It will meander through Montana’s mountain levels and through valleys like a river: a ribbon of dirt roads, double lanes and a rare chunk of asphalt that runs through Big Sky Country from south to north and will give cyclists a taste of how to bike. the state. .
Designed for adventure — a self-contained showcase of long-distance tours, most often off-curb, more often on dirt roads and emergency roads, and with a bit of camping — the upcoming Montana Backcountry Discovery Route will stop in old small towns and take horseback riders through some of the state’s most scenic landscapes.
“There’s everything from fun and challenging jeep trails to wonderful county roads with wonderful scenery and a little bit of pavement, and the little pavement we have is fun pavement, but not much,” said Russ Ehnes, chairman of the board. of administrators of the American Motorcyclist Association and a Great Falls resident concerned about the progression of the route. “It shows you what the Montana countryside is like, and we’ve made it a point to keep the fuel stops close enough to each other. so that it can be done without major problems, which means that it stops in many small communities.
Headquartered in Seattle and founded in 2010 after the progression of its first address, Washington, the nonprofit Backcountry Discovery Routes has since evolved into addresses in each and every western state of Montana and the eastern Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. two addresses in California: a southern direction and a new northern direction introduced earlier this year.
The routes, more than 1,000 miles long and regularly abbreviated as BDRs, are famous among adventurers for their scenic value, off-the-beaten-path itineraries, topographical tips and detailed maps of fuel, accommodation, food and other attractions. the way. But Montana has long been an empty spot on the BDR map, without such an organized adventure route.
“There’s a glaring lack in Montana,” said Bryce Stevens, BDR’s co-founder and director of management development. “I’ve been racing in Montana, I guess it’s been five years. “
The motorcycle adventure sector is gaining popularity, according to industry data. BDR addresses are well-known and popular among runners, and the organization has indicated in its report that an address is coming in Montana.
For all the popularity of the BDR and adventure driving, the yet-to-be-released Montana address is a well-kept secret. Stevens said he can’t even divulge any indication of where the direction is headed, and that those interested in it progression are legally obligated not to disclose the direction in advance.
“I can’t tell you where it’s headed, but I can tell you it’s a long journey, it’s big,” with up to 8 days or more, averaging 150 miles per day, Stevens said. “I can’t reveal anything, we send NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) to everyone. “
In recent years, he said, BDR has introduced a new direction consistent with the year, last winter. The field trips are accompanied by screenings across the U. S. of a BDR-produced film from the team and some local partners who toured the entire field last summer.
The final stages of development and publication of the address are staggered: Northern California was published earlier this year; this summer, the team will conduct final checks in Montana and film their next tour in the southeastern United States. In 2025, the BDR team will broadcast in a southeasterly direction, and in the summer, film the Montana BDR.
Stevens said he anticipates the Montana BDR will launch in late winter 2026, with the group’s feature film and detailed printed, virtual and GPS maps of the route.
Montana’s direction is already largely mapped out, he and Ehnes said, and will cover the state from south to north in mountainous western Montana. In creating the address, Stevens said, the team enlisted Ehnes’ help in getting local data on where it might go.
“It’s hard to find who knows the roads of Montana better than Russ,” he said.
While he couldn’t talk about the main points of the route, Ehnes detailed the qualities around which he and the BDR team built the route.
“I think compared to other BDR routes, Montana probably offers maximum scenery from one end to the other. The landscape changes, there is variety and a real renewal from south to north, but it is maximum in mountainous terrain. “There is no desert. . . Montana doesn’t really have that. It’s a mountainous country and beautiful from one end to the other,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard to find paths that are really fun and challenging, and in some places we offer a big challenge, but in those places we also have route options to avoid things that might be too heavy for some people.
These specialized features (more technically challenging roads or paths of choice in express spaces) align with BDR’s educational project around at-fault driving, which Stevens discussed before the direction was evolved when asked about the nonprofit’s direction.
“Our project is quite diverse, but if you break it down into two important things, it’s that we’re educating the network of adventure motorcyclists on everything related to safety. . . (and) we need to help small towns, we need to give them an economic boost, if we can, through adventure tourism, our express form of adventure tourism.
The safety project has four main components, he said: driving on the right of the road; drive responsibly; Circulate safely around pets, livestock, and wildlife. and know your limits.
Stevens also developed the BDR’s economic mission. Simply put, the other people who can venture out on motorcycles (the cheapest ones cost around $6,000, the most expensive ones cost $25,000) and can take multi-day trips with them are other people who will spend time. and get paid in the places they visit. So BDR sends them through small towns and attractive spaces where most people wouldn’t go otherwise.
“If you have the time and money to do what we’re doing, you’re financially secure,” he said. “These other people come to those cities and spend cash. We inspire them to spend cash. That’s why we exist and that’s why it’s what drives us.
Although Montana still has its own BDR, Idaho’s BDR from Jarbidge, Nevada, to the Canadian border at Porthill, Idaho, flows into Montana’s Bitterroot Valley to avoid wilderness areas. The direction crosses the Magruder corridor from Yellow Pine, Idaho, to Darby. , on U. S. Highway 93 to Lolo, and then through Elk Meadows near Skookum Butte back to Idaho. It approaches Montana as it passes through Wallace, in Idaho’s Silver Valley and just a few miles from the state line.
Although the direction isn’t entirely successful in Missoula, Idaho BDR racers are heading to the city to take inventory, according to Nate Bertland, founder and owner of Big Sky Motorsports. He said runners from all over the U. S. and around the world Idaho BDR, and many head to his South Avenue store for service, portions or other equipment.
Bertland said having a Montana BDR would increase the economic effect of motorcycle travel in the state. There are already many motorcycles traveling in the state (Montana has the highest rate of motorcycle owners in the country), but Bertland also sees motorcyclists from all over the country and around the world coming to Montana to travel through places like Glacier National Park. Some of them ship their motorcycles in and out of their shop.
Ehnes said he knew the cities on the Montana Highway (he was careful not to say which ones) would feel the same economic boost once the Montana BDR was introduced and riders flocked to the state to ride it.
“There are 3 or 4 villages that other people will need to spend time in,” he said. “And the people you talk to are enthusiastic. They know how vital tourism and activities like the BDR are to their economy.
But for cyclists, Ehnes said, the visit is visiting Montana.
“You’re not going to get a mediocre result,” he said, calling the address “really what we have in Montana. “