Travel: GDMBR BikePacking

Day 43: Are we already there?!?

 EvE        Sep 12, 2022

Today we rode from Hachita, New Mexico, US to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, US. Sunny weather with no clouds. Road conditions include a paved road only. Highlights of the day include reaching the endpoint of the route.

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Day 42: Snakes and other creepy animals

 EvE        Sep 11, 2022

Today we rode from Silver City, New Mexico, US to Hachita, New Mexico, US. Sunny weather with little clouds (some cloud coverage in the morning). Road conditions included paved road, gravel roads, and dirt roads. Highlights of the day include the dirt road with snakes, and the scenery change to desert.

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Day 41: Cycling in the dark

 EvE        Sep 10, 2022

Today we rode from Beaverhead Work Center, New Mexico, US to Silver City, New Mexico, US. Sunny weather with some clouds. Road conditions included New Mexico gravel roads and paved roads. Highlights of the day include our evening ride into Silver City.

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Day 40: These roads were killing us

 EvE        Sep 9, 2022

Today we rode from Valle Tios Vinces Campground, New Mexico, US to Beaverhead Work Center (firebrigade center), New Mexico, US. Same weather as yesterday, often sun, but not too hot. Road conditions included mainly New Mexico off road such as gravel, loose sand, rocks, and washboarded road. Highlights of the day include seeing the forces of nature at the Bursum road.

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Day 39: The best Pie ever, not?

 EvE        Sep 8, 2022

Today we rode from Joe Skeen Campground (25km after Sargents), New Mexico, US to Valle Tios Vinces Campground (45km after Pie Town), New Mexico, US. Not as sunny weather as other days, there was some overcast (which was appreciated) and a few raindrops during our second part. Road conditions included paved roads, and for the large part New Mexico gravel roads. Highlights of the day include being back in (smaller) mountains and forests.

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Day 38: Yes, forests again …

 EvE        Sep 7, 2022

Today we rode from Chaco Trading Post (GDMBR Chaco Alternate), New Mexico, US to Joe Skeen Campground (25km after Sargents), New Mexico, US. Sunny weather all day. Road conditions included paved roads only. Highlights of the day include making mileage, visiting Grants, and our evening campground.

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Day 37: The last day in the forest?!?

 EvE        Sep 6, 2022

Today we rode from dispersed campground 22km before Cuba, New Mexico, US to Chaco Trading Post (GDMBR Chaco Alternate), New Mexico, US. Sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions were perfect, only paved roads. Highlights of the day include the scenery change from the last forests and mountains to more desert and ‘flatter’.

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Day 36: Running out of daylight

 EvE        Sep 5, 2022

Today we rode from Abiquiu, New Mexico, US to dispersed campground 22km before Cuba, New Mexico, US. Sunny weather with little clouds, thunderstorms building up in the afternoon (no rain for us). Road conditions mostly very difficult. Highlights of the day include riding a 20km climb on the most difficult road so far, pitching tent in forest before Cuba (probably last forest of the route).

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Day 34: New Mexican roads …

 EvE        Sep 4, 2022

Today we rode from Informal Campground, New Mexico, US to Abiquiu, New Mexico, US. Sunny weather all day. Road conditions included paved roads, gravel roads (good and bad). Highlights of the day include the changing scenery, our stop for the night (Retreat at the River).

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Day 33: The highest pass on the route

 EvE        Sep 2, 2022

Today we rode from a cabin at the base of the climb to Indiana Pass, Colorado, US to Horca, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with very little clouds. Road conditions included gravel roads only. Highlights of the day include climbing Indiana Pass, meeting trail angels and their support.

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Day 32: Kevin’s Cabin

 EvE        Sep 1, 2022

Today we rode from informal campground 8km before the top of Canero Pass, Colorado, US to a cabin at the base of the climb to Indiana Pass, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions included paved roads, gravel roads, and jeep tracks. Highlights of the day include climbing Canero Pass, the jeep tracks after La Garita, and the cabin were we will stay for the night.

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Day 31: No formal campground today

 EvE        Aug 31, 2022

Today we rode from Tomichi Creek Trading Post (Sargents), Colorado, US to informal campground 8km before the to of Canero Pass, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with some clouds. Road conditions included paved roads and lots of gravel roads. Highlights of the day include climbing Cochetopa Pass and the ride up to our informal campground.

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Day 30: Salida

 EvE        Aug 30, 2022

Today we rode from Salida, Colorado, US to Tomichi Creek Trading Post (Sargents), Colorado, US. Sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions included paved roads and different sorts of gravel roads (smooth & difficult surfaces). Highlights of the day include having a lunch break on Marshall Pass and meeting all kinds of different people.

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Day 29: A downtown visit

 EvE        Aug 29, 2022

Today we rode from Hartsell, Colorado, US to Salida, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions included some paved roads and good gravel roads. Highlights of the day include a very good a long downhill, and the town of Salida.

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Day 28: The knee says NO

 EvE        Aug 28, 2022

Today we rode from Silverthorne, Colorado, US to Hartsell, Colorado, US. The day started with sunny weather, eventually overcast, and later thunderstorms (we have not been rained on today). Road conditions included paved roads and gravel roads. Highlights of the day include Boreas Pass (one to second highest peak on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route).

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Day 27: Radium

 EvE        Aug 27, 2022

Today we rode from Radium, Colorado, US to Silverthorne, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with afternoon thunderstorms. Road conditions included easy gravel roads and paved roads. Highlights of the day include climbing Ute Pass.

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Day 26: This water will make you glow

 EvE        Aug 26, 2022

Today we rode from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, US to Radium, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with clouds, and thunderstorms. Road conditions included gravel roads for most of the day (few kilometer of paved roads). Highlights of the day include seeing some of the rock formations.

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Day 25: Bike maintenance

 EvE        Aug 25, 2022

Today we rode from Brush Mountain Lodge, Colorado, US to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, US. Sunny / overcast weather. Road conditions included mainly gravel roads, and jeep tracks. Highlights of the day include Brush Mountain Lodge.

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Day 24: Brush Mountain Lodge

 EvE        Aug 24, 2022

Today we rode from the Teton Reservoir Campground 16km south of Rawlins, Wyoming, US to Brush Mountain Lodge, Colorado, US. Sunny weather with clouds. Road conditions included paved roads and gravel roads. Highlights of the day include Brush Mountain Lodge!!.

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Day 23: A&M Reservoir

 EvE        Aug 23, 2022

Today we rode from the A&M Reservoir in the Great Basin, Wyoming, US to the Teton Reservoir Campground 16km south of Rawlins, Wyoming, US. Sunny weather with clouds, rain + hail shower in the afternoon. Road conditions were easy today and included a good gravel road but mostly paved roads. Highlights of the day include sunrise at the A&M Reservoir, sunset at the Teton Reservoir, and laundry ;).

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Day 22: Desolate and remote

 EvE        Aug 22, 2022

Today we rode from Atlantic City, Wyoming, US to the A&M Reservoir in the Great Basin, Wyoming, US. Very sunny weather with some clouds (and we appreciated that). Road conditions included different kinds of gravel only. Highlights of the day include the remoteness and large open landscapes.

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Day 21: Respect our flag or piss off

 EvE        Aug 21, 2022

Today we rode from Pinedale, Wyoming, US to Atlantic City, Wyoming, US. Sunny weather with thunderstorms in the afternoon. Road conditions included paved roads and gravel roads. Highlights of the day include sleeping in a nice cabin.

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Day 20: Union Pass

 EvE        Aug 20, 2022

Today we rode from an informal campground at the base of the climb to Union Pass, Wyoming, US to Pinedale, Wyoming, US. Sunny weather with clouds, thunderstorms/rain in the afternoon. Road conditions were hard steep climbing on rough gravel roads. Highlights of the day were the distant views after climbing the top before Union Pass.

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Day 19: Impassable when wet

 EvE        Aug 19, 2022

Today we rode from Colter Bay, Wyoming, US to an informal campground at the base of the climb to Union Pass, Wyoming, US. Sunny weather with little clouds, later changing into rain and thunderstorms (our first real rain). Road conditions included paved roads, and different gravel roads. Highlights of the day include the Tetons!

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Day 18: The three teats

 EvE        Aug 18, 2022

Today we rode from Buffalo Campground, Idaho, US to Colter Bay, Wyoming, US. Sunny weather with little clouds, thunderstorms (no rain) end of afternoon. Road conditions included some paved roads, gravel roads, jeep track, and some single track. Highlights of the day include riding the Yellowstone Branch Line Trail, getting towards and into the Tetons.

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Day 17: Hello Idaho!

 EvE        Aug 17, 2022

Today we rode from Upper Red Rock Lake Campground, Montana, US to Buffalo Campground, Idaho, US. Sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions included great gravel roads and very little paved roads. Highlights of the day include single track riding in Idaho.

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Day 16: Ralphs, Ralphs, Ralphs !$$$!

 EvE        Aug 16, 2022

Today we rode from an Informal Campground 35km after Grant, Montana, US to Upper Red Rock Lake Campground, Montana, US. Very sunny weather with no clouds. Road conditions included gravel roads and little paved roads. Highlights of the day include 100 miles on the bike in one day, and riding through a beautiful canyon.

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Day 15: O Water, where art thou?

 EvE        Aug 15, 2022

Today we rode from the 4th of July Campground, 12km after Wise River, Montana, US to an Informal Campground 35km after Grant, Montana, US. Sunny weather with no clouds. Road conditions included a paved road section and gravel sections. Highlights of the day include the scenery change from mountains/forests to hills/sagebrush.

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Day 14: Butte

 EvE        Aug 14, 2022

Today we rode from Butte, Montana, US to the 4th of July Campground, 12km after Wise River, Montana, US. We had very sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions were included paved roads and gravel roads in good condition (besides some washboarding). Highlights of the day include the changes in scenery and passing Fleecer Ridge.

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Day 13: Easy day to Butte

 EvE        Aug 13, 2022

Today we rode from Basin, Montana, US to Butte, Montana, US. Sunny weather with some clouds, a heavy rain shower + thunderstorm in the morning. Road conditions were definitely OK (a fine gravel road all the way). Highlights of the day was that it was really shorter day.

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Day 12: An ‘easy’ day

 EvE        Aug 12, 2022

Today we rode from Helena, Montana, US to Basin, Montana, US. Sunny weather with clouds, a few drops, and thunderstorms surrounding us at the end of the day. Road conditions were brutal (gravel, lots of difficult jeep tracks). Highlights of the day include the scenery, the difficult tracks, and concurring the 3rd pass of this day.

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Day 11: Slowly-but-steady

 EvE        Aug 11, 2022

Today we rode from Lincoln, Montana, US to Helena, Montana, US. The day started with mist, however, within two hours it was full on summer again with high temperatures. Road conditions included a few paved roads, lots of different gravel roads, but also lots of difficult double track / jeep track. Highlights of the day include climbing 3 passes that crosses the North American Divide, the changing scenery, and checking into our first motel..

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Day 10: Seeley Lake

 EvE        Aug 10, 2022

Today we rode from Seeley Lake, Montana, US to Lincoln, Montana, US. Clouded day with sometimes a bit of sun, 10 drops of rain. Road conditions included gravel roads, paved roads, jeep tracks, lots of washboarding. Highlights of the day include sceneries from the passes, changes in scenery between forests and farmland, clouds.

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Day 09: More remote than the Flathead

 EvE        Aug 9, 2022

Today we rode from a dispersed campsite, Montana, US to Big Larch Campground at Seeley Lake, Montana, US. Very sunny weather again with little to no clouds. Road conditions included much gravel roads, some jeep tracks, some paved roads, and some single track. Highlights of the day include getting out of a long forest road and see the mountain scenery again, and a single track downhill near the edge of the mountain.

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Day 08: That poor dog

 EvE        Aug 8, 2022

Today we rode from Columbia Falls, Montana, US to a dispersed camping spot 10km after Cedar Creek Campground, Montana, US. Very sunny weather with no clouds at all. Road conditions include paved roads, and different types of gravel road. Highlights of the day include a dog.

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Day 07: Downhill to the lake

 EvE        Aug 7, 2022

Today we rode from Red Meadow Campground, Montana, US to Columbia Falls, Montana, US. Very sunny weather with no clouds, warm at moments. Road conditions included gravel roads and paved roads. Highlights of the day include downhill from Red Meadow, scenery around Whitefish Lake, eating at a sports bar.

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Day 06: A view on Glacier National Park

 EvE        Aug 6, 2022

Today we rode from Eureka, Montana, US to Red Meadow Campground, Montana, US. Very sunny weather with little clouds and 10 drops of rain. Road conditions included paved roads, gravel roads, and gravel road with sharp edgy rocks. Highlights of the day climbing Whitefish pass and Red Meadow Pass, camping at Red Meadow Campground.

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Day 05: Entering the US of A

 EvE        Aug 5, 2022

Today we rode from Harvey Campground in the Flathead Valley, British Columbia, Canada to Eureka, Montana, United States. Again sunny weather with little clouds. Road conditions included mainly gravel roads and some paved roads. Highlights of the day include a 12+ mile downhill in one go, and reaching the US border.

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Day 04: The Grizzley highway

 EvE        Aug 4, 2022

Wait, did day four not end happy at Butts Cabin? Unfortunately not. The wildfire, of which we saw the smoke, would mess up our planned stay at Butts Cabin and force us to use an alternative road out of the Flathead area.

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Day 03: A short day to Sparwood

 EvE        Aug 3, 2022

Today we rode from Elkford, British Columbia, Canada to Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada. Again we could enjoy a nice sunny day, not as warm as the days and that is all OK. Highlights of the day include seeing hot springs, saw a whole lot of cows and calves, nice single track.

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Day 02: The first long climb

 EvE        Aug 2, 2022

Today we rode from Boulton Campground, Alberta, Canada to Elkford, British Columbia, Canada. Again sunny weather with little clouds. Fortunately not as warm as yesterday. Mostly gravel roads, but some challenging (including hike-a-bike) single/jeep tracks. Highlights of the day Elk Pass and meeting other persons on the Divide.

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Day 01: Leaving Banff

 EvE        Aug 1, 2022

Today we rode from Bannf, Alberta, Canada to Boulton Campground, Alberta, Canada. Sunny / hot weather. Highlights of the day include the scenery. Lowlights was the distance, it was more than planned for a first day.

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Preparation day in banff

 EvE        Jul 31, 2022

The map below is zoomed into Banff, Alberta, Canada, and it includes two markers. The one in the top right corner is my camping spot (Tunnel Mountain Village I campground – E4) for the two nights in Banff National Park. The marker at the bottom is the Fairmont Banff Springs motel where I will start the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route on Monday, August 1st.

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Traveling to Banff, Alberta, Canada

 EvE        Jul 30, 2022

Today is the start of my adventure, finally. After many preparations and looking forward for a long time, the time has come to leave home and head towards Banff in Alberta, Canada. In two days I will start riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride, starting in front of the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. But before that, I first needed to get there.

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Bike and Gear list

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

For riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route you definitively need a bike and gear. These are available for any budget. As often, the budget will mainly decide upon quality, weight, and size. I have tried to re-use as much as possible but definitely had to buy quite some stuff. The items listed on this page are based on my criteria and decisions. Other persons might come to other conclusions.

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Bike transport

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

When riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, you’ll definitely need a bike ;). Renting is not an option, and neither is buying one local. You’ll want to have the bike upfront so that you can get used to it, make it comfortable, and get the correct bags, tools, and spare parts. So, the bike has to come along. In my case along on the plane (Amsterdam > Calgary) and shuttle (Calgary > Banff).

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Maps, maps, maps, ...

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

Today (May 9, 2022) I received the Canada + US map sets of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. It was a bit of a wait because they have been out-of-stock for a while over here in the Netherlands. But after several weeks, they arrived at the shop which sells them here in the Netherlands, which is FietsVakantieWinkel.

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Route alternates

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

When you are exploring the route for the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route then you will see that for certain sections there are alternate routes defined. I explored these alternates now so that I am well aware of my options during the ride so that I am better able to make decisions on which alternates to take and which to skip. Since I am riding the route SOBO (South-Bound; from North to South) I will list the alternates below in this order as well.

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Safety and Security

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

Riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is quite an undertaking. Along the route, you will pass different types of road, mostly gravel, but also some tougher sections and (very) remote areas. You will also experience all kinds of different weather from heat, to (very) cold, (heavy rain), and possibly snow and hail. On top of that, you are traveling through nature, where (black and grizzly) bears, mountain lions, snakes, scorpions, spiders, and other friendly animals live.

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Training and Preparations

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

Cycling the distance of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, while gaining a massive amount of elevation, through good and bad weather, and loaded with gear seems like quite a challenge. Of course, there are other factors like overall fitness, average pace, and most important (I think) the number of hours in the saddle each and every day.

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Transport and Logistics

 EvE        Apr 1, 2022

Before you can start riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route you need to go to ‘the starting point’. Wherever that may be, depending on personal choices. In my case, the starting point is Banff, Alberta in Canada, where I will start riding South-Bound.

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Planting a little seed

 EvE        Mar 30, 2022

After buying my first mountain bike in 2012, I saw the movie Ride the Divide. This movie follows the participants of the 2008 edition of the Tour Divide, a time-trail event on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. A little seed was planted in my head. I loved the idea, not the racing, but touring such a route. I always loved being in nature when visiting the US for our holidays. Exploring the US by bike sounded ideal (faster than by foot, slower than by car). Not much later I explored more-and-more details on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) and dreamed about the amazing experience it must be to ride this route.

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Weather and Route direction

 EvE        Mar 30, 2022

Due to the nature and length of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, careful attention must be paid to the travel direction (North-Bound vs. South-Bound) and the time of year (usually between June and October) for riding this route.

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What is the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route?

 EvE        Mar 30, 2022

“The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is Adventure Cycling’s premier off-pavement cycling route, crisscrossing the Continental Divide in southern Canada and the U.S. This route is defined by the word “remote.” Its remoteness equates with spectacular terrain and scenery. The entire route is basically dirt road and mountain-pass riding every day. In total, it has over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. Nearly 2,100 miles of the route is composed of County, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Canadian provincial unpaved roads.“, according to the Adventure Cycling Association.

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