This is the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route - which goes from the Oregon border to the Canadian border. It took us 6 days to complete in our completely stock Discovery 1. I put together a little video from the footage that we got (mostly an iPhone hanging out of the window) so you can get a feel for the terrain etc. Perfect time to go - as the flowers are all popping right now! All trails were clear of trees and snow.
You can find more information about the route here:
We used Gaia GPS with a tablet in conjunction with a regular Garmin. You can download all of the GPS tracks from the web site above and load them into your devices. Once you download the maps of the areas you will be in from Gaia - you are good to go. We also bought the paper map as well just as back-up. I would not go with just a paper map!
Prep your vehicle and bring your tools and recovery gear - AAA isn’t coming!
I was a little apprehensive about trying this in a stock rig with street tires, but the Discovery 1 is an amazing off road vehicle, and all said and done, I only engaged the center dif twice in 600 miles! Having said that though - this is better attempted with all-terrain tires as we completely shredded a tire on a sharp rock and had to go buy two used ones to complete our trip. They are rating this as one of the easier trails, so perfect for just getting your feet wet.
Fun Facts:
- We ran our street tires at 26 PSI
- We blew an upper shock bushing, a rear tire, a heater hose and lost our brakes at one point from overheating. Then the check engine light came on, LOL! We never got stuck though.
- There are some nice places to stay along the way if you want to break up the camping - which we did.
You can find more information about the route here:
Washington Backcountry Discovery Route (WABDR) Map & Information
This 575-mile route thoroughly explores the Cascade Mountains beginning in Stevenson, WA and making it to the Canadian border at Night Hawk.
ridebdr.com
We used Gaia GPS with a tablet in conjunction with a regular Garmin. You can download all of the GPS tracks from the web site above and load them into your devices. Once you download the maps of the areas you will be in from Gaia - you are good to go. We also bought the paper map as well just as back-up. I would not go with just a paper map!
Hiking Trail Maps, Ski Touring, 4x4 Offroad App | Gaia GPS
www.gaiagps.com
Prep your vehicle and bring your tools and recovery gear - AAA isn’t coming!
I was a little apprehensive about trying this in a stock rig with street tires, but the Discovery 1 is an amazing off road vehicle, and all said and done, I only engaged the center dif twice in 600 miles! Having said that though - this is better attempted with all-terrain tires as we completely shredded a tire on a sharp rock and had to go buy two used ones to complete our trip. They are rating this as one of the easier trails, so perfect for just getting your feet wet.
Fun Facts:
- We ran our street tires at 26 PSI
- We blew an upper shock bushing, a rear tire, a heater hose and lost our brakes at one point from overheating. Then the check engine light came on, LOL! We never got stuck though.
- There are some nice places to stay along the way if you want to break up the camping - which we did.