International Continental Divide Adventure Route
International Continental Divide Adventure Route
Adventure Motorcycle or Overland Jeep, you pick the adventure
Mexico, USA, Canada, 8875 miles (14,282 km)
Self Guided Ride Packets
Embedded Files
International Continental Divide Motorcycle Route
The International Continental Divide Motorcycle Route is the crown jewel of long-distance adventure riding—a raw, untamed journey that spans the length of North America from the Mexico–Guatemala border all the way to the Arctic Ocean. This epic route stretches across three countries and more than 6,000 miles of shifting terrain, rugged beauty, and cultural immersion. It begins in the tropical highlands of southern Mexico, where riders weave through steep, winding roads, volcanic ridges, and remote mountain villages tucked into the folds of the Sierra Madre. As the trail continues north, the landscape transforms—dusty two-track gives way to deep pine forests and high deserts, leading through dramatic canyons and colonial towns rich with history, food, and color. Crucially, the route avoids all major highways, instead threading together backroads, dirt tracks, and remote service routes to create a continuous and immersive experience through the wild and lesser-seen parts of the continent.
Crossing into the U.S., the route links into the renowned Great Divide, following a mostly off-pavement path through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, climbing over alpine passes, skirting snowfields, and disappearing into vast, empty backcountry where wildlife outnumbers people. From there, riders push into the Canadian wilderness, cutting across the wild expanse of British Columbia and the Yukon, where the mountains grow taller, the roads grow rougher, and the distances between signs of civilization stretch long. The journey culminates in the far north, as riders take on the legendary Dempster Highway, battling weather, mud, and isolation on the final push to Tuktoyaktuk, where the gravel ends at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean. This route is not for the faint of heart—it demands endurance, planning, mechanical grit, and a hunger for the unknown. But for those who dream of crossing a continent by motorcycle, it delivers the kind of adventure that transforms not only your GPS track, but your entire perspective. It’s not just a ride from border to border—it’s a ride from one world to another.
Self Guided Adventure
The International Continental Divide Adventure Route is designed to be a self-guided adventure.This route can be navigated entirely by GPS. As GPS units have become both more powerful and easier to use, it has enabled anyone to be able to easily find their way along the trail. For many, this allows them to just experience the trail without the burden of getting lost. Offered below you will find custom GPS cards for your Garmin GPS units and daily printed maps along with hotel choices and gasoline stations.
Route Options (You Choose)
This adventure can be done all at once or in any part you like. It can be tackled by spending each evening in a hotel or one can camp remotely along the trail. This adventure belongs to you and it's up to you. You can make it great.
The main route in shown as a bold Blue line. There are often both easier choices and harder choices. The Green lines are paved or easy options and Red lines are the hardest, more challenging options.
Canada Section
The route length is 2,783 miles
Recommended as a 15 day adventure
Best done in summer or early fall
Route ends in Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean
USA Section
The route length is 3,082 miles
Recommended as a 15 day adventure
Best done in summer or fall
Crosses the Divide 67 times
Mexico Section
The route length is 3,010 miles
Recommended as a 16 day adventure
Best done in spring, fall or winter
Route ends at the Guatemala border
Self Guided Adventure
The International Continental Divide Adventure Route is designed to be a self-guided adventure.This route can be navigated entirely by GPS. As GPS units have become both more powerful and easier to use, it has enabled anyone to be able to easily find their way along the trail. For many, this allows them to just experience the trail without the burden of getting lost. Offered below you will find custom GPS cards for your Garmin GPS units and daily printed maps along with hotel choices and gasoline stations.
Buy the GPS Card and Rider Maps:
You can order a microSD Card for your Garmin GPS and a complete set of maps. The maps include large 11x17 daily section maps and quick reference cards for your Jeep or motorcycle tank bag. These maps are designed in combination with the microSD card and match the information in your GPS.
Purchase the Self Guided Ride Packets for ICDR Below
Canada Section
The route length is 2,783 miles
Recommended as a 15 day adventure
Best done in summer or early fall
Route ends in Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean
ICDR CAN Choice (Scroll Down Menu)
USA Section
The route length is 3,082 miles
Recommended as a 15 day adventure
Best done in summer or fall
Crosses the Divide 67 times
ICDR USA Choice (Scroll Down Menu)
Mexico Section
The route length is 3,010 miles
Recommended as a 16 day adventure
Best done in spring, fall or winter
Route ends at the Guatemala Border
ICDR MEX Choice (Scroll Down Menu)
Free Shipping to Lower 48 States
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Notes: I suggest you plan and order early. Normally I ship within a week. But sometimes I run out and it can take me several weeks to get new cards and maps. And sometimes I am out riding and building new adventures so that can be hard too. I list the Option for 2 SD cards because many riders like to carry a backup card or a cheap backup GPS in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
View and study the ride maps
OK since many of you like to study more detail about the ride, below are the ride maps.
I put these ride maps on the web page because I know a few of you love looking at the ride detail and dreaming about the ride. At first glance these maps do not look so impressive, but they are way cool. If you start zooming in, you can see the ride in incredible detail. I have spent a ton of hours sorting through the details of the ride for each day, so for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, well enjoy!
Legend:
Yellow Line is the Continental Divide Watershed Line
The Blue lines are MAIN ICDR routes
The Red lines are Harder option routes
The Green lines are Easy options and the best route for support vehicles
The Black lines are the out and back viewpoints
Instant GPS Download:
Want to download the Complete set of Tracklogs and Waypoints. Maybe you want to edit them and download them to your GPS yourself? Below you can get an instant download in either Universal (GPX) format or Garmin Basecamp and Mapsource (GDB) format. These are high resolution tracklogs and Waypoints for all section of the adventure ride and its options.
(This option is not recommended if you have not worked with tracklogs before, tracklogs do not work in all GPS units and often must be modified to fit your GPS. We cannot offer any tech support for your GPS unit. We recommend you buy the Micro SD card)
Note: After you complete your payment, Select "Return to Merchant" Button to be directed to the download link.
ICDR Canada Complete GPX ($89.00)
ICDR USA Complete GPX ($89.00)
ICDR Mexico Complete GPX ($89.00)
About the Continental Divide (You should understand this, it's fun)
The Continental Divide of the Americas, also called the Great Divide, separates the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean from those of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It runs from the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, through western Canada along the crest of the Rocky Mountains, including through Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park, to New Mexico. From there, it follows the crest of Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental and extends to the tip of South America. It is crossed by the Panama Canal
The Arctic Divide, in conjunction with other continental divides of North America, demarcates two watersheds of the Arctic Ocean: the Arctic Ocean watershed and the Hudson Bay watershed. This divide was a barrier to transportation until the Methye Portage was discovered in 1778, which opened up the Arctic rivers to the fur traders and became part of a transcontinental trade route from Atlantic to Pacific. It was of significance in Canadian history because it marked the northern boundary of Rupert's Land, the trading monopoly area of the Hudson's Bay Company.[1]
Original Continental Divide Route or International Continental Divide Adventure Route
The Original Continental Divide is also a great adventure route. It is based loosely on the mountain bike route for the Divide. The route sections for bicycles only were modified to accommodate motorized vehicles. The route has become quite popular with Adventure Motorcyclists. This route however minimized the number of times it crossed the mountain peaks and sought to be efficient so that bicycle riders could ride it in one season. If you are interested in this Original or Classic USA route you can find information here:
How does the ride navigation work?
This is a self-led GPS ride; all riding is on your own. You are responsible for your own riding. You are given a GPS map file and instructions on how to use your Garmin GPS unit. You are responsible for your own adventure and yourself.
(see my ride Navigation Video)
How do we make the GPS stuff so easy?
We develop very high quality ride maps custom for our ride. They come from much of what I and others have ridden. I take the best from all the rides and make new ones.
(See my Custom Ride Maps Video)
Caution in Mexico:
Mexico has some of the best riding and spectacular sections of this adventure. However the political situation can change and some sections can become unsafe. It is advised that you study the local conditions before proceeding.
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