Yellowstone/Grand Teton (400/600/1000km)

Grand Teton/Yellowstone 1000 — RWGPS Link — ACP-sanctioned 1000km Brevet

1005 km (625 miles) with 24,672 feet of cumulative elevation gain. Route # 1975.
The starting elevation is 5,260 feet. The highest elevation gained is 8,489 feet on day one. Total time limit: 75 hours or by 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Grand Teton/Yellowstone 600 — RWGPS Link — 600km ACP-Sanctioned Brevet

604km (375 miles) with 14,397 feet of accumulated climbing. Route # 1944. Elevation range is from 5,244 to 8,246 ft. Time limit: 40 hours, or by 20:00 the following day.

Yellowstone 400 — RWGPS Link — ACP-sanctioned 400km Brevet

401 km (249.3 miles) with 10,604 feet of cumulative elevation gain. Route # 1976.
The starting elevation is 5,260 feet. The highest elevation gained is 8,489 feet. Total time limit: 27:00 hours or by 7:00 on Friday morning. This link has us starting at the 2016 start point, which was a different motel.

Introduction These routes cover varied terrain into two incredible national parks and nearby rural valleys of Swan and Star Valley. Originally, we contemplated starting in Logan, in northern Utah, which has an abundance of reasonably priced motels, but the route spent too much time just “getting to and from” the national parks, rather than riding in the parks — so we moved the start much closer to Yellowstone.

The cue sheet has detailed information on services including the store hours of many c-stores. It also has notes about water sources in or near these remote towns or national parks — this is because riding a self-supported 1000 or 1200 km usually involves traveling at off hours when many services are closed.

400K Option At the last minute, we added a 400km option. Unlike the 600K, the 400K is similar to day one of the 1000K, so riders can (hopefully) ride together much of this day. The 1000K and 400K routes are very similar until mile 220, when the 400K route takes a slightly longer route back to the start, in order to bring the distance up to a full 400 km.

Start & Finish Location (make your own reservation) Rankin Motel, 120 US-20 in Ashton, Idaho, 83420 (this is the far east part of the state of Idaho). Tel 208-652-3570 (Niki). The closest International Airport, some 270 miles to the south, is Salt Lake City. You can get a puddle jumper into Idaho Falls, which is 54 miles away from Ashton. Rental cars are available there.

Special Route Notes The 1000K brevet takes you on a dirt road for about one mile at mile marker 319.0. It is somewhat early on day two, so we hope there will be no rain at that time of day. The longest climb is up Teton Pass with 2,230 feet of vertical at mile 289. The grade near the top of this climb is approx. 10–11%. The highest point of this brevet is at 8,500 feet at mile 98.0 in Yellowstone. Fortunately, it will be in the middle of the day and not in the cold of the night or early morning. Because you are traveling through a mountainous national park, there may be sections (mostly in Yellowstone) with minimal shoulder and RVs passing by.

Cue Sheet A detailed cue sheet and brevet card will be provided at check in. Do NOT rely on the online cue sheet as it may not be accurate. If you wish to preview the cue sheet, a PDF or OpenOffice (similar to Excel) version can be e-mailed to you upon request, or one will be sent out to everyone on the Google E-Mail Group, about a week before the event date.

States These Routes Enters Idaho, Montana (very briefly) and Wyoming

Mandatory equipment inspection & final registration: 16:00–17:00 hours (4:00–5:00 p.m.) at our host motel (Eagle Creek Lodge) on Wednesday the 24th.

Registration $60 which may include roving (very minimal) support & drop bag service to Jackson.

1000K Prerequisites a 400K (or longer) in 2016, a 1000K or 1200K in 2015, or RBA approval.

1000K Support Very limited, if any at all. We may have one person on course throughout the event as a roving SAG and drop bag helper. In the event that this support plan fails or if our rider count doesn’t reach a minimum of eight (it is hard to justify a support person for less riders), you will be notified in advance (so you can ship your drop bag in advance to Jackson) and refunded approx. $30.00.

Stages We recommend you ride it in the designed stages to you don’t miss the killer scenery and, in the unlikely chance have a support crew, they can provide “reasonable support” during the long service-less sections.

600 vs. 1000K Routes The 600 km option, will start at the same time but the 1000K riders take a detour to Mesa Falls early on day one, whereas the 600K riders head direct to Yellowstone. The 1000K riders come back to Ashton for the first overnight, whereas the 600K riders overnight in Jackson Wyoming.

Prerequisites for this Event are a 400K (or longer) in 2016, a 1000K or 1200K in 2015, or RBA approval. RUSA route # coming.

1000K Route Narrative

Day One takes in 378 km (235 miles) with 9,570 ft of climbing. It starts in Ashton and immediately heads north, climbing up to the Targhee National Forest and Targhee Pass, which is at the Continental Divide. From there we will head up to West Yellowstone, just outside the park boundary. We enter Yellowstone National Park and then head to Old Faithful, after passing Firehole Falls. From there we will cross the continental divide twice more more (topping out at almost 8,500 feet) before traveling along the western shore of Yellowstone Lake. And then our trip will visit roaring Upper Yellowstone Falls, before completing our 80-mile loop and heading back to Ashton.
Day Two travels 324 km (201 miles) with 9,397 ft of climbing. It begins in our host motel at Ashton, Idaho and ends up in Jackson Wyoming for the overnight. We will travel southeast, climbing through rural eastern Idaho, in the shadow of the Tetons. After pausing in Victor Idaho (elevation 6,200 feet), we will make the longest single climb of the event (2,230 ft), up to Teton Pass at 8,431 feet and then make a quick 6-mile, 2,200-foot descent into the Snake River valley (near Jackson) of Wyoming. Fortunately, we will be climbing the “easy” side and descended the steep side. We then head along the eastern edge of the Tetons, into Teton National Park and along some of the best preserved mountains in the intermountain west. We will travel near Jenny and Jackson Lakes before making our way back down along the eastern edge of the Snake River (at mile 432 you will pass the legendary “Snake River Lookout,” made famous by photographer Ansel Adams; if you lucky and/or fast, it still will be daylight at that point of your ride). We will overnight in Jackson Wyoming. There are a few 24/7 c-stores in town, but no 24-hour restaurants — you will be on your own for meals throughout this brevet, so plan accordingly.
Day Three travels 302 km (188 miles) with 5,804 ft of climbing. The RWGPS grade indicates a mostly downward trend on this day. We will head south out of Jackson along the Snake River and into the north end of beautiful Star Valley (this is part of the wildly popular race called LoToJa, the longest sanctioned cycling road race in the U.S.). From there we make a u-turn and head through Swan Valley, through Rexburg Idaho (home of BYU-I) and then onto Ashton.

600K Route Narrative

Day One takes in 349 km (217 miles) with 8,564 ft of climbing. It starts in Ashton Idaho and immediately heads north, climbing up to the town of West Yellowstone, after crossing the continental divide. Shortly thereafter, we will enter Yellowstone National Park and then head towards Upper Yellowstone Falls (i.e. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone), before heading south past Yellowstone Lake and through Grand Teton National Park and finally into Jackson Wyoming for an overnight stop.
Day Two travels 255 km (158 miles) with 5,877 ft of climbing. It begins in our motel at Jackson and ends up back in Ashton. Early on this day, we will head south into the lush regions of Star Valley, Swan Valley and up over Pine Creek Pass (6,772 ft) dropping into the small community of Driggs, Idaho on the west side of the Tetons. From there we continue on some rural roads and highways back to Ashton.

Overnight Accommodations

Your fee will not be include overnight accommodations. You must book your own room, but we have reserved some rooms for you under “Salt Lake Randos.” Some of these motels have non-refundable rooms. Ask when you book. Rooms go quick and are not cheap in these resort towns, so reserve well ahead of time.
If you wish to share a room, we recommend you post a note on our Google Group e-mail list or on our Facebook page.

Ashton Idaho Motels

Rankin Motel (our Designated “Host Motel,” you must book your own room), 120 US-20 in Ashton, Idaho, 83420, tel 208-851-8646 (ask for Niki). They are holding a few rooms for us up through approx. April 22nd, 2017 under the name “Salt Lake Randos.” Their rates are $75.00 plus tax per night for one person, $80.00 plus tax for two people, and $90.00 plus tax for three or more people.
Eagle Peak Lodg e , 164 White Pines Ave, Ashton, Idaho, 83420. Tel 208-652-6599. This motel is on the north end of town on the main highway (US-20). Their rates there are more expensive than the Rankin, but it is closer to some services than the Rankin.
Anglers Motel, 112 Main St, tel 208-652-7065.
Log Cabin Motel, 1001 Main St, tel 208-652-3956.

Services in Ashton

There are no 24-hour restaurants in Ashton, but one 24/7 c-store. Most of the fast-food places close at 10 or 11 p.m.

Adjacent to the Eagle Peak Lodge is a Subway/Exxon c-store (tel 208-652-7806) which typically closes at 9 or 10 p.m. and also Big Juds restaurant, tel 208-652-7806, open til ~ 10:00 p.m.
The only 24-hour c-store is called Jacksons, 705 Main St, tel 208-652-7282. They are about 1/2-mile from the Rankin Motel.
There is also a pizza shop (511 Main Fountain & Pizzeria, tel 208-652-05110) & Mexican restaurant at 5th West and Main Street.
The main grocery store in town is Dave’s Jubilee at 108 US-20, tel 208-652-7771.

Jackson Wyoming Motels

The Virginian Lodge (our Designated “Host Motel,” you must book your own room), 750 West Broadway, Jackson, WY 83001. Tel 1-800-262-4999 or 307-733-2792. This motel is on the central part of town on the main highway (#191). We have a small block of rooms (5) set aside for our group on July 14th, 2017. The rates are $143.10/single or dual, $149.400/triple, $155.70/quad. They will hold them up until two weeks prior (7/1/2017). There is a in-house bar and/or restaurant, typically open until 9 or 10 p.m. If you choose to ship a drop bag (box) to them, do so only using UPS or FedEx; do NOT use USPS.
Motel 6, tel 2307-733-1620. Further south on the Highway 191
Henderson Creek Lodge, tel 307-629-8597
Pony Express Motel, 307-733-3835
Golden Inn, 307-733-2042
Teton Gables, 307-733-3723
Jackson Hole Lodge, 307-733-2992
Many others not listed

Services in Jackson

There are numerous restaurants in Jackson, but none open 24/7. Below is a listing of all the known 24/7 c-stores. Most of the fast-food places close at 10 or 11 p.m.

Lof ’N Jug, 395 West Broadway, tel 307-733-7947 is open 24/7 and is on route as we enter Jackson heading toward our motel. It is about 3/4 mile from our motel.
Maverik c-store, 1005 US-89, tel 307-734-9453 is also open 24/7 and is about 3/4-mile south of our motel.
McDonalds, 1110 West Broadway, tel 307-733-7444, closes at 11 p.m. or midnight. It is about 1/2-mile SW of The Virginian.
There are numerous other fast food places in Jackson.

Jackson Drop Bag Service
Assuming we have a support person, he or she will carry your bags to Jackson and then return them to Ashton. Otherwise, you will have to ship them yourself.

Support

This will be a self-supported brevet & travels in very remote areas with few services. The RBA (Richard) will be riding with the group as a participant. This means you will need to get your supply of fluids and extra food at convenience stores or cafes along the route. There is no or very limited SAG. In the event of any catastrophic problems, we recommend that you have a back up plan.

Meals

You will be responsible for your own food & fluids. Bring cash and/or credit cards to pay your way. Most likely, there will be no supported aid stations. If we get a volunteer to help out, we plan to offer water drop or roving SAG, especially late at night when some services may be closed. Although all of our overnight locations have a 24-hour c-store, none have 24-hour restaurants, so you may consider using an MRE or purchasing other food stuffs in advance, if you anticipate late arrivals at the overnight stops.

Etc., Etc., Etc.

Cue Sheet A detailed cue sheet and brevet card will be provided at check in. Do NOT rely on the online cue sheet as it may not be up to date. A PDF version can be provided in advance upon request.

Registration Preegistration is required so we have time to prepare the personalized brevet cards & cue sheets. You are responsible to make your own motel reservations—overnight accommodations are not included in the registration fee.

If you have to abandon the brevet, please call or text myself, or the support crew, IF we have such a person.

Reminders This is primarily a self-supported event, so bring cash for stops at various convenience stores and for entrance fees into the national parks. Also, please have a pen in your bag as this route requires answering several “Informational Checkpoint” questions. The entrance fee for the National Parks is $12 each (2014 rate) or $80 for an annual pass. Sometimes they let several cyclists through on one paid admission.

Lighting This route requires bicycle lighting. This includes a front light, a rear tail red light, a reflective vest or sash and reflective ankle bands. Be advised to bring back-ups for each light too. There will be an inspection at the start line to insure you have everything (if you arrive at the finish after dark without appropriate lighting and clothing you may be DQed— see our rules page for more info on this topic).

If You Are Late Please call me so I can arrange to leave you a cue sheet and brevet card. You can start up to an hour after the official start time, but subsequent checkpoint cut-off times will remain the same, as if you had started with everyone else. If you know in advance, or wake up in the morning and decide not to ride, please let me know so I won’t worry about you at the start.

Sun Data (approx.) Civil twilight/sunrise: ??? a.m. Sunset/civil twilight: ??? p.m.

Contact Richard Stum (Regional Brevet Administrator), office 435 – 462 – 2266, cell 435 – 851 – 9558 or Richard@eogear.com

Wanna See More Photos? See our Facebook page for the 600K “pre-ride”.

Sanctioning The brevets are ACP-sanctioned. The permanent is RUSA-sanctioned. See our “What is a Brevet?” page for more information on sanctioning.

FAQs

Isn’t a July route going to be too hot? Some have asked whether or not doing this even in August will be too hot. This area of the country is generally at a high mean elevation and is rarely gets over 80-85F. At night, it easily gets down to freezing during the summer. It can snow any day of the year in Jackson and with the shorter days in September, the evenings and mornings can be brutally cold. Because the route goes into two national parks, we didn’t want to schedule in the middle of summer due to the traffic. It is our hope that many schools have already started at the end of August and consequently the congestion on the roads and highways will be minimized.

What about permits going into the national parks? Obtaining an official tour permit to enter a national park can be very expensive and problematic. The permits are primarily for groups that provide support inside the park boundary. We have no such plans, rather, we plan on doing what the Arizona (and us) regions have done in the past, while entering national parks—that is to “fly under the radar.” You will be required to pay an entry fee for each park ($12 or an annual pass). Some of the checkpoints in the parks are Informational Checkpoints. For the Receipt/Signature Checkpoint in the parks, we recommend that you ask for a receipt and NOT obtain a signature—so as to not arouse any questions. If asked why there are several cyclists in the park, simply reply something like “we are a bunch of Facebook friends riding as individuals. This is not a race or a commercial tour.” We do not recommend volunteering information with any park official about what a brevet is and who RUSA is. Please keep it low key and with our expected small group (6–10, riding in smaller groups) we don’t anticipate any problems.

What type of roads will we be traveling on? This route travels on both highways and quiet country roads. Except for the national parks, most of the highways do have a shoulder, but many of them now have rumble strips. We advise using a blinking tail light (1/2-watt or brighter) in day and night, and wearing light and bright-colored jerseys for better visibility. There are no grades over about 9 or 10% on this route, but there are several long, continuous climbs of several thousand feet. Also, there are long sections, up to 50 miles, between services. Bringing a third water bottle or a hydration pack is recommended.

Rider Limit Due to the travel in the National Parks without a permit, we plan to limit this brevet to 20 participants. We will instigate a wait list if necessary, but seriously doubt it will be needed.

Refund Policy For the 1000K, we will refund minus $25, up until two weeks prior to the event, and then no refund thereafter.