The Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route is not for the faint of heart. Adventure motorcyclists are warned — in big, bold letters — they should not attempt the trip before July 1 because of lingering snow and mud. It’s an endurance ride that covers some of the most rugged landscapes around Wyoming.
The route begins in Baggs in southern Wyoming near the Colorado border and traces the mountain ranges to the east through the Sierra Madre and Medicine Bow ranges. It then crosses west and north to the Wind River Range, then snakes back east and farther north through the Bighorn Mountains, eventually ending at a remote spot at the Wyoming-Montana border.
It’s 1,900 miles of dirt roads, gravel surfaces and two-track paths that challenge motorcycle riders while taking them through some of the most spectacular landscapes around the Cowboy State.
“We've been in high desert. We've been in prairies. We've been at 11,000-foot elevation,” said Discovery Route rider Zach Burke said.
Burke and his three fellow motorcyclists had stopped at one of the point of interests, Medicine Lodge Archaeology Site. It was been listed as a short detour on their GPS-navigated map. The stop was only long enough to stretch their legs and walk along the petroglyphs. They still had many miles to travel before they called it a night, but they all vowed to return.
Chris Burke of West Virginia was the brainchild behind the adventure. He wanted to go on an adventure ride with his dad and friends, and suggested one of the most remote routes he knew, which was in Wyoming.
It didn’t take much convincing.
“I'm very adventurous,” Zach Burke said. “I love motorcycles, and I've always wanted to do this. It has beat any expectation that I could have ever imagined. It's just been a super good trip.”
Backcountry Adventure Road Program
The Wyoming route they took is a rugged ride divided into eight sections. There are easy dirt roads over sagebrush as well as rocky, moderately technical riding. The remote two-track went through regions of vast high-desert, short-grass prairies and alpine climates.
“BDR means backcountry discovery route,” Chris Burke explained. “What that means is that they have come up with a route that takes all the scenic backroads across the state, and it tries to keep you off the pavement as much as possible and see all the sights as you go along.”
Family friends Mary and Gary Buss met the Burkes at a motorcycle rally and the four became instant friends, bonding over their love of motorcycles and roads off the beaten path.
“My husband has already done one full BDR,” Buss said. “We've done the South Dakota BDR, which is a smaller loop size, and we've done part of the Mid-Atlantic because we're from Pennsylvania. They have GPS tracks, so we don't have to plan where we're going. You just follow a path and you get to see the beautiful country. How else can you experience all this other than by the back roads? You know, that's where life happens.”
To prepare for the trip, they turned to social media and the internet.
“We started watching a lot of YouTube to learn the things that we needed to do on these adventure bikes,” Chris Burke said. “Like how to pack all our gear, what to bring, you know, what kind of camping gear.”
He looked over at his bike and laughed. It was covered in packs and gear he had strategically placed.
“We actually ended up over-packing,” he said. “We’ll know how to pack for a long trip next time.”
Wyoming's is one of the newsest, and most remote, of America's Backcountry Discovery Routes. (Courtesy Backcountry Discovery Routes) 
Zach Burke heading back to the Wyoming BDR. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
The trail over the Bighorn Mountains. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
The rainbow after the storm. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
The dirt road at Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
Ten Sleep Brewing Co. to quell their thirst they had worked up on the dusty backroads. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
Medicine Lodge Archaeology Site was a bit of a detour but well worth it. If they had known that it was such a great camping spot, that was where they would have spent the night. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
Getting ready to hit the open road again after a brief stop at the Medicine Lodge Archaeology Site. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
Exploring Wyoming – their motorcycle trip took them through desert but also green areas like the Medicine Lodge Archaeology Site. (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
End of the Road – the remote border between Montana and Wyoming. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
They had made it to the last stop on their GPS guided map; the Crow Reservation at the Montana-Wyoming border. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
Backroad to Ten Sleep — and its brewery. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
Dinner at Bear Lodge. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
Their bikes along the path they took through the Bighorn Mountains. (Courtesy Chris Burke) 
The Burkes and Busses pose in the Bighorn Mountains. (Courtesy Chris Burke)
A Baggs Beginning
They had parked their trailer and truck in Sheridan and rode the blacktop to Baggs, the official start of the Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route.
“We stayed at the Cowboy Inn and had a nice steak dinner and good night’s sleep,” Chris Burke said. “After we left Baggs, it was mostly a lot of two-track dirt trails. A little bit of pavement here and there to connect back and forth. We spent most of the last 140 miles in the desert. It was just sand and dust. We've had some rocky uphill climbs. A little bit of a mixture of everything.”
This terrain that changed constantly was just the challenge that the four were looking for. They rode for miles through what Burke called “a lot of different beauty.”
“We were just up in the trees and huge pastures and parks, and then you get down here and you're back in the red dirt, the desert,” he said. “I just love how every time you come around a turn or down off a hill, there's something different to see. We've seen a lot of moose and antelope, a lot of different wildlife. It's been a great experience.”
“Every state has its own beauty,” Gary Buss said. “But to venture through it the way we did with the back roads and going through all this absolutely incredible country and seeing some wildlife that Mary and I have never seen before, I mean, it's just an incredible state. We've never seen moose or that many antelope. It was just amazing.”
Mudded In For Wild Camping
The adventure motorcyclists also found challenges that were not listed on the website or brochure.
“We also took a little side trip from Lander over to Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons, and we've met some challenges along the way,” Chris Burke said. “Two nights ago, we got stuck in a storm there in the Bighorns, and our bikes were caked with mud. It was down to about 37 degrees. We couldn't get out. I do have a satellite phone with SOS, but as a team, we decided that we were going to stay. We got our shelter set up and spent the night.”
“When it rains, it's impassable,” Mary Buss agreed. “It’s just not even pretty because we got stuck and we had to wild camp overnight.” She smiled and added, “Which was fun, actually.”
Chris Burke’s bike was having chain issues and they were now completely stuck. However, before they could make a plan, help found them.
“A rancher showed up by the name of Eldon out of nowhere. Lent me his truck. We were able to get three bikes mobile and my bike was down,” Burke said, still amazed by the Western hospitality. “He loaded my motorcycle into his truck and then allowed me to drive his truck to Worland.”
The kindness of strangers did not stop there.
“Chris found a motorcycle shop called Mad Cyclez,” Mary Buss said. “A young guy, Michael, just stopped what he was doing to look at Chris' bike. I mean, it was truly amazing. We were very blessed. And after it got washed, it was pretty much fixed.”
Chris picked up the story from there.
“We got the bikes all washed up, ready to go, got a fresh night's sleep in the hotel,” Burke said. “We decided that we were going to finish the BDR. So, we're back here on the trail and having a good time.”
“The mud we could have done without,” Gary Buss said. “But that added to some good conversations for the grandchildren. Until you experience it, you have no idea. So, I'm actually happy that we experienced it, I really am. You read about it, but I'm a guy that you need to have to experience stuff, you know? The goodwill of a rancher and other people just turned a bad situation around and it turned out well.”
Points Of Interest
As they got ready for the next leg of their trip, they were curious to see what was in store for them around the next curve of the dirt road. Tensleep Brewing Co. was next on their list and they had worked up a thirst.
“That's part of what they do with the backcountry discovery routes,” Burke said. “They try to put points of interest such as the little mom and pop stores, the little places to stop and eat or stay in the little lodges. And you know, that way we're giving back to the community as we come through. We spend a little money in each town and try to help out as we can.”
“The vastness of Wyoming is just amazing,” Mary Buss said.
They had ridden 1,600 miles at that point and still had plenty of road ahead.
The Burkes and Busses ended up riding 1,900 miles in 12 days over some of the roughest two tracks and rocky roads in Wyoming. They experienced dust, rain, mud and rainbows and were already planning their next trip.
“There will be a next time,” Chris Burke said. “We have passed through some sections, but this is the first time experiencing Wyoming and seeing all this countryside.”
Contact Jackie Dorothy at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
