| The Great Continental Divide Mountain Bike Route |  |
This route is defined by the word remote. Remote is the spectacular terrain and scenery. The entire route is basically "dirt road/mountain pass" riding on every day. It has over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. All of this climbing gets the rider into very spectacular visual  places. The route is geographically divided into five different regions. The diverse nature of the regions make for an incredible visual, sometimes spiritual experience. The route offers something different every day. No day is the same as the day before - whether it be riding conditions, scenery, points of interest, or folks along the way. It is a route to be enjoyed for what it has to offer rather than rushing through it. There is a wide variety of road conditions. Surfaces can be pavement, good gravel roads, four-wheel drive roads, single-track, or old railroad beds. There is an excellent opportunity to view wildlife such as bears, deer, wild horses, pronghorn antelope, eagles, osprey, sandhill cranes and other birds and animals. The route is rich in history with ghost towns, deserted mines, travel along parts of the westward wagon routes, and old Spanish land grants. The route is near or also goes through national parks such as Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton.
Beginning at the Canadian border and heading south to Helena, Montana, you are in the deep woods and steep mountains near Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This area is native to grizzly bear, elk, moose, mountain lions, thick woods, and has some difficult climbing. The route crosses the divide many times and the climbing is longer with very steep sections on some of the roads. The other aspect of remote is long stretches of country without basic services, particularly emergency services. All services are | |
You leave Montana crossing the divide into Idaho. You are only in Idaho for 72 miles and ride along some blue ribbon fishing streams and an old railroad bed on the west side of Yellowstone National Park. You'll cross into Wyoming between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks on a very scenic road with some great backcountry campsites and a genuine undeveloped hot springs. The route cuts through a corner of the Tetons before heading east up over the divide again and then down the west side of the Wind River range. The prettiest alpine region on the whole route can be found here. Farther on there's the unforgettable sensation of riding on the crest of the continental divide for several miles. You then hit an extremely picturesque section of high desert following the Lander cutoff - part of one of the westward wagon routes. The ascents on the route stretch out to long mountainous climbs at elevations starting at 8,000 feet or above. The highest pass of the route is Indiana Pass, elevation 11,910 feet, in southern Colorado. Soon after crossing it you get to see firsthand what kind of scars mining can leave on the land as you pass right through a superfund site. Climbs get shorter but steeper. Geographically, this region is as remote as any place in the continental U.S. Mesas, cliff lines, volcanic formations, and mountain ranges that seem to pop right out of the desert floor are major visual features of this area. 
minimal at best, except near larger towns, and communication coverage is only about 5% of the route. About one-third of the overnights are characterized as undeveloped wilderness sites and most others are forest service sites with pit toilets and a water source. Towns are spaced every two to three days along most of the route. They tend to be extremely small and often have very limited services.