NORTH IDAHO ADVENTURE

Overlanding at full throttle

Overlanding” is a buzzword these days. Whether you call it that, car camping, backpacking or anything else, it’s one of the most immersive ways to travel for multiple days on the trail and live the UTV life. Recently, we linked up with Ian Blomgren from Full Throttle Battery and set out on a multi-day adventure in northern Idaho. Idaho is one of those UTV-friendly states where you can do a trip like this, passing through towns that allow you to ride in, fuel up, restock supplies and hopefully grab a bite to eat. The towns see the value in extra revenue generated by this activity, so they allow OHVs on some city streets. In fact, we rode through one of the most UTV-friendly towns in the state—Wallace. In Wallace, our group easily spent $2000 at the gas station and restaurants. Wallace used to host the High Mountain ATV Jamboree, and after spending some time on the nearby trails, we now know why.

Idaho BDR
Think of overlanding in your UTV like backpacking, but you can bring more comforts of home and cover a lot more ground.

 

Idaho BDR
The terrain is twisty yet relatively smooth. Certain sections were being logged for timber, so the hardest obstacle was avoiding logging trucks.

 

Idaho BDR
Idaho’s scenery is mostly pine trees and rivers. After a four-day trip, the view never got old, and we still wanted more. The Backcountry Discovery Route we took had very little traffic or terrain challenges for a UTV, so it was good for covering lots of miles per day.

 

Idaho BDR
If you know the Idaho BDR, you’ve seen the blue cabin. It is one of several landmarks along the way, including the old bus, Indian Post Office and hot springs.

 

Idaho BDR
Our favorite section of trail was between the towns of Avery and Wallace. There were two trails to choose from—this higher road with half a dozen train tunnels and a lower one along the river. Both had several spots to set up camp.

 

THE ROUTE

Our route started in the town of Clark Fork, just 80 miles (on dirt) from the Canadian border. We traveled along the Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR), which is a network of trails that adventure motorcycle groups have mapped out primarily in the western U.S. and mid-Atlantic region. We did a section that consisted of OHV trails, Jeep trails and gravel county roads. If your machine is not registered in Idaho, you are required to purchase a non-resident OHV sticker, which is simple to do online at www.parksandrecreation.idaho.gov.

Since the trails favored big, heavy motorcycles, they were not challenging for UTVs; however, the scenery was amazing, and the remoteness of the route added to the excitement. On a trail like this, you can expect to see big game—such as moose, grizzly bears and elk—right on the trail. That fact made camping in the woods a little scary, so we set up camp near highways, towns and a little civilization.

Idaho BDR
“Tread Lightly” is the name of the game in this part of the country. The riding season is short in northern Idaho. Some of the mountain passes are blocked by snow until July, and the runoff flows all summer.

 

Idaho BDR
Breakdowns happen, but if you’re prepared with the right parts or at least a rope, a buddy can tow you out to civilization.

 

Idaho BDR
While “Hillbilly Deluxe” looked like a garbage truck from the rear, the driver and founder of Smackout Adventures rallies riders in the Pacific Northwest together to get out and ride, getting the most out of their UTVs. Follow the group on Facebook.

 

Idaho BDR
By downloading the Idaho BDR GPS file, you will see the can’t-miss stops along the way. This one was marked as “cliff jumping” along the Coeur d’Alene River.

 

Idaho BDR
Our camping gear was supplied by Klymit. The lightweight, compact backpack gear stowed easily in our KRX4.

 

SCENERY

We typically like to do point-to-point (Baja) routes or loops when we go on a big ride so that we don’t see the same terrain twice. This trip was an out-and-back (225 miles each way), and we were pleasantly surprised at how different the terrain looked going the opposite direction. For the most part, it was like riding a completely new trail. If we had to pick a favorite part of the trail, it would be the section between the towns of Wallace and Avery. Just north of Avery, there are two routes you can take—a low road along the St. Joe River or High Bank St., which takes you on the Old Milwaukee Railroad Grade through a half-dozen tunnels and over a handful of bridges. Both are worth doing. The lower road has lots of camping opportunities along the way.

If the view from the trail is not epic enough, this part of the country is dotted with fire lookout towers that you can climb up to get a 360-degree view of the area. Speaking of fires, if you do a trip like this later in the summer, be sure to check with the forest-service website for fires and potential road-closure information. We had a trip scheduled for three weeks after this one but had to postpone due to a wildfire.

Idaho BDR
This is an image taken from the crow’s nest of an active fire lookout tower. At the time we stopped by, there were several plumes of smoke in the distance.

 

Idaho BDR
Our stop in Avery ended up being a fuel stop, breakfast and lunch on different days. It’s one of the very UTV-friendly towns along the BDR. There is a specific OHV trail through town that keeps riders off the highway.

 

Idaho BDR
We passed hundreds of waterfalls along our 450-mile trip.

 

MACHINERY

Our group included 12 people, 10 rigs and three dogs. Most of the rigs were Polaris, with the exception of a few Can-Ams, one Talon and the Kawasaki Teryx KRX4 1000 that we were in. We’ve taken the two-seat KRX on 1000-mile adventures in Baja before, so we knew we had a reliable machine that we didn’t have to worry about. The rig had plenty of room for a full-size cooler, spare tire, camping gear and supplies. We were able to do about 110–125 twisty mountain miles before the fuel light came on. We never had to put more than 9 gallons in at the stops. The KRX was not too big for the twisty mountain roads. In fact, the extra wheelbase and electronic suspension made it the smoothest car in the group over the rougher sections of the trail. View videos of the trip and some of the camping tips we filmed here https://youtu.be/7I6JV-35v3Q

Idaho BDR
Idaho has lots of free dispersed camping along its forest roads. The memories and friends made sitting around a campfire leave a mark much deeper than staying in a hotel any day.

 

Idaho BDR
Our fearless leader Ian decided to do a mid-ride vehicle prep. In fact, a passerby in a pickup spotted a missing nut on a trailing-arm bolt. He robbed one from the ROPS, and we were on our way.

 

Idaho BDR
You might think you have plenty of room in the empty passenger area of a four-seater, that is until your friends need you to carry their gear. Four-seaters are great at keeping your cargo shaded somewhat.

 

Idaho BDR
This YXZ owner has been doing overland trips for years. His pet peeve is dust on his gear and overpaying for accessories. He built his own dust-tight cargo box/tire rack out of fiberglass.

 

FULL THROTTLE

Full Throttle batteries are built with high-compression cells and a heavy-duty case, so they stay strong in the face of shock and vibration. Pure-lead cells and thin-plate technology deliver reliable power again and again to meet the toughest demands.

Full Throttle batteries fit the widest variety of applications for your UTV, commuter cars, motorcycles and boats. See more at www.fullriverbattery.com.

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