Backcountry Discovery Routes can be awesome, but what if you only have a short time that you want to fill with some quality adventure riding? If you’re up for adventure, but your available time is limited, you could of course only do part of an existing BDR and then turn around and head back. In 2022, though, BDR Organizers are working on another option to give more riders what they want from the range of available routes. 

At least three new, shorter BDR routes are currently planned to roll out through the end of 2022 and into the beginning of 2023, according to ADV Pulse. These routes should only take a couple of days to complete, or possibly even one long day—as opposed to the several days that the existing BDRs tend to take. Crucially, they also loop back—making getting back to wherever you came from a snap. They’ll be called BDR-X to make it easy to differentiate the shorter routes from regular BDRs

The first BDR-X route to be released will be the Red Desert BDR-X, based in the Red Desert in Wyoming. At the time of writing, this route is planned for release in May, 2022, and will be an approximately 149-mile loop with plenty of technical spice for riders to enjoy. It may be short, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be sweet. 

The next BDR-X route will be released sometime in the last quarter of 2022, and will be based in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. The plan for this route is to consist of easier, more scenic terrain as an extension off of the existing Mid-Atlantic BDR. Further details, such as length, have yet to be announced—but we’re sure there will be more info to come as we get closer to its eventual release date. 

A third BDR-X route is planned for release sometime in early 2023, which will be called the Steens Mountain & Alvord Desert BDR-X. Based in Southeastern Oregon, the route will be “relatively easy,” and is not intended to be exceptionally technical. BDR executive director Inna Thorn spoke directly to ADV Pulse about all of these plans, so if you’re interested in reading their interview with her, you should follow the link in our Sources. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date as and when these new BDR-X routes are available. 

Top comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
Comment!
Got a tip for us? Email: tips@rideapart.com