Navigating the Great Divide S to N
 

This summer I'll be taking the ACA Western Express to the GD and then pedaling North. I'll be using mostly paper maps and hand written directions aided by a simple bike computer for this trip. I'll have a laptop that can be consulted when WiFi is available, but as of right now I will not have a GPS or smart phone. I've been told that the ACA GD maps are N to S. Normally I wouldn't be intimidated by reversing directions. However, since the GD consists of mostly dirt/gravel access roads with some single track this might be difficult. Any advice? Should I still buy the maps or would they be useless? Thanks in advance.

I think you might be awfully sorry if you don't have the maps. They show the locations of services, including camping locations (both established and make-shift), as well as paved alternatives where they exist. They also have important notes about various part of the route that may pose issues. It's only the cues and mileages that are written N to S. The lines on the maps can be followed in either direction. You would simply have to read the cues in reverse and do some simple math.

Another option is using national forest maps - most are available in plastic.
They would be bulkier and the number of maps you would need would probably equal the cost of the GDMBR.
Since you are from Chicago, I don't know how much experience you have using USFS maps.
The biggest advantage they offer is detailed information of the entire area - not just a specified route.
And they allow you route options as well as the ability to drop into nearby towns.
They are available online or in twons along the way with forest service offices.
(You can always mail them home as you use them.)

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but I wanted to get the opinion of others. The short sections I'm doing on the Grand Canyon Connector and Northern Tier probably don't require maps. However, it probably would be foolish for me to attempt the GD or Sierra Cascades without maps. Although it is also short, I'm also considering maps for the Western Express considering the remoteness/lack of water.

Thanks! I was planning on picking up maps at tourist centers to supplement the ACA ones, but I never thought of USFS maps. Adding to the list.

What part of the NT will you be doing?

I've been thinking of doing this too. Is there any advantage to going either direction? I've hiked the Appalachian Trail, and most people go south-to-north, to follow the warm weather as it moves northward. The Great Divide Trail seems to get more southbound travelers, and I don't know why. Any reason?

Don't mean to hijack, but is there a portion of the route one could ride in about 10 days, with easy access to both ends for flights? Future planning only.

I wll have to dig out my map for the first section in the U.S., but maybe fly into Flathead County Airport between Whitefish and Columbia Falls, MT, take a shuttle to the U.S.-Canadian Border at Rooseville, ride south to Ovando and then take roads to Missoula for a flight out. Staying on the route to Helena might be another option, but I wouldn't know the mileage without checking the map.

I am starting a four-day tour tomorrow. I will look next week.

One year I flew from Boston to Missoula and cycled 78 miles on the road to Lincoln MT. I picked up the Great Divide Trail at Lincoln and followed it about 408 miles to Henry's Lake ID (just short of Yellowstone). From there I cycled 108 miles on the road to Bozeman MT where I caught a flight back to Boston. I staffed an ACA Cycle MT tour based that year out of Bozeman before flying home. As I recall the trip was slightly longer than 10 days. Maybe 14-16 days or so.

edit: I just scanned the many GDMBR journals over on Crazy Guy. Lots of folks cover the Lincoln-Henry's Lake section in 8-10 days + or -.

I'll be using the NT to connect the GD and SC... so Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

The S to N in hiking the PCT and AT is mostly because you're racing Winter since it takes about 6 months to finish whereas the GD takes 15-45 days. As for the GD, there is some debate. Some of the last major passes to open up are in Colorado so going N - S allows you to start earlier. Also, there is a notorious hill in, I believe, Montana that is damn near impossible to traverse going North. However, others believe going S - N is better because it allows you to cross the NM desert while it is cooler and be in the higher elevations during the warmer months. You just need to time the Colorado passes well. Other than that, the reason may be, in part, a tradition amongst the biking community.

The biggest reason NOT to go north-to-south is the rain cycle.

The rainiest two months of the year in Montana are May & June.
Plus, at high elevation there is still plenty of snow and mud.
By late July it is significantly drier in the Northern Rockies.

Conversely, the monsoon season in New Mexico is July & August.
And the clay/caliche soils of dirt roads turn into super-glue.
May and June are usually quite dry - the end of the dry season.

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I would buy the maps. ACA maps are easy to navigate by, going either direction.

Yep, you'll just have to look at the lower direction panel instead of the upper.

Great thread..

That's really valuable info Jamawani. Thanks for posting that. I'm slow now due to some foot problems, plus I like to relax when I'm camping, so it will likely take me 3 months to complete. Maybe I will do it south to north.