Our organization has provided GPS tracks to the riding community since 2010. These tracks allow anyone to go out and ride a BDR route. The GPS tracks are best followed by using a motorcycle-specific GPS unit. These days smart phones can also be used to handle GPS tracks using apps like Rever and Gaia.
The GPS Tracks are a universal GPX file that can be used with nearly any GPS platform. This file has a large amount of track points and may need modifications to be loaded into your GPS unit. Please consult the manual of your GPS device for more information about its capabilities.
The information contained in the BDR GPX files is best viewed on your GPS unit as ‘TRACKS’ or ‘OFF- ROAD TRACKS’. Converting or importing this information to ‘ROUTES’ or ‘TRIPS’ will often result in a loss of accuracy and increased difficulty navigating the BDR.
The Backcountry Discovery Routes are distributed as TRACKS which present themselves as a detailed list of data points that are all linked together in a specific order.
We use TRACKS rather than ROUTES because of the high density of data points and the ability for it to be locked rather than recalculated by the GPS unit. Most modern GPS units can display tracks and that is how we recommend navigating these trips. Garmin Basecamp is capable of converting a track to a route if your GPS unit is not capable of using tracks but we can’t guarantee any success with this process.
