A CannonRide Up the Mid-Atlantic Backcounty Discovery Route (MABDR)

Ajacks and I just completed a ride on the MABDR which runs through the Appalachians in the back country of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.





The layout is great. The folks that scouted and plotted the route did a fantastic job coming up with a scenic and entertaining path that alternates between sporty pavement segments and fabulous contour roads through the forests. Thank you so much for providing this opportunity for others to enjoy.



We rode big bikes (GSA 1200 and a Super Tenere) and they were both good choices for this ride. However, about anything that you can enjoy riding on gravel would enable you to have an excellent experience.



As usual, I did some research to allow us to explore some history and points of interest on or near the path so I'll be including some (hopefully) interesting stories about things along the way - topics that range from secret spy schools to being captured by Indians. I made a few modifications to the path and added a few side trips for my own ride. This in no way implies that the original path is anything other than fantastic. It is great. I look at offerings like the BDRs as a great entrée for a meal. You have a great initial offering, but then you choose how you want to prepare it and what spices to add to make it suit your own preferences as you decide what bike to ride and how to approach the trip. Some may want to add a few "side dishes" to explore other places that aren't part of the original track. Thank you again to the BDR folks for bringing this into being for the rest of us to enjoy.





As usual, I'll share the GPS tracks and waypoints (points of interest) for the ride we did. However, please get the current track from the BDR website so that you will always have the current basic track to refer to as you plan your own ride. This will account for changes like closures and reroutes so that things go smoothly for future riders. Off the top of my head I think my intended track in this area was around 1,300 miles.



We had a great time on this ride while we experienced rain/flash flooding, snow, cold weather, hot weather, and all that goes with it. We'll share more details and photos in an effort to assist future MABDR riders with their own plans and to encourage more riders take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.



I'll also cover some closure/reroute information.





Sllllllllllliiiiiiiiippery!


















GPX for this ride (with waypoints/POIs) can be found in this post.

Thanks for following along!

Hope you and your posse have a great trip Mark! What a wonderful ride! Nothing to be too concerned about along the way - "except for" just relaxing and having a great time. An entertaining and satisfying experience for sure.

Good thing we were self-sufficient enough to deal with almost any development. More on this later . . .

What a great time! I already miss the great conversations during coffee and meal breaks. Coordination during the ride seemed remarkably intuitive. Plus, you can ride like the wind on that big bike!