As a full-time overlander, I can’t begin to express how invaluable online resources are. Sure, there’s a romanticism to route planning and figuring it out as you go, but some of my best experiences have been unplanned. However, the reality of living on the road is that time is precious, money is often tight, and it’s easy to waste time and miss some of the best routes and locations. Whether it’s information on the best photography locations, campgrounds, wild camp spots, local amenities, repair shops, supply points, or route options, online resources allow you to arrive in a new area and, within an hour, create a detailed itinerary based on local expertise. One such service that has built a reputation for excellence, subsequently becoming a household name in the ADV community, is Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR).
BDR is a non-profit organization that creates off-highway routes for dual-sport and adventure motorcycle travel. The company has released new routes (with free GPS) every year since 2010, including rides in Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, the Mid-Atlantic region, Southern California, the North-East region, and now Wyoming.
The company created 11 trans-state and regional routes but recently announced a series of shorter rides known as BDR-X. These will be excursions off existing BDR routes or entirely new areas, shorter (300 to 600 miles) in length, requiring just a few days to complete, and loop the rider back to the starting point. These new adventures enjoy many of the same resources as BDR’s traditional routes, such as an interactive map, short documentary film, free downloadable GPS tracks, a printable map, travel resources, and FAQs. BDR is working on several of these routes, and the first ride, the BDR-X Red Desert, was recently released.
Designed to offer a sample of the region known as the Red Desert, the track kicks off at the start of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (WYBDR). The loop is 149 miles, can be completed in a day or broken up into two, and benefits from dispersed camping mid-way through the route. Highlights include the Killpecker Sand Dunes and a diverse landscape of sagebrush steppe, mountains, buttes, and rocky pinnacles. A short documentary film has been released and can be viewed here.
If that wasn’t enough, BDR recently made its library of expedition documentary films available for free on YouTube. Most of these were filmed and directed by ADV filmmaker and BDR Co-Founder Sterling Noren. “It was a big goal for the organization to be able to offer all of the BDR film titles for free to the community,” he said. “Now, anyone, anywhere in the world with an internet connection can watch these films and get inspired to ride a BDR.”
What’s not to love? A non-profit organization creating off-highway routes for adventure and dual-sport motorcycle travel with free expertly corroborated supporting resources and corresponding short films. I can’t help thinking many BDR routes would also be a great option for bikepacking, especially their new shorter BDR-X trips. If you’d like more information, head over to ridebdr.com.
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