Since 2010, the adventure motorcycling non-profit Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) has created 10 trans-state routes for dual-sport and adventure motorcycle travel. Now, BDR announces its eleventh route, the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route (WYBDR), produced in partnership with BMW Motorrad USA and Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation.
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The BDR organization’s WYBDR release includes free GPS tracks, a digital map, professional photographs, and travel resources at RideBDR.com/WYBDR. This will be followed by a printed waterproof map, produced in collaboration with Butler Motorcycle Maps, and currently available for pre-order at Touratech-USA and Butler Maps. Additionally, a documentary film directed by Sterling Noren and produced by BDR Documentary Films will be available.
The WYBDR Route
The Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route is the eleventh route developed by the BDR organization for adventure motorcycle travel. Riders will test their skills and endurance on this epic 950-mile backcountry tour of Wyoming spanning from the border of Colorado to Montana. The tracks wind through five mountain ranges and explore vast high-desert regions on public dirt roads and primitive double-track. Expect scenic views, endless forest roads under a canopy of trees, high-desert terrain, flowing curves, rocky expert-only sections, and alpine elevations reaching 11,000 feet.
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Riders will traverse two major rim escarpments and pass through many seldom visited areas and historic mining towns. This route regularly throws unexpected challenges at riders, and almost every section includes some technical riding. WYBDR is the most remote of all the BDRs, so preparedness is key to a successful WYBDR adventure.
“Riders will love the scenic diversity of the WYBDR. This route showcases the character of the state with forested mountain ranges, high-desert plains, rural valleys and so many different backcountry settings. The elevations frequently change and so does the scenery. The challenging sections were the most special to me and I think they will test even the most experienced of riders.” – Bryce Stevens, Wyoming Route Architect & BDR Co-Founder
WYBDR Film & Tour
The WYBDR expedition documentary film tour begins February 5th at dealerships and clubs across the country. Join fellow adventure enthusiasts for an exciting evening of film and adventure at one of the upcoming WYBDR film screenings, or help organize a film event near you.
The expedition documentary film features the BDR team and special guests Wendy Naessens of the BMW US Rider Academy, and Jocelin Snow, former AMA racer and BMW International GS Trophy competitor, taking a first run on the WYBDR. The team tests their skills and discovers the gems of the Wyoming backcountry, as they enjoy the rugged beauty of the wildlands and meet creatures that inhabit these remote and seldom visited regions of Wyoming.
“Having the opportunity to ride the entire 1,000-mile Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route as part of the documentary film truly has been an awesome life experience. I have been fortunate enough to instruct others, new and old, on how to improve their motorcycle skills and broaden their riding horizons. This breathtaking route that BDR has put together will test your skills and leave you with memories that will last a lifetime.”- Wendy Naessens, BMW US Rider Academy
For listing of Backcounty Discovery Routes events and film screenings, visit RideBDR.com/Events
A film tour is being planned in over 50 cities across the country. Dealerships and motorcycle clubs interested in hosting a film event are encouraged to contact BDR to reserve their date on the tour.
Free Film Public Release
The BDR organization has decided to make its latest WYBDR film available for free on YouTube after the film tour is complete on May 1, 2022. This decision was made to help broaden the availability of the film to the community. Free distribution is a more environmentally friendly approach and also eliminates the costly process of producing, storing and distributing DVDs.
Wyoming Tourism Partners
The Wyoming BDR has been developed in partnership with the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation. Local governments in seven different counties along the route supported the project and embraced BDR’s mission of helping to boost local economies with a sustainable new form of tourism. This BDR route is projected to bring riders from across the county and around the world to Wyoming in the coming years, and not just to the usual tourist hot spots, but to rural communities that will benefit from this positive economic impact.
“As participation in the outdoors continues to increase, Wyoming’s Office of Outdoor Recreation recognizes the importance of enhancing and developing outdoor recreation opportunities, promoting responsible and sustainable recreation, and the need for quality, accessible resources for recreationists. Partnering with Backcountry Discovery Routes has been the perfect opportunity to expose a reputable group of adventurers to the lesser-known treasures of Wyoming’s public lands while utilizing existing infrastructure and initiating a positive economic impact in rural communities along a route otherwise less traveled.”-Laurel Thompson, Outreach Coordinator, Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation
BDR-X: A New Backcountry Discovery Routes Concept
As BDR heads into its second decade, a big goal for the organization is to improve and expand on the experiences and resources it provides to the ADV community.
The BDR community has been asking for more routes, and, specifically, for routes that loop. So in addition to the classic BDR routes, in 2022 BDR is introducing the BDR-X. A shorter, BDR-style route that loops.
A BDR-X may be an excursion off of an existing route or something entirely new in an area where there’s yet to be a BDR route. BDR-X’s will be designed to only take a few days to ride and BDR plans to rollout multiple routes in the coming years, starting with the Red Desert, Wyoming BDR-X.
The Red Desert BDR-X tracks are available on the BDR website. A print-ready PDF of the Red Desert BDR-X map and a short video will be available following the route release.
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Source: RiderMagazine.com