What: a 207 mile self-supported grassroots bikepacking event.
When: Grand Depart 6AM Sep 17, 2021
Where: western trailhead for the Virgin River Rim trail near Deer Haven campground, Dixie NF. This is east of Cedar City off of Hwy 14.
More info:
historical discussion on bikepacking.net
active discussion in Facebook group
2021 Trackleaders signup
The Bristlecone 200 is 207 miles of spectacular variation in the mountains, high plateaus, canyons and hoodoos of southern Utah. It originated in 2011 as a combination of the best of the Dixie 311, a more rugged and challenging adventure and the Dixie Lite, an intro to bikepacking.
Fast forward to 2017: the Brian Head fire raged through much of the area, wiping out key sections making a loop impractical. Trail work in 2018 made possible a revised route that I think is even more compelling than the original. It features new trails, added trails, and a taste of the Sevier Plateau. In a final twist, the route is now oriented clockwise.
Route Info
The 2021 route is identical to the 2020 route.
Garmin Connect route. Use to sync with a Garmin.
View route and water source images on ridewithgps.com.
Water beta
Approximate course mile, location, potable and on course unless otherwise noted. Campground water access normally ends 1 or 2 days after labor day.
This waypoint file contains locations of Swains creek (off route), Hancock spring (off route), Casto Canyon, Hillsdale Canyon, unnamed spring prior to Proctor on the Grandview and a water spigot in Bryce Woodlands. Note this waypoint file does NOT contain all sources, just a few in important locations that are off-route or possibly hard to find. Te-Ah, Burger Barn (outdoor sink in front), Panguitch, Red Canyon, Long Valley aren’t in this file but you will want to use those sources.
0 Deer Haven CG
9, 20, 198 (yes 3 passes!) Te-ah CG
39 Castle creek (filter)
50 Bunker creek (filter). Many crossings along the trail.
55 Panguitch lake
69.7 Panguitch creek (filter)
80 Panguitch (major resupply)
100.1 Hancock/Casto intersection (filter, just a trickle, high bovine use)
109.5 Red Canyon CG (roughly .3 miles off route via paved bike path)
126.4 Hillsdale canyon (filter, image: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/waypoint/b8c7d02e-6632-45d3-9e9a-00c7558ffb25/?layer=usfs-roads,esriusgstopo&slideshow=true)
130.9 Piped spring that fills a trough. Great water. Can’t miss it. Filter it.
148 Bottom of Pole canyon, you’ll see a spring. I’d filter it. NOTE: this was dry in 2019.
149.6 Red water spigot next to the road in a large park/picnic area. Easiest, best source in this area.
160 Long Valley Junction – Tod’s Country Store, gas station with a lot of food and drink choice
177 Swains creek. 1 easy mile off-route. Head down Swains Creek valley on the dirt road, you’ll see a wooden fence enclosure, ride to it and you’ll hear the gurgling. It waters a lot of cattle so have a good filter.
198 Back to Te-Ah. Long Valley to Te-Ah is what I’d consider the longest section between water, 5+ hours.
Rules
The rules are simple. By lining up you agree to honor your fellow bikepacker by following them. This is your honor code. I will not mediate rules issues as I implicitly trust all who line up. Ask for clarification on FB or bikepacking.net if they are not clear.
- Complete the entire route under your own human power.
- No pre-arranged support with one exception: teams of any number of riders are allowed. The rules apply to the team as a unit; the finishing time of the team is that of the last member to finish. Team riders may share items but otherwise no cached or pre-arranged support is allowed.
- It is the responsibility of the rider to determine whether or not he/she has finished within the rules.
- GPX file submission or Trackleaders tracking is required to claim a course record.
2 additional temporary rules for the 2020 event:
- wear a face covering in any public shared space such as stores, gas stations, restaurants.
- bring and use hand sanitizer after using any public service or business.
Results
2020
This year featured record heat. Course was slightly longer than 2019 – new singletrack bottom of Bunker Creek and a new neighborhood detour to avoid all of Hwy 14.
| Dana Ernst | 1:13:16 | |
|
Bob Saffell |
2:11:14 | |
| Gregg Dunham | 4:06:17 | ITT late Sept |
| Brad Keyes | left route at VRRT | |
| Lynda Wallenfels Heidi Volpe Michael Darter |
Left route at Bryce Woodlands | Team |
| Steve Bird | Left route at mile 130 |
2019
| Dana Ernst | 1:11:47 | New course record |
|
Jensen Werner Dave Harris |
1:17:51 | Team category |
| Chris Kuzdas | 2:07:46 | |
| Geoff Lane | 2:10:29 | |
| Brian N | 2:11:04 | |
| Evan Solberger | 2:14:42 |