US Northwest Idaho BDR (and then some!)

[armyRN]

Man this looks like fun. June and July are super busy for me with both my sons getting married and then a school bus convention I have to attend for work July 29. Looks like fun. Wish I could make it, even for part of it.

It should be fun. I want it to be fun. I'm getting excited about the trip - something to be looking forward to the next few months.

If all goes according to plan (famous last words) we should be getting to Arco ID on 6 August. I don't know where you're starting out from, but maybe you could meet us there and drive to the OR coast with us?

And it looks like we've got someone signed-up already. Excellent.

 

[armyRN]

From the IDBDR website (Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route (IDBDR) Map & Information (ridebdr.com):

The IDBDR route is designed to be ridden on adventure and dual-sport motorcycles. There are no single-track style trails on this route. Many of the roads are in remote areas and reach high elevation areas where road maintenance is minimal or non-existent. While the ID route is considered to be an easier route compared to Utah or Arizona, you can expect to cover sections of road with deep ruts, loose rocks, sand and other challenges. Road conditions change from week to week based on the recent weather. When you see signs that read, “Roads may be impassable when wet”, use caution; roads become very slick and can be impassable. You may also encounter sections that have trees or branches over the road. Depending on time of year and weather, there may be a few small deep-water crossings. Flash floods are frequent during summer storms. Don’t cross flooded washes. Wait until water subsides.

Question: So how do they rate the different BDRs in terms of difficulty?

Answer (from the BDR website): Ranking the existing Backcountry Discovery Routes from most difficult to least difficult. Here is the list: CABDR-South, NEBDR, AZBDR, UTBDR, COBDR, NVBDR, WABDR, NMBDR, IDBDR, MABDR.

So if you've got a decent 4x4 with proper tires you should be good on this one. Don't let it scare you.

 

[Wildman]

Sounds like a REALLY fun trip.

 

[armyRN]

Sounds like a REALLY fun trip.

Hi Wildman - welcome to Overland Bound! I think you'll like it here.

And to everyone else -

The Overland Adventure Rallies have opened up for registration this summer! What's it been... two years since they've had them? Damn Covid.

Link: Home | Overland Adventure Rallies - Have Fun, Make Friends, Learn Stuff

I went to the last two NWORs held outside of Leavenworth WA and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It is a great venue, lots of excellent classes and displays, and plenty of vendors willing and ready to sell you all sorts of stuff (last time I went I bought some synthetic winch line for my Jeep). And they have a huge bonfire every night with guest speakers and a huge raffle (everyone gets one free raffle ticket as I recall). Camping is on-site, which is cool. They pack you in kinda tight (see picture below from the first year I went [solo]), but it was ok. Part of the fun is just walking around and checking out everyone else's rig and set-up.

Get there early as check-in wasn't the quickest - you and your vehicle might be in line for a bit. I always get there the day before it officially starts (get there early whatever day check-in opens) so I'm all set and ready to go when it officially starts the next day.

The last time (the second time) I went I took my wife. She's not exactly the overlanding type, but she went. One day she took the truck into town to explore Leavenworth and do some shopping. So it was a win-win for both of us.

Only potential downside was there wasn't a lot of food vendors. So have a plan to bring all your own food just-in-case. But isn't that part of overlanding - camp cooking?

I'm interested in attending the event in BC this summer. I might attend both (NWOR and BCOR) - there's really no reason why I can't. If I go to just one, it'll probably be the BCOR.

If you're new to overlanding and especially if you're thinking of joining us on this IDBDR run, maybe consider attending one of these Overland Adventure Rallies as a warm-up/introduction to overlanding.

Or if getting away this summer for an overlanding trip just isn't in the cards for you, attending one of these events (especially if you live in the PNW and can attend the NWOR 16 - 19 June) might be enough to satisfy that itch for the year.

 

[tjZ06]

I did about 800 miles of this route (starting up at the Canadian border) last year and I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend it to anybody that is on the fence. I just can't make these dates or I'd be 110% in. This is my route minus the first spur where I forgot to start the recording:


I think the first part went something like this:


-TJ

 

[SWLands]

swlands = Stephen Williams that used to have a landscaping business. I have the email and now the number plate. I am retired, raised in New Zealand son of a forester and worked as a botanist and forester in New Zealand spending months in wilderness. My wife died 10 years ago so I looked after her dad till he died in April 2020 and I retired. When I retired I figured I could get back to backpacking but my body is too worn out now. So wheels it is. I was clueless about offroading, but I watched a lot of YouTubes and bought a new 4Runner Offroad basic with KDSS and took it to Mike Shaffer to get Icon suspension, victory bumpers, armor, winch, etc etc. Then drove 30,000 miles so far mostly solo but with groups to Baja twice, Mojave twice, Death Valley 3 times, White Mountains, Mendocino National Forest, Lost Coast, Oregon (I love Oregon), Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier, Stanislaus, Mt Lassen. I joined Overland Bound as you are supposed to go with people and I have made a bunch of friends here. Threw money in Mikes investment thing as I understand the tools I am using right here typing need development and I get what Mike and Corrie have put in motion.
I am in this trip to Oregon, I have another group I am traveling with in July that is visiting Colorado and then Moab on a 2 week trip. I am here for the scenery and the wilderness, not the rock crawling. So I will bail shortly after we get to Moab, then head up to do this trip. I figure I have 10 years of retirement to do this - it isn't long - gotta get on with it. I am glad I don't have to do a YouTube or anything else - I just do it. Right after I finish this trip I have another group I found through their YouTubes I will meet up with in Oregon. So last year had lots of solo - lets see if I can do the social thing as well.
My truck is just a generic grey 4Runner with a rtt, and maxtrax on top of that. Sorry - I am not much of a gear head. There are just too many options. I am quite happy with what I have and it is a constant job tweaking it. I just added a magnetic paper towel rack so I can stick it to anything metal. So simple. Got the idea from this forum.

 

[armyRN]

Just got a notice from the BDR folks that come next year, they will be releasing an Oregon BDR route. That's great news for those of us that live in the PNW who want to explore more of our local region. I need to find out if it is suitable for four-wheeled vehicles.

Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route (ORBDR) - Backcountry Discovery Routes (ridebdr.com)

 

[mtn]

Hi Paul & Crew! Signed up for this trip, should be fun!

I did a small part of it two years ago, specifically the Magruder corridor. Lesson learned from that part - make sure to bring bugspray!

Is anyone else planning to get to Jarbidge on Wednesday afternoon/evening and camp nearby? Would be great to meet up!

 

[armyRN]

Glad you're coming! Are you doing just the IDBDR, or are you going to do the whole thing?

I definitely plan on getting there the Wednesday before (if not the Tuesday before - looks like the roads are kinda iffy getting into Jarbidge). I don't want to cut it too close - it would be bad if the group leader didn't show up at the appointed day and time.

Haven't figured out where to camp yet. Seems like there were a couple options close by, but don't know how many sites they have, or as in the case of the Outdoor Inn RV Park if they've got restrooms.

 

[mtn]

Glad you're coming! Are you doing just the IDBDR, or are you going to do the whole thing?

I definitely plan on getting there the Wednesday before (if not the Tuesday before - looks like the roads are kinda iffy getting into Jarbidge). I don't want to cut it too close - it would be bad if the group leader didn't show up at the appointed day and time.

Haven't figured out where to camp yet. Seems like there were a couple options close by, but don't know how many sites they have, or as in the case of the Outdoor Inn RV Park if they've got restrooms.

Glad to be joining!

Planning on doing the IDBDR, then get home before the end of the week. Guessing it will take at least one long day to get home from Porthill ID, maybe a day and a half if I take the scenic route.

As for getting to the rally point, planning to head out after work on Tuesday. Find a place to camp for the night in easter OR most likely, then head down to Jarbidge on Wednesday.

Did you by any chance pick up a sattelite messenger? Doesn't look like there's much cell coverage in Jarbidge. There seems to be a 2 meter repeater in town, so we could try to make contact that way.

 

[armyRN]

Glad you're coming! Are you doing just the IDBDR, or are you going to do the whole thing?

I definitely plan on getting there the Wednesday before (if not the Tuesday before - looks like the roads are kinda iffy getting into Jarbidge). I don't want to cut it too close - it would be bad if the group leader didn't show up at the appointed day and time.

Haven't figured out where to camp yet. Seems like there were a couple options close by, but don't know how many sites they have, or as in the case of the Outdoor Inn RV Park if they've got restrooms.

Glad to be joining!

Planning on doing the IDBDR, then get home before the end of the week. Guessing it will take at least one long day to get home from Porthill ID, maybe a day and a half if I take the scenic route.

As for getting to the rally point, planning to head out after work on Tuesday. Find a place to camp for the night in easter OR most likely, then head down to Jarbidge on Wednesday.

Did you by any chance pick up a sattelite messenger? Doesn't look like there's much cell coverage in Jarbidge. There seems to be a 2 meter repeater in town, so we could try to make contact that way.

Don't have a satellite messenger. Might have to look into something like that. I do a lot of solo overlanding; I need to get something for emergency communication.

 

[SWLands]

fwiw I have a zoleo, but I only have a minimal account to do check ins, and can use it for an emergency, as I also do a lot of solo. My zoleo is swlands@zoleo.com, but please don't use it except in an emergency. I think I get 20 messages a month or the bill goes up. Talk here or use swlands@gmail.com.

Not sure where I will be Wednesday night. I am on another OB trip that I will leave early. That trip has two parts, the first in Colorado, second in Moab, and I will bail after Colorado, do some laundry, stock up and join you guys. I am good all the way to the Oregon coast, then I am joining another group in Oregon.

I am working over my truck making sure everything is ready for this marathon.

 

[armyRN]

The question came up about camping in/around Jarbidge, and maybe us meeting up at a campground on the Wednesday before our rally place/time. I sent an email to someone official in Jarbidge regarding camping, and this was her reply. I have not checked out any of the links yet. Do any of these sound good?

Good afternoon,

Yes, there are many nice campsites near Jarbidge. As you approach town from the North end there is the Sawmill USFS campground just before you enter town. On the South end of town there is the Jarbidge Campground which the Ruby Mountain Rebel Jeep club is assuming the maintenance of. Further down the canyon to the South there is the Pavalak Campground, off to the left just before the last bridge. Also, when you reach the bottom of the Grade on the South end of town if you take the road that bears to the left rather than going up the grade there is the Lower and Upper Bluster, and Pine Creek National Forest campgrounds maintained by the USFS.

Hopefully this will be of assistance to you. The Barn provides RV hookups and they can be booked via the Outdoor Inn (775) 488-2311

Sawmill Campground - Google Map Link:

Jarbidge · Nevada 89826


Jarbidge Campground - Google Map Link:

Jarbidge · Nevada 89826


Pavalak Campground - Google Map Link:

Jarbidge · Nevada 89826


Bluster and Pine Creek National Forest Campground - Google Map Link:

Jarbidge · Nevada 89826

 

[mtn]

These all look fine to me. All somewhat close to the road, but I'm guessing the road through town isn't exactly I-5...

 

[armyRN]

fwiw I have a zoleo, but I only have a minimal account to do check ins, and can use it for an emergency, as I also do a lot of solo. My zoleo is swlands@zoleo.com, but please don't use it except in an emergency. I think I get 20 messages a month or the bill goes up. Talk here or use swlands@gmail.com.

Not sure where I will be Wednesday night. I am on another OB trip that I will leave early. That trip has two parts, the first in Colorado, second in Moab, and I will bail after Colorado, do some laundry, stock up and join you guys. I am good all the way to the Oregon coast, then I am joining another group in Oregon.

I am working over my truck making sure everything is ready for this marathon.

You definitely do have quite the trip planned! I almost planned this trip for Colorado, but time constraints dictated something a little closer to WA (hence Idaho). I'm looking forward to hearing about your travels.

Has everyone ordered their IDBDR map and downloaded the coordinates on their GPS platforms? And if you're going all the way to the coast, ordered the GPS coordinates for the TAT portion of the trip?

I really am impressed with the quality and detail of the paper maps BDR provides.

Everyone have a GMRS radio? Mine is a small Baofeng 8-watt hand held that's mounted to the dash with an external antenna. And I'll have two smaller Baofeng UV-5R handhelds for when I'm out of the Jeep. Midland has announced their new 50-watt GMRS radio that looks pretty cool - they've also got radios in 5-watt, 15-watt, 40-watt (might be the best bang for the buck) and their new 50-watt. But there are other makers of GMRS radios.

 

[orange01z28]

I did about 800 miles of this route (starting up at the Canadian border) last year and I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend it to anybody that is on the fence. I just can't make these dates or I'd be 110% in. This is my route minus the first spur where I forgot to start the recording:
View attachment 228037

I think the first part went something like this:
View attachment 228038

-TJ

I really wish both of us could make this trip...

 

[mtn]

Looks like we all have ham call signs on our OB profiles - Paul are you open to using ham instead of GMRS? I have both licenses and types of radios, but it seems we have to deal with interference on GMRS on every group run that I go on. Not a big deal, just an idea.

I'm running Gaia for maps and I have the tracks downloded from the BDR web site. Also have tracks and some interesting waypoints for the Magruder if we decide to look around by the time we get there.

I only started exploring the back country about 14 years ago, and in the beginning I would always purchase or print out paper maps and bring them along. I never once brought them out while on the trail, so I eventually stopped. I do recognize that they provide a level of safety just like the spare fan belt, but on group trips like this it seems ok if not everyone has a paper map. Others might disagree, but this is where I'm coming from.

 

[armyRN]

Looks like we all have ham call signs on our OB profiles - Paul are you open to using ham instead of GMRS? I have both licenses and types of radios, but it seems we have to deal with interference on GMRS on every group run that I go on. Not a big deal, just an idea.

I'm running Gaia for maps and I have the tracks downloded from the BDR web site. Also have tracks and some interesting waypoints for the Magruder if we decide to look around by the time we get there.

I only started exploring the back country about 14 years ago, and in the beginning I would always purchase or print out paper maps and bring them along. I never once brought them out while on the trail, so I eventually stopped. I do recognize that they provide a level of safety just like the spare fan belt, but on group trips like this it seems ok if not everyone has a paper map. Others might disagree, but this is where I'm coming from.

I would be ok if we used HAM instead of GMRS if everyone had a HAM radio and license (I'm KI7TSP). But I wouldn't want anyone to not sign up because they didn't have a HAM radio and license. My Baofeng BF-F8HP radio has both (dual band HAM and GMRS), so I'm covered either way. Since we'll just be using the radios basically in convoy and when stopped, one wouldn't need a real powerful radio - technically a 5-watt handheld would be ok. I would love to find a higher powered dual-band HAM radio that also covered GMRS (to transmit and receive - seems like some only allow you to receive GMRS). On trips I organize where we use GMRS, I've always got a second GMRS frequency I put out to folks so if we start getting interference we can switch to our back-up frequency (usually we're toggling between channel 15 and channel 16). But not having to do so would be nice.

Having a paper map (BDR or otherwise) is recommended but definitely not a requirement. Actually, having a GPS system and downloaded tracks (I'm using GAIA too on both my phone and an Apple tablet) is not a requirement (they're all recommendations based on experience and preference). I do think you'd be missing out on part of the fun if you don't have one or both, but I certainly don't want folks to feel like they have to spend a lot of extra money to participate on this trip. If you have none of these, that's ok; you'll just be following the person in front of you. You'll still have fun! Having GPS tracks makes it so much easier to stay on course (in this case the IDBDR and later the TAT route to the coast). If I had to follow just a paper map (even the BDR map), I would need a separate navigator in the passenger seat spending all their time just navigating. But paper maps are helpful if your GPS track route runs into a roadblock and you need to look for an alternate route around.

I'm all for doing some extra exploring around Magruder if we've got the time. That's part of the fun!

I think GAIA is about $35/year (?) (get the deluxe package). I've already got an Apple tablet, but it didn't have the built-in GPS, so I had to get a separate blue-tooth GPS antenna (another $50 or so? I forget). IDBDR GPS tracks are a free download. The TAT route GPS tracks we'll be taking is a few dollars - not expensive. And there really isn't a paper map for the TAT route.

The paper map BDR sells is more than just a detailed road map. It breaks the route into sections (which my plan is for us to do one section a day at least), and talks about/breaks down each section individually as to what to expect for that section. I think they're worth the $15.00 or whatever the maps sell for. These BDR maps help you to look & plan ahead on your trip. If this is someone's first overlanding trip or first time doing a BDR route, I'd recommend/suggest (this is just me talking) getting the IDBDR paper map in addition to the GPS tracks and see if you like it or not (and then tell me your opinion after we're done). When we did the WABDR I liked being able to see on the paper map where we were in relation to the big picture. When I ran Route 66 I had a Butler map (they do the BDR maps) and found it was very helpful.

Here's a couple of pictures I took real quick with my phone just now of the IDBDR map. They're fuzzy, but you get the idea.

All this talk is getting me excited about the trip.

 

[armyRN]

Anyone buying anything special for this trip? Doing any vehicle modifications?

My side view mirrors don't like to stay in place (I'm often having to readjust them), so I've ordered some new ones. They're manually adjusted - no electric adjusting. My Jeep's a 1998, but supposedly the mirrors from a 2003 to 2006 are supposed to be better. So we'll see.

 

[jad3116]

I signed up a while ago for the trip and just realizing I didn't leave any information. I'm doing just the ID BDR only. Been overlanding for just over 18 months, but not new to outdoor camping. Been out to Sedona and Flagstaff for an awesome overlanding trip. Done a few local trips in California when I lived there, but new to northern Idaho. Looking forward to the trip.