Barry Bandstra rode the Great Divide on a motorcycle trip that lasted from July 22 to August 9, along with his friend Jaco Hamman from Western Theological Seminary. Read Jaco’s account of the trip. Barry rode his 1999 Kawasaki KLR 650 and Jaco rode his 2005 BMW R1200GS. The Great Divide, also called the Continental Divide, marks the line of highest elevation of the North American continent and runs through the Canadian Rockies, then through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, and continues on into Mexico. The US portion of the Great Divide trail begins in Roosville, MT on the Canadian border and runs 2497 miles to Antelope Wells, NM on the Mexican border.
The last Continental Divide road sign is just outside Antelope Wells, NM
The Great Divide Trail is a mountain biking trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association, and motorcycles are welcome. The official trail is mostly off paved roads and follows some single track trails, forest access roads, logging roads, and back country gravel roads. The total trip was 6,172.4 riding miles according to the GPS. The GDT crosses the continental divide 24 times.
The color-coded map indicates the trip by days.
Great Divide Ride 2009