

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite north of Young to the Sunrise Resort RV park. We had blue skies starting the day, some clouds during the day, and again a clear sky in the evening. The road surface was mainly gravel, some double-track, and very little pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 08: Higher elevations

EvE May 16, 2024

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite at the Salty River to another dispersed campsite 15km north of Young. The day started with blue skies, later clouds, sometimes dark clouds in the mountains, and some rain in the evening. The road surfaces was about 50/50 paved vs non-paved.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 07: Swim and camp with kind locals

EvE May 15, 2024

Today we rode from our dispersed campsite in the Pina Mountains to a dispersed campsite at the Salty River. We again had hot weather with barely any clouds. The road surface, yeah, a barely rideable double-track with rocks and loose gravel, to nice gravel, and also pavement.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 06: An oasis in the middle of nowhere

EvE May 14, 2024

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite 12km after Oracle to another dispersed campsite in the Pina Mountains on our way to Globe. We, again, had a hot day, I think even hotter than the previous days, and with less wind because of the mountains. The road surface varied between excellent gravel, paved, bad gravel, and riverbed.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 05: Mount Lemon up and down again

EvE May 13, 2024

Today we rode from the Molino Campground on Mount Mellon to a dispersed campsite 12km after Oracle. The weather started as previous days, all blue skies with later some scatteres clouds. The road surface started with a paved road to the top of Mount Mellon and from there changes into off-road, varying from easy and comfortable to very rough.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 04: Tuscon again

EvE May 12, 2024

Today we rode from our dispersed campsite north of the Cascabel Community Center to the first campground (at 1400m). Weather same as previous days. The road surface not so much. This difficult and challenging conditions.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 03: Gates, gates, and more gates

EvE May 11, 2024

Today we rode from Thombstone to a dispersed campsite 8km north of the Cascabel Community Center. The weather was similar to previous days, blue skies all over and a bit of wind. The road surfaces included paved (but not as much as previous days), gravel, loose gravel and sand, double track with pinned bushes at the sides and in the middle.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 02: The official route

EvE May 10, 2024

Today we rode from Sierra Vista to Thombstone. The weather was similar to yesterday, blue skies and winds from the south. Road surfaces were plenty today, a mixture of paved roads, good and bad gravel roads, single track, loose sand, and rolling hills.

Travel: WWR BikePacking

Day 01: We are on our way

EvE May 9, 2024

Today we rode from Tuscon to Sierra Vista. The weather was beautiful, a blue sky throughout the day. All roads were paved roads, some with busy traffic some quit.

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