Backcountry Discovery Routes
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)|January-February 2020
A Decade of Adventure
Eglė Gerulaitytė
Backcountry Discovery Routes

Backcountry Discovery Routes, a unique adventure motorcycle community project creating and sharing off-road routes across the U.S., is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Thousands of dusty miles already behind them, the BDR team is still going strong releasing a new BDR route each year and creating stunning video and photography documentaries to showcase the best of adventure motorcycling in the U.S. Backcountry Discovery Routes have now become as iconic as the Trans-America Trail, with countless riders enjoying the off-the-beaten-path experiences and rediscovering America offroad.

To find out what’s next for the BDR founders as well as the project itself, we chatted with Paul Guillien, BDR President and Co-Founder, and Inna Thorn, Director of Operations.

ADV How did the BDR program start?

BDR As with many good ideas, this one began over a beer when Seattle-based entrepreneurs Bryce Stevens and Andrew Cull discussed the idea of making a route for adventure motorcycles that would cross the state of Washington. They were inspired by a YouTube video they’d recently seen by Touratech-USA’s Tom Myers and Paul Guillien who had chronicled their ride of the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route (OBCDR) with photographer Helge Pedersen and filmmaker Sterling Noren. Stevens and Cull wanted to also create a video of the route they had already begun mapping. They reached out to Noren who found the idea appealing and the trio sought out a company willing to lend financial support. A lunch meeting ensued and Touratech-USA’s Myers agreed to fund it and Guillien to manage the project. Stevens and Cull completed the route, a documentary of the first ride was created by Noren, a story by Guillien ran in RoadRUNNER Magazine, and the GPS tracks were made available on WBCDR.com.

This story is from the January-February 2020 edition of Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January-February 2020 edition of Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLE (ADVMOTO)View All
Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?

Five-Time Dakar Malle Moto racer

time-read
4 mins  |
January - February 2024
INTO THE MUD
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

INTO THE MUD

Strategies for Successful Off-Road Riding

time-read
3 mins  |
January - February 2024
CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS

It was 2:00 a.m. on my fourth day in India. My eyes blinked open in the dark of a hotel room in Drass, a town in the Himalayas on the Indian side of the border. Yesterday was our first day riding on a six-day trip through the Himalayas, and my brain could not process everything I'd seen and experienced.

time-read
5 mins  |
January - February 2024
Angels and Demons RIDING TWO-UP SOUTH THROUGH ALASKA
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Angels and Demons RIDING TWO-UP SOUTH THROUGH ALASKA

A not-so-warm welcome as we entered Hatchers Pass from Willow to Palmer, Alaska.

time-read
6 mins  |
January - February 2024
EXPLORING THE THRILLING WORLD OF RALLY RAID
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

EXPLORING THE THRILLING WORLD OF RALLY RAID

A GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED

time-read
7 mins  |
January - February 2024
MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE

LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD

time-read
5 mins  |
January - February 2024
White Desert
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

White Desert

Riding Across the Frozen Landscape of Siberia

time-read
3 mins  |
July - August 2023
Kitti and Martha Forget Black Dog CYCLE WORKS
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Kitti and Martha Forget Black Dog CYCLE WORKS

How do you start something from nothing? That’s what Kurt and Martha Forgét did when they created Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW) out of their garage 16 years ago

time-read
4 mins  |
July - August 2023
Essential GROUP RIDING Tips
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

Essential GROUP RIDING Tips

FOR ADVENTURE RIDERS (ON OR OFF THE ROAD)

time-read
6 mins  |
July - August 2023
MAKING MEMORIES
Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto)

MAKING MEMORIES

Kevin and I initially met in the Marines. We have been riding together for a few years, and riding BDRs the entire time. Our first attempt at a BDR was in Utah, where we were completely unprepared and significantly ignorant of our capabilities. It led to some interesting moments conquering Lockhart Basin where we developed our backcountry motto: “Less Gear and More Water.” We document our rides on our YouTube channel, “Be Gone for Good.”

time-read
5 mins  |
July - August 2023