Last year high flood waters and the left over debris made the trail from the Mara Rail Trail along the side of Rosemund Lake to that climb difficult.  When you see the rail bridge over a little channel from Mara Lake to Rosemund Lake, back up two metres and look for something resembling a game trail to your right.  In previous years, there was a nice rideable singletrack along the rock face before it opened up to a quad track.  The climb up out of Rosemund Lake is steep, but it is a gravel road and after about 1km does get less steep.
Let me know how it goes

Yes the rails have been pulled up for a long time.  The ballast is medium sized from Sicamous to Rosemund Lake Road, so smooth enough for mtn bike tires, but not gravel bike tires

But from Coell Jones Road south, the rail bed is completely overgrown and impassible even for hiking

see photo 10 for a view of the Mara Lake Rail Trail
https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AD9MXSCY4i0UcDg&id=7434FA0FD95140BC%211070&cid=7434FA0FD95140BC
and photo 11 for the bridge you need to take to avoid Coell Jones Road
https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AFlApGAlAu6KNEI&id=7434FA0FD95140BC%211073&cid=7434FA0FD95140BC

But when the Armstrong Sicamous Rail Trail is complete (don't hold your breath), your route will work for gravel bikes (except for walking down the rocky portions of Larch Hills Traverse)

Cheers to Rob Pownall for setting the record.
Also, thank you for taking the trail and not the road (bikepacking is supposed to be on trails and not roads anyway)

and yes I agree with discouraging the use of toilets for sleeping quarters
For the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, both sides were occupied by sleeping guys by the time I got there
Luckily I didn't need to BM until after they left in the morning, so I didn't think much of it at the time.

"test"

Update April 13 2021

Hi Everyone
I'm still not sure if a group event is possible this year.  If it is to occur, it will be the loop starting in Vernon, heading south to Little White and Kelowna and returning to Vernon.  About 250 km and a tonne of climbing and singletrack.

Although, the north loop is fully rideable, it can?t be officially done until the Rail Trail along Mara Lake is completed (fully doable by bike, but too narrow in one place for heavy road building equipment).
I am thinking of just doing the whole works to set a target time for the FKT?ers to shoot for.  But you FKT?ers would be doing it unofficially(squared).

Some other things I?m thinking of is variations on the usual bikepack race rules.  The Okanagan and Shuswap valleys have nice lakes that are holiday destinations, so you could make this bikepack route a family holiday destination, and you would not be asterisked if you visit your family at lakeside camp sites along the route (you are still expected to be fully self sufficient, and if you are planning to set a FKT, all the usual strict rules would apply).

what happened to Alexis Rose?

This is the best of the pseudonyms, in my opinion! That show is hilarious! Hope she stays hydrated and keeps the pace that's comfortable in this heat.

is Alexis Rose a play on Axle Rose?

Probably not, since Trackleaders says she is form Schitts Creek, Ontario

Here's my ride report from a couple weeks ago:

AZT300 '21: Oracle Iditaridge

Thanks John
your photography makes it look like fun

Question about getting to the start from Sierra Vista.  Google recommends the route below, but I've been led astray by google before, into dead ends and locked gates and private land.  On the other hand it'll occasionally overestimate time significantly on dirt roads, when it thinks you'll go 20mph and you can do 50+.

Is this doable and worth it (likely in the dark too), or not so much?  If not, is there any other way that's better/faster that doesn't require going so far north?  Vehicle is 4x4 truck with 35's.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I believe that goes through the Army Base and the southwest end is blocked with trench and barbed wire

did Neil set a FKT?

looks professional

Thanks for that 
I like to post here instead of the facebook group as this is more an archive where the info on facebook seems to get lost in the abyss internetland. And we gotta keep the .net alive!
Cheers.

I totally agree

The route still exists, go after an FKT if it appeals to you. It's an amazing route John pasted together. I'd follow that ride!

I think it might be 2022 by the sound of the news.
To ride the trail north of the Rim, I think south bound might be more possible.  
I know I can mail stuff forward, but how weird does it sound to mail from Flagstaff to Flagstaff, and not be considered cacheing?

Too bad about the 1000, it looked better on paper with the Black Canyon and Sedona trails. 
But, no one has done the trail, rather than the road, north of the Canyon yet for the 800 or 1000 (or sub 10 day time for the 750 either).

On the other hand, I was feeling I really needed to get down to Arizona this fall to get to race the only year for the 1000.
Now, there is not a worry about the border still not being open by October 2021.

I don't see Justin Dooby on Trackleaders

how did the test ride go?

can you sew a fabric bag?
place your plastic container in the bag to give it form, attach the bag to the fork, and don't put holes in the plastic because trail vibration will turn those little zip ties into saw blades when you have any weight in those jugs
I wouldn't recommend ski strapping thin  plastic containers either; however, if you can find a crush resistant container that serves a double purpose, such as a cook pot, you may have luck

I find the down tube mounted objects get beat to crap by rocks kicked up be the front wheel, and when you ride singletrack with actual obstacles that might reduce ground clearance