Butler Maps, those folks who have put out a number of state maps showing the best motorcycle routes, are going backcountry. One of their latest releases is the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route map.
Made of the same waterproof, durable material that all their maps are made of, the WABDR, as they refer to it, is different in that it doesn't showcase the whole state, just one 600-mile ride through the state. In this case, Butler is working with Backcountry Discovery Routes which, on its site describes itself as "a community based effort dedicated to establishing and preserving off-highway routes for adventure motorcycle and dual-sport travel." Touratech is a major sponsor of this group.
The first two discovery routes the group has put together are the one in Washington and another in Utah. Plans for next year include creation of a Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route.
The WABDR lays out a route starting at Stevenson, OR, on the Columbia River, and winds its way northeast through Ellensburg, Cashmere, Chelan, and Conconully, up to the Canadian border. The entire route is shown on one overall map and then 11 portions of the route are presented in enlargement to give greater detail. There's a bit of narrative telling what each section is like. There is also a section on Travel Information discussing the topics Accommodations, Planning, When To Go, Border Crossing, Shipping To The Seattle Area, and How To Get There. A cross-cut diagram shows the elevation along the entire ride as the route climbs and descends through the mountains.
In the "About WABDR" section, it states, "The Washington Backcountry Discovery Route (WABDR) is a mostly off-road route from Oregon, USA to British Columbia, Canada. The south-to-north route winds through the Cascade Mountains and the arid foothills of Eastern Washington. The roads include dirt, gravel, and pavement surfaces and may include rocks, sand, mud and snow depending on time of year and conditions. The route can be ridden in 3 to 6 days depending on pace. Washington has so many different landscapes that you can ride through a dozen variations in a single day. There is no better way to intimately experience such a broad array of landscapes than on a backcountry motorcycle trip."
Does that make you itch to go ride, or what?
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