Anyone do the Utah Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR)?

[markthegrea]

In April we are taking the GX to run the Utah BDR. Anyone else do this? Any stories?

Utah Backcountry Discovery Route (UTBDR) Map & Information

This route includes iconic places including Valley of the Gods, Moab, the Abajo and La Sal mountains, Onion Creek, 9 Mile Canyon and the Wasatch Mountains.

ridebdr.com

 

[r2m]

Nope, not done it, but we've done the Mojave Trail. Considering you're from Illinois, and not knowing your overlanding experience, I suggest paying close attention to the packing list, especially fuel and water. Water goes quickly, between washing, cooking and hydration, you can go through a lot quickly. A 5 gal jerry for my wife and I will last about 4 days, but we also have "bottled" water we bring too so we're not sucking off the 5 gallons.

Fuel generally is not too much to worry about, there are very few places in the "lower 48" that are less than a half tank away from a gas station. All the same, plot how many miles. If it's less than 200 miles for the entire run, one tank should be fine. You'll be getting your worst MPG on the trail at probably 10 - 12 MPG depending up your tires and how loaded up you are.

Also, if you're using a fridge instead of a cooler, get a large hydration bottle with a neck large enough to fit your hand. The ones I'm referring to are the double walled stainless steel type. Use that for ice. It's very handy having ice for your drinks and those double walled containers will keep it as ice for about 4 or 5 days (assuming it's out of the sun).

Hoping you have a great time and if nobody else has anything to post, I hope you can post some great pic's with a good story!

 

[markthegrea]

We have done both the Mid-Atlantic BDR and some of the Idaho BDR. Great time and well mapped. As for gas, they are made for motorcycles, so there is always lots of gas along the way. We take 2 jerry cans of water. We use about a gallon a piece a day, so we can last 5 days.

A 5 gal jerry for my wife and I will last about 4 days, but we also have "bottled" water we bring too so we're not sucking off the 5 gallons.

I'm more concerned with the weather. I found a map that shows snow conditions. We got snowed out of Wyoming last year and the Facebook groups won't let non-motorcyclists in so we couldn't get up to date weather or road conditions. Things close sometimes. It is pretty cool:

ArcGIS Web Application

ridebdr.maps.arcgis.com

 

[re_guderian]

April can still have snow in the high country.

 

[Lono]

I've done the UTBDR by motorcycle. I don't think it would present much difficulty for a GX with proper tires and running boards removed, but know that conditions are highly variable. Perfectly smooth roads can become treacherously rutted out with a single storm, so having nav capability for bailouts is advised. Lurk on some of the moto-oriented sites to gather timely beta on conditions.

If you haven't been to Monument Valley/Valley of the Gods I'd recommend you budget an extra day for Section 1. There's so much to see just off the route. Butler Wash and the Abajos (both on the route) are magic from afternoon to sunset--in the summer the clouds build in the afternoon offering a reprieve from the heat and stunning vistas. There are plenty of other magic spots as you continue north, but I would recommend you end at Bald Mountain Pass or Evanston. That last 100 miles is fine, but nothing remarkable. You could also skip the section between Green River and Wellington if you wanted to make up some time.

With a normal snowpack, the earliest you could expect to start is late June. We're above normal this year, so I would say end of June through early October is your window. If you do go in the summer be careful of and prepared for extreme heat. People frequently die when they get lost or stranded on otherwise simple outings. The desert DGAF.

COBDR is my favorite and doable in a GX.

 

[markthegrea]

I've done the UTBDR by motorcycle. I don't think it would present much difficulty for a GX with proper tires and running boards removed, but know that conditions are highly variable. Perfectly smooth roads can become treacherously rutted out with a single storm, so having nav capability for bailouts is advised. Lurk on some of the moto-oriented sites to gather timely beta on conditions.

If you haven't been to Monument Valley/Valley of the Gods I'd recommend you budget an extra day for Section 1. There's so much to see just off the route. Butler Wash and the Abajos (both on the route) are magic from afternoon to sunset--in the summer the clouds build in the afternoon offering a reprieve from the heat and stunning vistas. There are plenty of other magic spots as you continue north, but I would recommend you end at Bald Mountain Pass or Evanston. That last 100 miles is fine, but nothing remarkable. You could also skip the section between Green River and Wellington if you wanted to make up some time.

With a normal snowpack, the earliest you could expect to start is late June. We're above normal this year, so I would say end of June through early October is your window. If you do go in the summer be careful of and prepared for extreme heat. People frequently die when they get lost or stranded on otherwise simple outings. The desert DGAF.

COBDR is my favorite and doable in a GX.

Perfect advice! So our trip is planned for late April into May. Have you seen the website I posted above that shows snow depths? Im hoping we can at least do the southern part of the trail.

Love the section 1 advice above. We will be doing that as I am not sure we have seen Monument Valley yet. We drove Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef and were blown away.

And I thought the COBDR would be impossible through the Rockies. Maybe next year for us! Thanks for taking the time to post!

 

[BigSwede]

Yeah higher elevations are a concern that time of year. Heck, last year I did some of the Wyoming BDR in early July and had to skip the Wind River range and the upper part of the Snowy Mountains range.