The Wild West Bikepacking Route is a long-distance epic from Canada to Mexico that links together dirt roads and rough 4x4 tracks through Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona, showcasing the vast expanses of wild and public lands in the Intermountain West.

The 2,700-mile Wild West Route offers bikepackers a non-technical, expedition-scale riding experience that immerses one in the vast expanses of wild and public lands in the Intermountain West. Nearly 70% of the route is on public lands: 18 National Forests, six National Parks and Monuments, two tribal parks, and four areas with Bureau of Land Management National Conservation Lands designation. Riders will experience the incredibly remote mountains of western Montana and central Idaho, the desolate beauty of southern Idaho’s Snake River Plain, endless vistas from Utah’s 10,000-foot plateaus, the canyon country of Navajo Nation and Grand Canyon region, and the towering Sky Islands and low Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona.

The Wild West Route balances scenic, remote, and enjoyable dirt riding with regular resupply opportunities in small communities. The route is more than 80% off-pavement, following primarily dirt roads and 4×4 tracks. Mountain bikes are strongly recommended – the dirt and gravel roads in this part of the United States are rarely well-graded, smooth gravel ribbons. Expect steep, relentless climbs, rocky and loose surfaces, and intermittent stream crossings. The most wild sections offer 150+ miles of riding through rugged terrain and offer absolutely no services. For riders familiar with the iconic Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, the Wild West Route provides a more rugged and remote experience. The route also features numerous alternate options, as well as extensions from both termini to the nearest transportation hubs.

Route Difficulty The geography, weather, and terrain are incredibly diverse along the Wild West Route, and each can pose significant challenges to riders. Most of the nine segments of the route include climbs with between 3,000 and 4,000 feet of elevation gain, and a few climbs exceed 5,000 feet. The miles in Montana and most of Idaho are very mountainous, feature deep canyons, abundant water, regularly spaced resupply options in small communities, and are almost entirely on public lands. Southern Idaho and northern Utah traverse lower elevation landscapes with less demanding riding, less water, and notably more private land. The route climbs over a series of high plateaus in central and southern Utah, spending many miles near 10,000 feet elevation. Services and water become less frequent, and the route returns to being almost entirely on public lands. Many miles of the route in central and southern Utah also become impassable when wet. Northern Arizona’s canyon country is magnificent and remote, and water remains scarce. The terrain across Navajo Nation, past Grand Canyon, and beyond is less demanding than Utah’s high plateaus, but shade is sparse in the grassland-dominated region. The route becomes rougher and more challenging in Arizona’s forested Central Highlands. Southern Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is extremely hot during summer months between 2,000 and 4,000 feet high, but water, resupply options, and communities become more frequent, and a few tall mountain ranges provide refuge from the heat.

Route Development: The Wild West Route has been developed by Bikepacking Roots, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the growing bikepacking community. A cadre of bikepackers envisioned a new Canada-to-Mexico route at various times, including Matthew Lee, Scott Morris, Casey Greene, Kaitlyn Boyle, and Kurt Refsnider. Identifying the best alignment for this new route involved extensive reconnaissance by Kurt Refsnider, recommendations from other mountain bikers, input from local residents along the route corridor, and suggestions from land managers with the Forest Service and BLM. Bikepacking Roots is deeply appreciative of and honored by the collaboration that formed with the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department and the Navajo Y.E.S. non-profit as part of the Navajo Nation Trails Initiative, as well as from all the individuals who provided input on the route at the Navajo Nation Trails Conference in 2017 and 2018. More than 40 bikepackers test rode the route in 2018 and provided feedback for refinement, recommendations for bike-friendly services, and built awareness of the Wild West Route in communities along the way. And the route could not have been developed without the generous financial contributions from the members and partners of Bikepacking Roots, in particular Salsa Cycles and Revelate Designs.