stratslingr77
Well-known member
I've been wanting to do a big tour of British Columbia for a few years--Ice Fields Parkway and all that jazz. 2026 was another year to kick that can down the road; instead, we rode the newly-released Montana BDR. Montana is a long way from California, even though the BDR starts in Island Park, Idaho--also a long way from California. Good thing I have a BMW R1250 GS Adventure. That bike is ideally suited to munch big miles and still tackle a BDR route that doesn't seem to be too technical.
In the months leading up to this trip, I studied maps to figure out the best way to get to the BDR from the Bay. I maintain a mental checklist of roads/routes I really want to get around to riding "one of these days." Section 6 of the Nevada BDR, from Elko to Jarbridge has been on that checklist for several years now and it's always been just out of the way enough to keep me from doing it. Now, it appears it's on the way to the Montana BDR starting point in Island Park!
So Monte and I set out on Sunday, July 5, opting for the most direct route to Elko, I-80. Traffic was pretty light from the Bay all the way into Sparks, NV where we topped off on gas and snacks. From Sparks, we continued eastbound on I-80, setting our cruise control at 90mph and stopping only to pee at a rest stop somewhere in Bumfuck, NV (it's the county seat of Bumfuck County).
The big GSA gets thirsty at sustained 90mph so we stopped for gas in Battle Mountain and topped off our tanks again when we got to Elko. Fresh Tusk 2Track knobbies only gave the faintest of freeway front end wobble at those speeds and they withstood the mid 90s heat incredibly well. From Elko, we rode north on Hwy 225 for approximately 40 miles of 2 lane gently winding roads through ranchland before exiting right onto N. Fork Charleston Road, which is dirt all the way into Jarbridge. This is the last time my bike will be clean for a bit.
The dirt ride into Jarbridge is quite pretty. You gradually gain elevation and are rewarding with some pretty sweeping views.
Monte let his drone out for a breath of fresh air...
Continuing on, we got to the prettiest part of the ride, which of course is the part where I DIDN'T stop for pictures! We started seeing Aspen groves and as we got to the top of the pass, we all of a suddenly found ourselves in a lush alpine forest much more suited for the Rockies than somewhere in Nevada. The final stretch into Jarbridge, you do a long descent off the pass into a canyon, which is where you'll find the bustling metropolis of Jarbridge with its 17 full-time residents waiting for you.
We stopped at the Outdoor Inn for cold beer and burgers and chatted with a couple of dudes from LA who were wrapping up the NVBDR and continuing on to the ID BDR, which coincidentally starts in Jarbridge. It was 616 miles to Jarbridge from my house and it was getting dark so we camped right outside of town along the Jarbridge River. Since it was such a pleasant evening, we left the rain flies off our tents...
In the months leading up to this trip, I studied maps to figure out the best way to get to the BDR from the Bay. I maintain a mental checklist of roads/routes I really want to get around to riding "one of these days." Section 6 of the Nevada BDR, from Elko to Jarbridge has been on that checklist for several years now and it's always been just out of the way enough to keep me from doing it. Now, it appears it's on the way to the Montana BDR starting point in Island Park!
So Monte and I set out on Sunday, July 5, opting for the most direct route to Elko, I-80. Traffic was pretty light from the Bay all the way into Sparks, NV where we topped off on gas and snacks. From Sparks, we continued eastbound on I-80, setting our cruise control at 90mph and stopping only to pee at a rest stop somewhere in Bumfuck, NV (it's the county seat of Bumfuck County).
The big GSA gets thirsty at sustained 90mph so we stopped for gas in Battle Mountain and topped off our tanks again when we got to Elko. Fresh Tusk 2Track knobbies only gave the faintest of freeway front end wobble at those speeds and they withstood the mid 90s heat incredibly well. From Elko, we rode north on Hwy 225 for approximately 40 miles of 2 lane gently winding roads through ranchland before exiting right onto N. Fork Charleston Road, which is dirt all the way into Jarbridge. This is the last time my bike will be clean for a bit.
The dirt ride into Jarbridge is quite pretty. You gradually gain elevation and are rewarding with some pretty sweeping views.
Monte let his drone out for a breath of fresh air...
Continuing on, we got to the prettiest part of the ride, which of course is the part where I DIDN'T stop for pictures! We started seeing Aspen groves and as we got to the top of the pass, we all of a suddenly found ourselves in a lush alpine forest much more suited for the Rockies than somewhere in Nevada. The final stretch into Jarbridge, you do a long descent off the pass into a canyon, which is where you'll find the bustling metropolis of Jarbridge with its 17 full-time residents waiting for you.
We stopped at the Outdoor Inn for cold beer and burgers and chatted with a couple of dudes from LA who were wrapping up the NVBDR and continuing on to the ID BDR, which coincidentally starts in Jarbridge. It was 616 miles to Jarbridge from my house and it was getting dark so we camped right outside of town along the Jarbridge River. Since it was such a pleasant evening, we left the rain flies off our tents...
