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Old 06-01-2017, 08:16 AM   #1
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WABDR? Washington Back Country Discovery Route?

Has anyone done the WABDR in a Sportsmobile or other tall full-size 4x4? Headed from CO to Whistler by way of San Juan Islands in July and thinking I could travel the southern of this and add a bit of adventure in Washington.

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Old 06-01-2017, 10:11 AM   #2
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I have not done it yet, so I can't speak from experience, but I'm pretty sure that this year there will be some challanges due to all the snow. I seem to remember a couple threads either here or on Expo that discuss parts of the route in a SMB, try the search function. Do you have a route planned from the San Juans to Whistler?
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:40 AM   #3
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I did section 2 a few years ago. No problems. But there was no snow. I've read section one can be thickly over grown. If you are not wanting pin striping on the van, I wouldn't recommend it.

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...2-a-13004.html

This is where you want to read for most up to date info.
I would think July will be ok as far as snow.

WABDR (Washington Backcountry Discovery Route) 2015 | Page 198 | Adventure Rider
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Old 06-01-2017, 07:50 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arctictraveller View Post
I have not done it yet, so I can't speak from experience, but I'm pretty sure that this year there will be some challanges due to all the snow. I seem to remember a couple threads either here or on Expo that discuss parts of the route in a SMB, try the search function. Do you have a route planned from the San Juans to Whistler?
ArcticTraveller - thanks. I've found some stuff on Expo. I don't have a route yet for the Friday Harbor leg. Was thinking back over to Anacortes and then up to the North Shore area - haven't ridden there yet. Any suggestions on roads or camping?
Thanks,
Steve
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Old 06-01-2017, 07:51 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by BUFFALO View Post
I did section 2 a few years ago. No problems. But there was no snow. I've read section one can be thickly over grown. If you are not wanting pin striping on the van, I wouldn't recommend it.

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...2-a-13004.html

This is where you want to read for most up to date info.
I would think July will be ok as far as snow.

WABDR (Washington Backcountry Discovery Route) 2015 | Page 198 | Adventure Rider
Buffalo - thanks for the beta! Those are some good threads.
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Old 06-06-2017, 02:52 AM   #6
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Wbdr

My daughter and I took six out of the eleven days of our 2016 summer overland trip to do the entire route of the WBDR in 2016 (south to north) with our Sportsmobile.

Day 1: The section from the Columbia River (WA/OR border) up through Packwood did have a few short sections where the tips of the fir trees rubbed down both sides of the van. One section of the road had half washed out but we were able to tippy-toe around it and keep moving.





Day 2: The section from Packwood to Ellensburg: This section had one short route that was too tight for us (NF-324/NF-325). We were just too tall. We were able to get around this section by using NF-1500. We occasionally had great views of the various volcanoes.





Day 3: Ellensburg to Leavenworth: Lots of elevation gain. My favorite part of the trip. Lots of cliff driving. We did it when it was dry. One section crossing a rock slide was very questionable. Had to stop and move lots of rocks around to reconstruct/stabilize trail. There were no re-routes to this section (other than to back out and take the highway).




Day 4: Leavenworth to Chelan: Lots of overgrown patches with branches dragging down the side of the van. Fir trees had been dragging down the van on the initial stage. Now, there were stiff desert shrubs doing the same thing. I seem to recall that the 'jungle' section was on this day (lots of brush over the road). We opted for the other WBDR alternative that skips this. We had one short re-route because the road we were supposed to be on got washed out by a previous storm and it was not fixed yet.






Day 5: Chelan to Osoyoos Lake (Canadian Border): Deviation from WBDR route. We did the first half of this route then we opted to drive up the highway to Lake Osoyoos. We would then return on the last WBDR (north to south) the next day to complete the route. This was the dustiest day of the trip.

Day 6: Osoyoos to Twisp: No narrow brush sections to deal with today. Just cows. Lots and lots of cows.




Awesome trip overall. The van was large enough that we had to cut blow-down away every day. We did not see any other automobiles doing this same trip but we did encounter a half dozen adventure motorcycles. The route is rough in places, dusty, and the vegetation definitely encroaches on the route. We only had to use 4x4 during the one really technical rock slide section on Day 3. We also had to pay very close attention to the many fires that occur in the area. It should also be noted that for as much vegetation that dragged down the side of our van... after a wash and a detail, no significant scratches were visible (paint still looks like new).

If you want an alternative that goes many of the same places - and on a slightly more open forest service road track, see the following:

https://store.soundrider.com/collect...uided-nw-tours

Cheers,
Twolost
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Old 06-06-2017, 08:40 AM   #7
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Awesome report and great info! Thanks!
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Old 06-06-2017, 09:35 AM   #8
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Great trip report and pictures twolost.

This trip is very high on my list. Guess I should be prepared to gash up my perfect paint or bring a hedge trimmer and have my forward "scout" clearance as needed. That first scratch is always the hardest...
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Old 06-06-2017, 12:13 PM   #9
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NICE TRIP REPORT!!!!!! You have lit the fire for my wife and I (a 'trail' to do list)and many other members!
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Old 06-29-2017, 06:38 AM   #10
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Thanks so much for that Twolost! Great report. I hope to do part of that next month!
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