Cycling the Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route 2021
In the spring of 2021 most international borders were still closed to “non-essential travel” (due to COVID-19). So we had to look closer to home for adventure. Fortunately for us, the USA offers an abundance of wonderful cycling routes. In particular, the Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route (WWR) caught our eye. It would take us through sparsely populated areas on roads that are lightly traveled - thus, reducing the risks of bicycle touring during a pandemic. But there was one big hurdle: it is more than 80% off-pavement. We ended up swapping out our trusty touring bikes for more of a bikepacking setup, and hit the trail. How hard could it be? Click on the links below to see how we fared on our first, long-distance, bikepacking journey.
Click on the image above to open an interactive map of our actual, final route, 2021.
Quick Links to Western Wildlands Blog Pages
3 June 2021. Cycling the Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route
11 June 2021. Weather Along the Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route
7-12 June 2021. Prologue to the Western Wildlands: Cycling the Katy Trail, Mickelson Trail, and Glacier National Park
17 June 2021. Changing Gear from Bike Touring to Bikepacking
18-28 June 2021. WWR Segment 1. Whitefish to Superior, Montana: Flatlanders Getting Used to the Mountains
2-12 July 2021. WWR Segment 2. Superior to Darby, Montana: Remote Riding through Gold Rush Territory
16-24 July 2021. WWR Segment 3. Darby, Montana to Bellevue, Idaho: Smoke, Fire and Sage
25 July - 4 August 2021. WWR Segment 4. Bellevue to Bear Lake, Idaho: Lava Landscapes and Bubbling Springs
5-14 August 2021. WWR Segment 5. Bear Lake, Idaho to Soldier Summit, Utah: Half-way to Mexico on the WWR
15-24 August 2021. WWR Segment 6, Part 1. Soldier Summit to Loa, Utah: Riding to the Sky
25-31 August 2021. WWR Segment 6, Part 2. Loa to Kanab, Utah: Descending the Grand Staircase
4-12 September 2021. WWR Segment 7. Kanab, Utah to Grand Canyon, Arizona: Canyons and Condors
13-22 September 2021. WWR Segment 8. Grand Canyon to Globe, Arizona: The Many Faces of Arizona
28 September - 6 October 2021. WWR Segment 9. Globe to Sierra Vista, Arizona: Made it to the Mexican Border