Adventure Motorcycle Blog

Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route (COBDR) Map & Information

The Pre-Flight Ritual: Gearing Up for the 2026 Trek

The “planning itch” has officially returned. We are currently deep in the pre-trip rabbit hole—a chaotic but necessary phase of obsessing over topo maps, wrenching on bikes, and scouring VRBOs/Airbnbs, hotels, etc., for the perfect rest stops. It’s that time of year when our browser tabs are a messy mix of weather patterns, gear blogs, ride reports, tech data, semi embarrassing checking account expenses for the latest moto gadgets, mods, and YouTube trail previews.

The 2026 Fleet & Crew

This year’s misfits feature a heavy U.S. Air Force presence, so you can bet the logistics will be handled with precision (or at least a lot of enthusiasm) and fancy lodging will be utilized. The machines are looking strong as well.

• 5 KTMs and 1 Honda.

The Obsession

The deeper we go into the world of adventure riding, the more we realize how massive this community is. It’s a sport that bridges every gap imaginable. On the trails, you’ll find 16-year-old rookies and 85-year-old legends; you’ll see beat-up 30-year-old “vintage” bikes keeping pace going down the same trails as the $25,000 BMWs. It doesn’t matter what you’re on—just that you’re out there.

The “Irony of Experience”

We’ve noticed a funny trend: Every year, our planning gets smoother, but our routes get harder. We’re trading the “easy” roads for more grit, more elevation, and more stories to tell. The COBDR no doubt has some sketchy sections, but that’s all part of the fun – especially when you meet traffic coming your way and the ground is either wet or frozen.

Weather Intel

The Variables: We’ve mapped out the rain and wind trends just to make sure we take the proper gear no matter what the sky throws at us. We’ll see temps from the mid 30s to 70s with rain and 0-20 mph winds.

Good chance the bikes will be nice and icy first thing in the morning when at elevation. Might need to install some grip heaters.

Here’s the 2025 data.

Day 1 / Sep 6th: Baggs, WY:

Low 39 / High 79

Winds NE at 15 mph

Day 2 / Sep 7th: Mid-Point between Baggs, WY and Steamboat: Hahns Peak

Low 57 / High 78

Winds N / NE at 8-10 mph

Day 3 / Sep 8th: Mid-Point between Steamboat and Gypsum: Stagecoach Water Crossing

Low 37 / High 64 – rain

Winds S/SE at 7-12 mph

Day 4 / Sep 9th: Mid-Point between Gypsum and Buena Vista: Leadville

Low 36 / High 63 – rain

Winds E/NE at 7-11 mph

Day 5 / Sep 10th: Mid-Point between Buena Vista and Lake City: Doyleville

Low 50 / High 79 – rain

Winds N at 12 mph

Day 6 / Sep 11th: Mid-Point between Lake City and Telluride: Owl Creek Pass

Low 48 / High 65

Winds N/NW at 11 mph

Day 7 / Sep 12th: Mid-Point between Telluride and Cortez: Flat Top Mountain

Low 48 / High 65

Winds N at 7 mph

We’re going to travel from North to South. This will help with overall time and vehicle logistics when it’s all said and done.

Anyways, back to buying more crap I don’t need…

We all have Instagram accounts so feel free to follow these. They’ll be updated daily.

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