Sunday, March 22, 2015

Glacier-Yellowstone-Big Sky 1000K Permanent

John Pearch of the Seattle International Randonneurs approached me about the idea of submitting a permanent linking Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.  John did all the work in designing and organizing, but I will "own" the route as it passes through my region. The route is designed so riders can tack on another 1000K after the riding the Portland-Glacier 1000K or the Seattle-Glacier 1000K brevets that are run from time-to-time.  The Portland-Glacier 1000K is scheduled for June 26-29, 2015. If you're interested in riding with John, let me know and I will put you in touch with him.

This 1000K permanent is a point-to-point route that starts in Whitefish, Montana and finishes in Big Sky, Montana. In between the route takes the Going-to-the-Sun Highway through Glacier National Park, then heads south through Great Falls, on to Livingston and then through the Paradise Valley to Gardiner.  After Gardiner the route enters Yellowstone National Park at the north entrance, crosses into Wyoming, and goes over Dunraven Pass before passing by the Park's main attractions, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lake Yellowstone, and Old Faithful before reentering Montana and leaving the Park at West Yellowstone. The final leg follows the Gallatin River to Big Sky, Montana.  From there, riders can shuttle to Bozeman/Belgrade and connect to the airlines at Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport or pack their bike and ship it home and catch the Jefferson Lines Bus at Belgrade which connects to the Greyhound system.  I will happily help out on logistics for any randonneur who attempts this permanent, but be warned-this ride will be unsupported with long distances between services in some areas and high traffic in and around the national parks, so you must be well trained, stocked, and equipped.

John Pearch's details about the route

Cue Sheet

Registration and Waiver form

No comments: