Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route Revealed

The greatly anticipated 5th Backcountry Discovery Route was unveiled before a sold out auditorium in Boise last evening. The movie ran for about 90 minutes and was a big hit, based on the reaction of the 350 in attendance. People laughed in some places, cheered in others, and groaned when a couple of the riders went down. Along with DVDs of the new movie, the new Idaho BDR maps were for sale in the lobby. Those who waited to get them after the show were disappointed as both quickly sold out.

In a nutshell, the trail begins in Nevada just across the Idaho line and runs up through the Gem State before turning east into Montana on the Magruder corridor. The route then swings back into Idaho and north to finish at the Canadian border. The route runs over mountains, across rivers and through some of Idaho's most remote and beautiful back country. Anyone riding this route will not be disappointed by the scenery or the challenge of completing the ride.

After the movie, BDR riders Paul Guilliem from Touratech and Justin Bradshaw from Butler maps were on hand for a Q&A session. Someone asked why the Idaho route is repeatedly mentioned as the "least technical" of all the BDRs. Paul Guilliem explained the less technical aspect will allow more riders to participate in the BDR experience. I asked what suspension or other modifications were done to the bikes. The short answer was "none" these were stock BWMs and KTMs on the route. Honestly, I had not expected that answer since the bikes were fully loaded with panniers and soft luggage on some rough and rocky roads.

The final event for the evening was a drawing for a bunch of cool door prizes. As the table full of t-shirts, caps, and other freebies dwindled, I was stunned to hear my number called. I was stunned because I have never, ever, won a drawing of any sort. That changed tonight and I brought home an autographed copy of Into the Horizon by Lance Gines, who was on hand to present the book. Cool. Looks like I will be doing a book review sometime soon.

The IDBDR movie exceeded all of my expectations for the BDR series by once again showing great off road riding on a fantastic route. This BDR also highlights some Idaho history as well as many of the people and places worth visiting along the way. While no KLRs made the trip, our bike can handle the mountains, gravel switchbacks, and other challenges as well as the bigger, heavier, adventure bikes that appear in the movie.