Riding the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) is spectacular. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Just ask anyone who has ridden it. Or even part of it. The route that snakes up (and over) the Western side of Colorado’s Continental Divide from Four Corners to Wyoming is jaw-dropping beautiful and ultra-fun to ride.
Using these tips, tricks and hacks requires you to also use your own common sense. Weather, fires, road conditions and other factors can change rapidly and substantially alter the routes, roads and terrain encountered. We (yours truly, Jimmy Mac, and Lance Sallis of Central Texas Restorations fame) rode the Colorado BDR in June of 2025. Things could be substantially different when you ride it. And remember, ride right, yield to wildlife and know your limits (that means slow down).
Your Butler Map is Outdated: Check the route on BDR’s website (and download the tracks) as close to your departure as possible. And don’t overlook the “Route Updates” tab on the route’s homepage. The Colorado BDR was updated less than three weeks before our departure and a new section from Telluride to Lake City was some of the best riding of the week. You don’t want to miss it. Why the change? “Deteriorating conditions from landslides, avalanches, and overuse by SideBySides and Jeeps are causing more hazardous road conditions than when originally designed.”
Don’t Wing It On Accommodations: You would think that Colorado ski towns would have tons of rooms available in the Summer. Wrong. Finding a hotel along much of the Colorado BDR during the Summer is a challenge. Telluride was booked solid because of a Blues festival. There was a running race in Lake City that filled most of the hotels. Gypsum doesn’t offer a lot of options anytime of the year. If you are not prepared to camp, I strongly suggest making reservations well in advance of your adventure.
Start in Cortez: Take the station wagon to Four Corners for your family photo but start your Colorado BDR in Cortez. You’ll get on dirt almost immediately and I’m not a big fan of knob shaving on pavement (something you’ll do from Four Corners to Cortez). I want as much knob as possible on my tires once I hit the passes. Start Stage 1 from Cortez.
End Stage 1 in Ridgeway: Since you cut some miles out of Stage 1 by starting in Cortez, Telluride is going to come up too fast. Modify Stage 1 by ending in Ridgeway or even Ouray. This helps balance out the first two days of riding and you’ll probably save a few bucks on accommodations.
Follow The BDR Daily Recommended Dosages: Except for Stage 1, stick to the BDR recommendations for Stage 2 through Stage 6. Each day, or stage as I call them, are well proportioned and you should get to the finish well before sunset. The Colorado BDR Stages are the best proportioned of the BDRs I’ve ridden.
Don’t Listen To Other Riders: You can listen to me, just don’t listen to riders you bump into along the route. While some have been spot on with advice, most are totally clueless. I get psyched out easily so when a rider tells me I’ll be ploughing through snow on the next pass, I freak out! And then there are slides. And downed trees. And deep water crossings. And rock gardens. And deep sand. I got all these warnings during our Colorado tour but it turns out no obstacle was too great for my riding ability and my trusty Suzuki DR-Z400 (the old one, not the new one). Lance didn’t even break a sweat.
Decide For Yourself: Trees fall. You move them, cut them or ride over them. Water crossing can be inspected before diving in. As for snow, the passes were dug out. Our knobbies never touched snow. The lesson learned is to ride the route to the best of your ability. If you come upon an obstacle that you are not comfortable navigating, don’t. I manage my fuel so I always have enough to get me back to civilization if I choose to backtrack. You should too.
Wild Wildlife: We encountered lots of animals. Everyday. Multiple times a day. You may be tempted to up the speed on smooth-surface roads, but I strongly urge you to keep the speed in check. The Elk is gonna win.
On Two Wheels: Gravel bikes (kind of a mix between a touring bike and a mountain bike) have hit the big time. Gravel bikes are perfect for Backcountry Discovery Routes and there were a lot of them on the Colorado BDR. We encountered far more gravel bike riders than motorcycle riders. I found the proper etiquette when you see a gravel rider approaching is to stop until they pass. Yes, stop. We throw up more dust than we know and that can ruin a gravel rider’s day. If I approached a rider from behind, I would slow to a walking pace and try to position myself on the rider’s downwind side so any dust would blow away from them. Riders were very appreciative and I got many thumbs up. Heck, it was almost like they were expecting to get dusted out by a motorcyclist. I wonder why that was?
Snakes On The Road: One more tip on Gravel rider interaction. Gravel bike tires leave a trail that almost looks like a snake track on soft surfaces. I watched for these telltale signs knowing that I was approaching a rider or group of riders.
Top It Off: You can purchase large-capacity fuel tanks for dual-sport bikes but that added weight hurts performance and can ruin handling. I went for a slightly larger tank (3.2 gallons versus the stock 2.7) and two 30-ounce MSR Fuel Bottles. Still, dual-sporters should get in the habit of topping off whenever possible.
Eagle Alternative: Stage 5 ends in Gypsum but we had much better luck finding accommodations in nearby Eagle. It is a quick detour that doesn’t add too many miles to Stage 5 or Stage 6 the next day.
Side-By-Sides Suck: Almost every small town you pass through on the Colorado BDR has a Side-By-Side (or UTV) rental business and they love sending their customers onto the BDR routes. These lightweight, high-horsepower, tire-spinning vehicles strip the top soil off steep, graded dirt roads. I give Hagerman Pass two more years before BDR has to reroute their riders. And then the Side-By-Sides will wreck those routes. It’s a bummer. Ride the Colorado BDR on your motorcycle while you still can. The only vehicles that will clear the route in the future will be Side-By-Sides.
End Your Colorado Ride In Wyoming: BDR gives you a great patch from the end of the Colorado BDR to the beginning of the Wyoming BDR in Baggs. But don’t stay in Baggs. Stay at The Boyer YL Ranch in Savery, Wyoming. Even if you don’t plan to ride any of the Wyoming BDR, ending Stage 6 at the affordable and rustic Boyer YL Ranch sets you up perfectly to head back to Cortez on both dirt roads and backroads with very little traffic. If ranch owner Jonathan is in town, he might just ride with you up to his favorite sunset viewing area. Finally, we dare you to take a cold plunge in the Savery Creek.
Visit The Little Snake River Museum: Just below The Boyer YL Ranch you’ll see The Little Snake River Museum complex. Try to make time to visit. It is a surprisingly detailed representation of how early Wyoming settlers lived (and some still live). The place is free (don’t know how they do that) but donations are welcome and there is ice cream and snacks for sale.
Lucky 13: When headed back to Cortez, you’ll be tempted to hop on Colorado State Highway 13 from Meeker to Rifle. Don’t! Find County Road 13 out of Meeker and ride that. It is a fun little dirt road that sometimes feels like you are riding on a private ranch. Highly recommended.
Two-Day Return: I’m sure riders can make it back to Cortez in one long day but why would you do that? We made it to Montrose even with some backtracking after taking a detour that didn’t pan out. The paved roads in this part of Colorado are spectacular.
