Great Divide Mountainbike Route (GDMBR)

We rode the Great Divide Mountainbike Route (GDMBR) in 2023.

The GDMBR is a 4339 km/2696 mile long mountainbike route from Banff in Canada to Antelope Wells on the American/Mexican border of New Mexico. Of all these kms, 90% is unpaved. It goes through the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and the US states Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. It follows the Continental Divide, a mountain range in all of Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. A large part of the route is through the Rocky Mountains.

The route has existed for quite some time and has been on our to-ride-list since about 2012. Because Ronnie could take a sabbatical this year, we were finally able to ride the route.

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GDMBR Calgary

After a pretty sleepless night we put the bikes together and did some shopping. We had to get used to the lovely heat, but we didn’t mind, and Bernice showed us a bit of the city and its surroundings. We were planning on leaving for Banff the next day, but then we found out the famous Calgary Stampede was starting then. It’s a week of carnival, eating, drinking, but mostly of rodeo’s. Of course it would be great to stay and experience this famous event, so we decided to stay another day. Continue reading

GDMBR Banff – Fernie

After a good night sleep we would finally start the GDMBR! The route starts at the famous Banff Springs Hotel, so we had to go there first. The trailhead wasn’t hard to find. We knew it was going to be tough from the beginning because there are some steep climbs from the beginning. And indeed, the climbs were steep so the legs woke up quickly. But it was beautiful and we rode through nice scenery of forest and water. We also saw our first (black) bear and had our first wild camping night. There were many bears in the area, but fortunately we didn’t have any problems. We did see a moose passing by our tent one morning. Continue reading

GDMBR Fernie – Whitefish

From Fernie we rode one of the alternate routes, the Flathead Alternate. This route goes through a very remote area where many grizzly bears live. They also call it the grizzly highway, apparently this area has the highest density of grizzlies in all of North America. Nobody lives there, the only people there are some fishermen, hunters and other campers on the few small primitive campgrounds. Continue reading

GDMBR Whitefish – Butte

After 2 days of rest it was time to get back on the road. But we had only just left the town when Linda’s bike started to cause problems. It made a rattling noise, wouldn’t shift anymore and she couldn’t pedal backwards anymore. So we had to go back to town. Fortunately it’s a large town with many facilities and also some good bike shops. Those towns are hard to find along the route, so we were lucky. We went to the closest bike shop and explained what had happened. Fortunately it turned out not to be something very serious. One of the jockey wheels was completely waisted, the bearings even came out. We had never had that happen before! They had a used one lying around, so that was put in. A fast and cheap sollution. And then we could get back to riding. Continue reading

GDMBR Butte – Colter Bay

From Butte we rode to the tiny town of Wise River. It was a hard day, with 2 long climbs. The second climb was on notorious Fleecer Ridge. It was a steep last bit to the top and we had to push, but that wasn’t the real problem. To get down there was a 500 meter/1500 ft slope with a 38% gradient… So we also had to walk there and we had to try to prevent our heavy bikes from sliding or taking off with our bodies. In Wise River we could sleep in the communtiy center. The next day we arrived in Bannack State Park where there’s a goldmining ghost town.

And then it was over with the good (and very hot!) weather. The next day we woke up under a grey sky, but it was still dry. That wouldn’t last much longer. It started drizzeling quickly and it stayed like that the rest of the day. So we rode to Lima in the rain. Lima turned out to be a very shitty town, with only a gass station with a small convenience store where they had almost nothing, restaurant (that was closed) and a motel where you could also camp. The rain kept getting worse and it kept raining all night. It was dry early next morning, but again that didn’t last long.

We were worried about the road condition after all that rain and it turned out we were right te be worried. We had only left the pavement a few kms/miles when misery started. The mud was so sticky, like clay, that it stuck everywhere on the bikes and tires. Thick placks of mud formed between the tires and the fenders. Trying to get it off didn’t have any effect, after just a few feet it would be back. We couldn’t move the bikes forward or backward anymore and were absolutely stuck…. The mud had collected underneath the fenders, especially Linda’s back fender.

Fortunately  a pickup came in our direction, it must have been the only driver that was brave enough to drive there all day, and we were able to get a ride to a point where the worst would be over. That was indeed the case, we could ride again for a while. But then it went wrong again. We decided to take Linda’s fender off so the back wheel could turn again. That helped and after a long, hard day with lots of pushing we arrived at a camp spot in the beginning of the evening.

The next day was a little bit dryer and we managed to ride into civilization. Fortunately the weather got a bit better every day and after a few days we were back to riding in warmth and sunshine, even though there were still dark, threatning skies and it stayed a bit unstable. We rode on a rail trail toward Grand Teton National Park. We wanted to camp at a ranch, but weren’t allowed to because of the many (grizzly)bears in the area. The bears had even been on the front porch so camping wasn’t allowed. We had to rent a cabin, but we didn’t even mind because there was another big thunderstorm that evening. We didn’t see any bears…

Just before another rainshower, we arrived in Grand Teton National Park and Colter Bay, the created village with hotels, campground, grocery store and restaurants. We treated ourselves to a pizza and stayed there on a rainy day to do some maintance on the bikes and to wait for better weather.

GDMBR Colter Bay – Pinedale

With the beautiful mountains of Teton getting smaller in the background, we rode to Pinedale over Togwotee Pass (almost 3000 meters/ 9000 ft high) and Union Pass. Union Pass was steep, but the view at the top was great. Then there were many very hilly kms/miles and a descent on a horribly bad road. The last section to Pinedale was mostly flat, so that was nice.

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GDMBR Pinedale – Rawlins (The Basin)

From Pinedale we started on the ride through the ‘Basin’, a large high desert where there’s little water. So that meant that we had to plan for 3 days regarding our water. There are only a few places where you can find water. Continue reading

GDMBR Rawlins – Steamboat Springs

We left Rawlins in a storm and we cycled against the wind through an open landscape. The bikes were heavy again, because we had to carry extra water for the evening and part of the next day again. A car stopped alongside and the driver asked if we needed any water. We didn’t say no of course. He told us he was on his way to refill the cooler a bit further up the road. He always filled it for cyclists and hikers. So we met another trail angel. A few miles later we found the cooler with cold water and sachets with powder for energydrinks. We also took some of those and they really came in handy later on. Continue reading

GDMBR Steamboat Springs – Silverthorne

On a beautiful bike path along the river, we cycled past Steamboat. After a paved section we turned onto an unpaved road. We rode through a beautiful area of forest, hills, mountains and some farmland. In Stagecoach State Park we had to cross a dam which led us to a very nice single track with nice picknick spots. Where the path got back on the road, there was another cooler with water and packs of nuts. The water was really nice, because there wouldn’t be any water for 2 days again so we already carried extra water again. Continue reading