I had heard of Guthook Guides as great companions for many of the longer thru-hikes around the world but I never knew they made Bikepacking Guides as well. About a year ago Brenda and Monique were bikepacking in the Gila NF when they ran into Dahn who was hiking the CDT at the time.  They gave him some water and exchanged contact info as he was planning to stop in Tucson after his hike.  A few weeks later I came home to Dahn and the largest fruit salad you could ever imagine in my kitchen.  We swapped stories of hiking and shenanigans.  Not long after he sent me an email with an offer to check out a Bikepacking Guide for the Arizona Trail.

For understandable reasons I hadn’t had a chance to try the Bikepacking Guide out until this past weekend when I went to shuttle some friends hiking along the AZT and decided to just ride home.   I figured it would be a great time to give the Bikepacking Guide a try.  At first, I was intrigued to find all the possible spots to refill my water, cause duh the desert y’all.  There are all kinds of info on their map for on and off-trail resources.  Where is the closest bike shop? next fast food? Medical care? legal campsite? Most importantly it will tell you the distance to the next reliable water source.  I didn’t use the app to navigate, I had my wahoo for that, but I still found it to be a very helpful companion.

Now really isn’t the time to be out for a long hike or ride, but it is a great time to start planning and dreaming of your next big trip for when it is safe and advisable to do so.  Bikepacking Guides (made by Atlas Guides – who also make Guthook Guides) has apps for The Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail, Western Wildlands Route, Eagle Rock Loop, and Two routes in Australia.