I am planning to ride the CDT from Canada all the way to New Mexico. Who's in? I am leaving early October from Victoria, British Columbia and making a couple short stops before diving into the trail. This will be the beginning of a long meander south to hit the Dakar rally in January. That is if I don't spend too much time on the beach along the way. I am 30 years old, I ride everyday, yet this will be my first adventure tour. I will be riding a KLR if that makes any difference and will be heading west at the end of the trail to ride Baja and so on..... So.... who is up for it? Let me know.

P.S. I already have the GPS waypoints for the trail.

'Pipe'....I had the opportunity to ride most of the GDR in 2005 on my KLR. It's a great NA route. If you want a few visuals to go along with your waypoints, there's a few pics and some links through the link below. If I was doing it again, I'd carve off some time from the actual route to ride more in Colorado and Utah. Adding in Baja and SA and you've got a terrific time ahead of you!!!!

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/golub/

Stephen

Stephen,

Thanks for for the links. Very inspiring photos. I had found your photos a while ago and they helped convince me that this is the route I want to take south. Any advice/warnings? Is October too late for this route?

Last year acouple of crazy Austrailians came thru riding the GDT the first part of november! They got snowed out. Here in Helena Mt. we can have snow in September but usaly October is fairly nice. Definately cold and snow in the high elevations thru Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.

'Pipe'....starting out in early October should be OK for most of the route. The higer sections of the route could/will probably have snow - but local weather will be key. As Bill indicates, snow can be had almost any time of year in the hig country and rain/mud can make parts of the trail very difficult even in mid summer. As a bonus, though tourists will be few and far between around the Tetons....However, some summer service locations may be closed. The good news is that the GD trail has lots of 'work around' routes should rain/mud or snow be an issue. Regular old paper maps can help id these if things are blocked to the next waypoint. Gas is available pretty readily along the route - the Pinedale to Rawlins section is the longest/lonliest - To be on the safe side, you might want to plan to carry an extra gallon for that section. There used to be someone in Atlantic City/South Park who sold gas out of his shed. I don't know if that's till an option. That Great Basin section across Wy. was the best part of the trail for me.
Biggest Warning....be prepared to see some absolutely wonderful county and to meet some great folks...and don't go too fast....there's lots to savour!!

Hi Pipe- During the summer months I drive/guide 4x4 tours in SW Colorado. The high mountain passes down around here are usually passable through most of September, once the snow flies in the high country it sticks.

I'd like to join you along your route... meet up on the last string of the Big Rockies and ride into Central American warm weather and beaches. I need to be back home by late November for the start of Ski Season.

I think you should get an earlier start.

Louie,

I would like to get an earlier start if I can. My problems are this... I have a lot of prep to do. I went to buy my bike the other day and low and behold there are none left. My dealer has tracked one down for me but it is a ways away. I am trying to be as realistic as possible about my start date. If I can start earlier believe me, I'll be out the door and on the way. Have you done much touring? Most of my experience is on the street (I just sold the R6 yesterday) so I will essentially be cutting my teeth on the way down. I'm a quick learner though. Ski season hey, I used to live up at a couple resorts myself. As of Aug 31 I will be leaving my job of almost 7 years... surf, sk8 and snowboard shop manager/buyer. I suppose thats off topic but I guess we should have something in common if we were to travel together. Give me a heads up on what you are all about (what you are riding and what not). I'll keep you posted if I can hurry my prep.

Good luck on finding the bike... I know of really nice 08 KLR650 with 12k on it, in perfect shape, but it is in Colorado.

I just got a new 08 KLR650 10 days ago. I've always traveled by myself but its safer with numbers. I'm not an expert rider, I ride unpaved mountain roads and passes, so far I've gotten through it all. I like to take time when traveling... If you wish you can go to my web pages, (be advised they have been neglected for most of a year), and read about my ride into the Australian Outback... <http://www.luigiusa.com/?p=79#more-79>

So far two for sure, maybe three riders on a KLR650, a GS1150, a F650. We have maps from the Adventure Cycling Assoc,

<http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/greatdivide.cfm>

A Garmin Zumo GPS and way points downloaded. We expect to leave on or about Sept. 16 riding unpaved as much as possible with bailouts available in case of dangerous or impassable road conditions. The return route is not yet determined. I intend to continue on through the SouthWest and on to the Sea of Cortez and warm water after a maintenance layover.

I found a thread somewhere that lead me to this page,

<http://wwDivide_Intro.htmw.twotaildog.com/Motorcycling_the_Great_Divide/00Intro/Great_>

The rider does not go all the way to Banff but you'll get the idea... we are starting from SW Colorado on unpaved and picking up the main Divide trail near Rawlings Wyoming.

Sure would be fun to have others join in the ride along the way.

Sorry I don't know how to insert a hyperlink