What: a 207 mile self-supported grassroots bikepacking event.
When: Grand Depart 7AM Sep 5, 2020
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:
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.
2020 Route Info
There are some minor changes from the 2019 route.
- There is more Bunker creek singletrack.
- Hwy 14 (narrow to no shoulder) is replaced with a scenic ride through rural neighborhoods with big steep hills.
- A trail change in the Louder Ponds area (heading towards Brian Head) takes a more obvious route.
. Use to sync with a Garmin.
View route and water source images on .
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.
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: )
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
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 |