Many places which have very little water are the same places that have the deepest, most awesome canyons carved by rivers. On Section 7 of the Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route (WWR), we were challenged by cycling across arid lands with no access to water for several days. As a reward, we cycled to the Grand Canyon - a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide. But that was only one of several stunning canyons, most of which are less visited by tourists. They’re also the domain of one of North America’s rarest and largest birds - the California Condor.

The Western Wildlands Bikepacking Route will have us cycling off-pavement for over 2,250 miles (80% of the route). All that dirt has us re-thinking our bike touring gear list. The biggest change will be to the bicycles themselves, but we’ve also overhauled our bags, toolkit, and sleeping gear. We hope the changes will ensure we’re ready to tackle an extended, backcountry cycling trip.