TR: Montana MtB Sept 2018

Advocacy very long story very short: Congress requires the USFS to catalog areas that could be potentially designated as Wilderness by Congress. Classifications of interest are: Recommended Wilderness areas, Wilderness Study areas, and inventoried roadless areas. Several of the forests in Region 1 of the USFS have started managing these areas as defacto Wilderness ( no bikes!) in the most recent round of travel management plans. Despite decades of allow mountain bikes, often moto, and snowmobile. This is a huge issue and is resulting in the loss of hundreds of miles of mountain bike trail. Most of these trails are of no interest to hikers, so nature reclaims them soon after they are closed.

So a lot of the motivation of this trip and past Montana mountain bike trips, was to ride areas that will likely get closed soon.

Flight was into SLC due to cost, times, and option to change the plan last minute if Montana was on fire or snow covered. It was a little warm in the Wasatch, but nice fall colors.

Day 1:
Saturday Sept 9th, 6 am flight departing and arriving SLC at 9, get rental car, bear spray and fuel at REI. Plan was to ride the Wasatch Crest IMBA epic loop. Big Cottonwood Canyon was closed, so drove around to Park City. Assembled bikes in parking lot and got ready to ride. I guess this was evdog's first road trip :-), because he showed up with a non functioning front brake. I started riding up Armstrong & Pinecone while he went to the bike shop and drove to Guardsman Pass, with plan to rendezvous at start of Wasatch Crest. Aspens starting to go off:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...908_160734.jpg

Scenic as advertised:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...908_162222.jpg

lake:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...908_162610.jpg

gnar that evdog cleaned while e-bikers walked the c line:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...908_163847.jpg

After the crest, bunch of well built trail in the trees with views when crossing the ski runs.
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...908_165303.jpg

I took Spiro trail back to town and arrived just as it was getting dark. Evan had to ride back up to the van, so I recovered in the Top Stop for a couple hours waiting.

34 miles and 5k ft of up: https://www.strava.com/activities/1828734098

Day 2:
Ending so late the night prior, we still had some driving to do to get to start of ride. Also needed to stop and get groceries. I forgot to double check google map directions with the USFS map, so we bumbled along a bunch of jeep trails to get to the trailhead rather than the nice gravel road. Total morning delays end up being a couple hours, so started ride around 1 pm.

Plan was CDT from Aldous Lake to Taylor Mtn out and back in the Centennial Mountains. Trail starts out very nice going up in the trees:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...909_125544.jpg

Crossing into Montana, we are welcomed with big views:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...909_134050.jpg

And experimental sheep:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...909_133536.jpg

Nice rustic trail and views, crossing several meadows and a few streams:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...909_141226.jpg

Would have been a couple more hours to bag the peak, so we turned around at a high point to avoid finishing in the dark in prime griz habitat. View of Taylor Mtn:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...909_161549.jpg

Nice and mostly down ride back to the van:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...909_172459.jpg

18 miles and 3k ft of up: https://www.strava.com/activities/1831424616

Day 3:
More CDT on the menu, this time from Targhee Pass and down Targhee Cr, in the Lionhead Mtns.

A few miles on the highway to get to the pass and the CDT:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...0_100928-1.jpg

Trail is lots of up along the ridge, with awesome views:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_125042.jpg

The riding in these mountains is amazing:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_130400.jpg

http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_130429.jpg

Pee on one side and it goes to the Atlantic, the other side and it goes to the Pacific:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_132041.jpg

Trail does a good job staying on the divide:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_133035.jpg

Lunch spot:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_134033.jpg

Then down to the trail junction, back up past a lake were we watched a black bear swim for 15 minutes(Evdog has better photos):
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_144521.jpg

Down Targhee creek is lots of fun, fast sections, technical switchbacks, and nice views:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_153606.jpg

New to me beer, for some reason the cans caught my eye:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...910_161809.jpg

21 miles and 4k ft of up: https://www.strava.com/activities/1833210380

Day 4:
Plan was CDT Mile cr to Sheep Cr, which is in the top 5 best rides I have ever done. I was having some major knee pain and took the day off having already done this loop in the past. Really bummed to miss a day, but wanted to get better for the rest of the week which was mostly new to me rides. Went to the earthquake lake sights(very interesting), checked out some trailheads for no bike signs(nope), and some hot springs(private). Evdog can post photos from the ride, should be about 25 miles and 5k ft of up.

Day 5:
Wolverine Basin Loop, Gravelly Mtns, Montana. Without a shuttle we parked at 7000 feet and biked up the road to the start of trail, then odd man out shuttles the final 3 miles that drop 1000 vert ft to the Madison River.

You can't see the peaks from the highway, but nice views riding up the dirt road:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_111517.jpg

Bear went over the mountain:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_111754.jpg

Trail is very nice:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_114327.jpg

Crossing several small meadows:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_115352.jpg

Until it crosses a huge meadow:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_120000.jpg

Down from the highpoint, trail is faint for a few miles:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_123438.jpg

Lower down, views of the Madison mountains and pass through some aspen groves:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_134845.jpg

Last few miles was smooth and fast, I was guessing chunky, so was a little disappointed, but still fun:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_141648.jpg

Drink to MT:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...912_143620.jpg

21 miles and 3k ft of up: https://www.strava.com/activities/1837666440

Day 6:
Loop in the Bridger Mountains. We did a long point to point on the Bridger Foothill trail back in 2012. Some newer trail allowed for us to do a loop this time.

Camped at the campground at the trailhead and awoke to some new snow and wet camp:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_095736.jpg

Got to sleep in until the rain stopped, so that was nice. Sun started to come out as we hike a bike and biked up to the pass:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_123204.jpg

http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_123422.jpg

Evdog making a challenging uphill switchback:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_123559.jpg

Heavenly:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_125540.jpg

Final push to the pass:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_130306.jpg

We had planned to bag the peak like the 2012 trip, but weather was not very good so started on the Bridger foothill trail:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_133304.jpg

The Bridger foothill trail is in my top 10 favorite trails, the description from trailforks: "This is an elegant piece of single track that is carved improbably into alpine faces, dipping in and out of gullies and ravines with stunning views in an unbelievable setting. Be advised this trail is not for everybody. The consistent side hill nature (often with exposure), in addition to the remoteness and technicality of this trail, requires solid bike handling skills, mental focus and a sense of adventure. The uphills are short but require some amount of hike-a-bike and the downhills can include anything from buff alpine single track to steep chunky switchbacks. Expect it all and enjoy the adventure."
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_133627.jpg

http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_133945.jpg

http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_134912.jpg

http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_142553.jpg

Often only about the width of both feet:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_142624.jpg

With good amount of exposure:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_142557.jpg

Ross Pass trail is fun and has nice flow:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_151220.jpg

15 miles and 3600 ft of up: https://www.strava.com/activities/1840091838

Drove out to the Big Snowy Mountains, but stopped in Two Dot, Montana for burgers:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...913_203616.jpg

Day 7:
Awoke at the Ice Cave loop ride trailhead and it was very wet. So packed up and drove to Helena. Plan was a loop that include going to the top of Casey Peak, in the Elkhorn Mountains just outside town.
Started with easy couple miles in the trees:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_132625.jpg

Steeper as we go up:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_144105.jpg

Good amount of hike the bike as we turn off for the peak:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_152649.jpg

Ride a few spots:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_152730.jpg

Lots of "this will be fun on the down":
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_155127.jpg

Summit, odometer on the #ripmo passed 500 miles on this ride:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_165411.jpg

Summit block was all rock riding, fun challenge:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_171248.jpg

Still required lots of attention after getting back in the trees:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_171903.jpg

About 4 miles of steep chunky down:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_174246.jpg

Then 3 miles of fast smooth flowing trail back to van, beer, and swimming:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...914_183839.jpg

12 miles and 3600 ft of up: https://www.strava.com/activities/1841871979/overview

WOP chop in Butte, America for dinner. Drove south to Bannock Pass for the night.

Day 8:
I wanted to check out one more section of CDT in the Beaverhead Mountains, but had a flight from SLC at 8 pm. So we woke up early:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_070223.jpg

Started north from Bannock pass toward Goat mtn. Trail is very nice:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_073343.jpg

Mostly up with a few down miles:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_091552.jpg

Some big views:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_091556.jpg

http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_093249.jpg

Turn around time:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_095441.jpg

I went ahead and hammered back to the van so that I could get the bike packed up while Evan made his way back:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_100702.jpg

A hunter from Idaho chatted with us and gave us a few Bud's...we made sure to open them on the Idaho side:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...915_122554.jpg

Found a river for a swim and then nice drive back to Salt Lake City while I watched Montana's loss to Western IL :facepalm:. Returned the bear spray to REI and stopped in the Cotton Bottom for some garlic cheese burgers. My final navigation mistake of the trip had me checking into flight 1 hour prior to departure...right on time! Quality time with the kids and wife on Sunday. Took the 3 year old to the pool for a few hours.

Trail Encounters: 0 mountain bikers on trail while in MT/ID. Evan chatted with 1 backpacker in the Lionhead, a few day hikers & 1 quad in the Bridgers, probably a dozen total bow hunters(all seemed to be off trail). Elk in the Centennials, black bear in the Lionhead, Big horn sheep, Mountain goats in the Bridgers, fox in the Beaverhead.

In closing, a request....
The Helena Lewis and Clark National Forest (HLCNF) is undergoing a Forest Planning Process and has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) giving us what may be our last opportunity to provide public comment. Unique among all of Region One Forest plan choices over the past 15 years is finally an alternative that would allow existing uses to continue within Recommended Wilderness!! This alternative choice is a gift and we must comment to support it, bicyclists must speak up! Don’t delay, comment deadline is Oct. 9, 2018! Here is a link to the DEIS: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hlcnf...stelprd3798801

If you don't have much time, just check for my typo's, cut and paste the sample letter below into the form at:
https://cara.ecosystem-management.or...?Project=44589

Better if you can add some personal sentence and mix things up a little.

The Wilderness folk are pushing for alternative D which will close another 442 miles of trail. B would be bad too. A & E are not really options that will happen:
http://umtgriz.com/forum/2018/MT_mtb...85861120_o.png

SAMPLE LETTER:
I frequently travel to destinations in the western United Sates known for excellent and diverse mountain bike trail riding. While visiting these regions, I supporting local business such as lodging, restaurant, breweries, and retail. I am very interested in visiting Montana for a mountain bike vacation. I support Alternative C in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) of the Helena Lewis and Clark National Forest (HLCNF) Forest Planning Process, with the exception that Alternative C be amended to drop The Elkhorn Core proposal from the DEIS. It is important that backcountry riding opportunities remain open to mountain bikes for the tourism economy of the Helena region. Additionally, all sections of Continental Divide Trail outside of Wilderness Areas designated by Congress, should remain open to mountain bikes allowing for multi-day bike packing and remote riding experiences.




Thanks! The End.

Nice, man. Thanks

I don't think you can do a better MT trip than that. From epic rides to the wop chop, you pretty much nailed it. 10/10.(I would def need some hot springs action to pair with all that saddle time though).

We struck out on hot springs unfortunately....

Well done.

Thank you.

Nicely done. Thanks

I need to get some up to date info on eastern hot springs, found a couple no trespassing signs.

Finally getting around to my pics and TR.....

I had been wanting to sneak in a quick Montana trip this summer to hit up a few favorite rides from past years – Bridger in Montana, Lionhead, etc. When a judge unexpectedly opened some Wilderness Study Area trails to MTB this summer thoughts turned to a longer trip to take advantage. Unfortunately the wildernuts filed a complaint to that judge who then ruled the trails weren’t open to bikes afterall. Change of plans was to ride some other trails whose bike access is also threatened. Sadly there seems to be no shortage of those in MT.

After considering options we flew into SLC and opted to ride Wasatch Crest since it would be “shorter” (haha) and give us more time to get some errands done. Last time I did the ride I started from Mill Creek Canyon. That trail is open to bikes alternate days (not today) and Big Cottonwood Canyon was closed for a race, so we headed around to Park City to start. That was fine with me and I was looking forward to some new trail on that side.

Day 1 – Wasatch Crest

Bike build session in the resort parking lot. Ignore the fact I’ve rotated my fork the wrong way, that’s the new style

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_120842.jpg

We got about ½ mile and a couple short descents when I realized something was wrong with my front brake. It would have pressure but with a second or so sustained pull pressure would completely dissipate to nothing. Release, pressure would return but disappear again. I’d just bled brakes so there was something wrong. Decided to re-bleed at the van and/or go to a shop and meet up with 406 higher on the mountain.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...t/DSC03633.jpg

Found the local shop mechanic asleep, had to wake him up. Turned out fluid was leaking in between the inner brake sleeve and outer housing. All I can figure is the handlebar got yanked on during airline transit and it pulled the hose out of the lever slightly. So, in the interest of time just bought a new front brake and installed it.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_142959.jpg

Now to meet up with 406. Drove up Guardsman pass. Not sure what was going but on there were a million cars parked both sides of the road but didn’t see any hikers on the trail. Ran into fall colors right away on Scotts connector.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_152946.jpg

Fortunately there was coverage and was able to connect with 406 right at the start of the crest singletrack. Perfect.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_155107.jpg

The scenery delivers. I rode the loop the opposite direction last time so was looking forward to riding it the “right” way

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_160215.jpg

Aspen tunnel

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...t/DSC03648.jpg

Nice view of Desolation Lake

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_162823.jpg

406 riding the gnar line

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_162906.jpg

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_163042.jpg

Nothing ruins a good photo more than an E-biker hiking his bike down the smooth go round

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_163201.jpg

Dear E-biker,

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_164557.jpg

Continuing on…

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...t/DSC03658.jpg

We still had a long ways to go so didn’t stop much to enjoy the views. Continued on around Mid mountain

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...908_164953.jpg

A bit of footage of different parts of the ride. Won't embed?

https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493042

It was already getting close to sunset when we got to the turnoff. 406 just had to head downhill but I had about 6 mi of climbing left to get back to the van. The downside of our plan. In retrospect should have rode down and then caught an Uber back to the pass but didn’t consider that. Took a couple hours to make the climb which made for a late night with still some driving to do.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...8_190623_1.jpg

Fun ride, need to spend some more time in Park City / SLC one of these times.

Day 2 – CDT Centennial Mountains

With some delays to do shopping and traverse some secondary and dirt roads we didn’t get riding until well after noon. I didn’t have a good picture of what this ride would be like as the reports I’d read from this mountain range made it hard to pin down the actual route. 406 had done the research on this one. Now that we’ve been here we’ll know more for next time.



The real reason 406 got an invite for the trip

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_114403.jpg

Nice trailhead kiosk

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_125327.jpg

CDT

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_131554.jpg

There was some nice singletrack through the trees after the first lung-buster climb

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_133215.jpg

Which brought us to a nice meadow that offered a peek at some peaks in the distance

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03668.jpg

Stopping to take in the view. Our goal for the day was the distant peak on the right. Yeah, it looks pretty far off

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03671.jpg

After some nice meadow riding we came to this crossing. Most of the crossings we’d come to had bridges

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_134510.jpg

The trail couldn’t decide if it wanted to be in Idaho or Montana

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_140604.jpg

Awesome views opened up at the top of this climb

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03676.jpg

And the trail got faint through some of the meadows. At more than a few points we’d be on what seemed like the trail then see another line 10-20 feet up that was more worn in

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03678.jpg

Pano view

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03682.jpg

Good viewpoint

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_153053.jpg

That distant peak isn’t so distant now…

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03698.jpg

Final climb

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_154352.jpg

406 reaching the last cairn

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03712.jpg

Our original goal was the peak in the center of the photo. But with the late start and 2,000ft more climbing this would have us ending the ride through prime grizz country in the dark. Finishing in the dark has never phased us but maybe in our old age we are getting wiser, so safety won out. The view north off the peak would have been awesome, but this view here was nothing to complain about.
And you always need a reason to come back, right?

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...909_161446.jpg

Some footage of the descent back to trailhead:

Part 1 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/492983/

Part 2 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/492987/

A few people had said this was a good ride and it turned out to be true. Trail was in great shape for the most part which is as much as you can ask for in the backcountry.

Day 3 – Lionhead Range, CDT to Targhee Creek Trail



The Lionhead is another area in the sights of the wildernuts and may be the next Wilderness battleground as part of it is in a WSA.


Wanting to do a couple rides in this range, we opted to do the easier CDT to Targhee Creek Trail loop first.

Getting the scary part out of the way we started with a couple miles of pedaling up a busy highway with heavy truck traffic. Thanks, but I’d rather take my chances with the bears…

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03720.jpg

Then we had a couple miles of easy forest road climbing which led to some nice singletrack

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_105221.jpg

It didn’t take long for views to open up

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...0_121513_1.jpg

We’d be doing a traverse around Bald Mtn so it was a constant backdrop

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03727.jpg

Stopping for another break in the climbing

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_123043.jpg

Getting up there

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_125458.jpg

Views were incredible

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_130030.jpg


https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_132807.jpg

After a lunch break we had a 1000ft switchback descent down to the basin on the other side

Some footage dropping down: https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493046/

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_141328.jpg

A bit of traversing and some more climbing came next

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_141716.jpg

Sure bears can use the trail but someone should have warned us they’d be in our swimming holes too

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_094449.jpg

I had stopped after a short steep section to catch my breath when 406 called me over

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03741.jpg

A dip in the lake would have been nice but present company may not have been welcoming

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03739.jpg

Eventually he smelled us and wandered off

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03754.jpg

Dropping into Targhee Creek trail

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...T/DSC03762.jpg

It had some fun chunk and challenging switchbacks

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_152206.jpg

Widow maker

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_153942.jpg

And a bit of hike a bike to keep us honest

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_154918.jpg

Some footage of the fun parts - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493063/

The last couple miles were a mellow cruise. After a post ride beer it was into West Yellowstone for dinner

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...910_182724.jpg

Definitely a fun ride. Next time I’d like to continue on up to the high point and check out Dry Fork trail. We saw its exit and the following day I’d see its upper start, and it looks like a legit trail.

WSA and RWA management policy in Region 1 makes my blood boil. I'll send my comments in, but I am sure that the USFS will prick option D simply to avoid a lawsuit by MWA. Bicycling groups just don't have the resources to fight and the USFS and MWA knows this. The one biking group that does have the resources is either secretly controlled by those same wilderness groups or otherwise doesn't give a shit about access to remote trails as long as they can construct their lame urban bike parks.

Those assholes at MWA and other wilderness organizations hide under the guise that they are protecting the environment to extract funding from well meaning individuals and corporations when in reality, they are creating a contingent of would be environmentalists who detest conservation groups. Their misguided policies will result in less protected land in the long run.

dammit evdog your pics aren't loading and I really want to see them!

Hmm not sure what the problem would be Lee. Anyone else having problems? You can see some of them on IG, I put a post up each day when we had cell coverage @evdog_sd

Otherwise I can send you links to some google albums but that is a dump of everything so lots of duplicates and crap too.

edit - I posted this on MTBR as well, check if it shows up there?

Photos are showing up fine for me. Must be that Canadian internetz, Lee.

Sorry I couldn't rally for the Lionhead- had just ridden Mile to Sheep and that was enough. Dry Fork of Targhee Fork is super-cool, still very wild. CDT to Targhee Creek is super-classic.

What did you ride in the Centennials? I've been exploring in there a bit, but didn't recognize what you rode.

Thanks for a great TR.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by homemadesalsa

Sorry I couldn't rally for the Lionhead- had just ridden Mile to Sheep and that was enough. Dry Fork of Targhee Fork is super-cool, still very wild. CDT to Targhee Creek is super-classic.

What did you ride in the Centennials? I've been exploring in there a bit, but didn't recognize what you rode.

Thanks for a great TR.

---

Funny you mention Mile to Sheep, that was our next ride up!

No worries on not being able to join us, as usual we were late in planning and then changed plans a bunch of times so would have been hard to connect. Maybe next year!

Not sure what that Centennials segment is called, but it was north of Kilgore. Found it on TF - its just called CDT Centennials East, and we rode it from the west end of this segment: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/cd...ntennial-mtns/. The TF track is reversed from what we rode, which they show as mile 21-30. Definitely a nice ride and were bummed we didn't make it to the high point.

Day 4 – Lionhead Range, Mile Creek to Sheep Creek

We rode Mile to Sheep back in 2012 and despite getting rained on for half the ride this was on my list of top rides. So it was a must-do on this trip.

You can ride it as a partial point to point shuttle or pedal 7 miles of dirt/pavement to close the loop.
After I reminded 406 that it was his turn to do the road pedal to retrieve the truck he opted to sit this one out claiming knee pain. So I borrowed the bear spray and took off solo.

Montana has terrible views

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_092047.jpg

The climb up was steady but not terrible. I did take plenty of stops to catch my breath and enjoy the scenery. The first climb would take me from 7,000ft to 10,000ft.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_094535.jpg

After a long traverse up a canyon above Mile Creek there is a series of 30 or so switchbacks. As I get into those the views open up

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_114337.jpg

Making friends on the climb

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...p/DSC03768.jpg

First intersection and top of Mile Creek Trail

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_121426.jpg

The high point, 10,000ft at Targhee Divide. On our first ride this was where the rain started and we had to decide whether to bail or continue on. There would be no such decision today, though it was cold and windy up top

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_130144.jpg

After a short descent there is a series of tight switchbacks through a field of unique straited rocks

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_131441.jpg

You can see the trail exit far below

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_131743.jpg

Awesome view. I stopped for a while and took it all in

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_131447.jpg

No bears at the swimming hole so I continued on. The trail flows a lot better this direction with a solid 2,500ft of traversing and descending

Some footage of the descent starting from the top: https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493099/

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_141246.jpg

Getting to the Coffin Lakes turnoff I met my first trail users for the day

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_150843.jpg

The climb up is fairly steep but has some nice parts as well

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_155312.jpg

It follows a stream for a while which added to the scenery but also concern over bears since there had been a few fresh “reminders” left on the trail

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_162555.jpg

Above the Coffin lakes turnoff the trail is much less used. Some sections traversing open slopes were quite overgrown. I actually came across a hiker here who was day hiking from camp at Coffin Lakes. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_165041.jpg

In this meadow in particular the trail was hard to follow. Easy to see here but lower down it wasn’t visible at all

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_173059.jpg

Fresh pile

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_174011.jpg

Top of the climb was some nice forested singletrack. The ride ends down Sheep Creek Trail which is in a WSA and threatened for access. It’s a long descent with tough switchbacks up top and exits through a rocky canyon down below. It was a long day but a great ride, still in my top 5 or so rides. Get up there and do this ride if you get the chance!

No pics once I started the descent but I ran the go-pro most of the way so here is some footage if you need something to do at work:

Upper Sheep switchbacks don't look like much but they are tight turns on steep side slopes. Was stoked to clean them all then messed up a chute soon after https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493106/

Lower Sheep part 1: https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493111/

Lower Sheep part 2: https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493117/

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_174332.jpg

Post ride swim was in Earthquake Lake then back to West Yellowstone for BBQ dinner

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...911_190504.jpg

I think the stats were around 30mi and +/- 6,000ft

Day 5 – Wolverine Basin to Gazelle Creek Trail

Wolverine Basin in the Gravelly Range is another ride where bike access is threatened due to WSA designation. Without the ability to shuttle we planned to loop the upper part and if the trail was good and we made good time, odd-man-out shuttle the lower few miles. Not much was known about the ride and it could have been a mess of downed trees, but fortunately it turned out to be a great ride.

The ride wasn’t far from camp but we managed to see some wildlife on the drive over

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_081859.jpg

It was a fairly easy 7 mile road climb to the start with minimal road traffic

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_105213.jpg

Wolverine Basin. Not much there but some vacant hunting camps

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_111907.jpg

We started off climbing through the meadow

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_114404.jpg

The trail alternated between riding in trees and going through some small meadows

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_114725.jpg

As we continued on the meadows got larger and larger

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_115823.jpg

This was the biggest one and after passing through it we had some hike a bike up and over a ridge with a few false summits

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_120351.jpg

Looking back down

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_122944.jpg

This led to another huge meadow that descended down a valley for ages. We saw a lone hunter on this descent, the only trail user we’d see all day

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_123339.jpg

Climbing up to Freezeout Mtn might be a side detour option for another day

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_123807.jpg

Trail got pretty faint in a few places

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_123810.jpg

After traversing through forest for quite a while we ended up back in more meadows, with a nice view of the Madison Mtns this time

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_134815.jpg

406 did the first odd-man-out lap down the lower trail and said it was ok but not great. Since we wouldn’t have time for another ride today I decided to give it a go. I thought it was awesome. Pretty buff and smooth, fast and fun. Definitely a contrast to the rest of the ride which would have made for a happy ending in a continuous run.

Footage:
Part 1 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493264/

Part 2 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493192/

Aftermath:

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_152409.jpg

After taking a stick off the shin the brush did a good job of making it look uglier than it was

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...912_152625.jpg

I definitely liked this ride and would do it again. If you are heading up to Bozeman it’s a pretty easy one to do, right off the highway. To do the full ride you’d probably want to shuttle, though you could easily climb up the lower singletrack for some bonus miles.

Stats were 21 miles and +/- 3,000ft for the loop and another 1,000ft descent in 4 miles for the odd man out shuttle

Heading to a fs cabin up towards wolverine this weekend. Might bring the bike and hope for the best weather wise(not looking too promising for bike weather though). And also try to not forget my orange like usual...

Thanks again for the pics guys!

Cool. My GF and poked around on those Gravelly trails last year, and I’ve been curious about putting together a whole ride down to the river.

It was a great ride for sure. I think the dirt in some of the meadows would be sticky mud if wet. Seems there are lots of other trails to explore but not sure what deadfall would be like. No issues on Wolverine and just a few downed trees on Gazelle most with ride arounds already. 406 was wishing we had headed up to Freezout Mtn as a side trip which would have added some nice extra credit and summit points, but we didn't know how the rest of the ride would go at that point. The final descent down to the river was awesome and a great contrast to the rest of the ride. As I said above if you can't shuttle I would just climb up that section of trail and then do the loop we did as a lollipop.

Day 6 – Bridger Divide

Bridger was my other must-do ride on this trip. Such awesome views and high mountain slope riding. Weather was looking a bit iffy but it seemed like the storm that should have come through afternoon/evening after the Wolverine ride petered out and the next one wouldn’t hit until we would be mostly done this ride. Drove up the road to Fairy Lake CG, it was a bit much for the rental van but we made it.

We got woken up around 3am hearing footsteps outside the tents. Whatever it was ran off when 406 stirred but he didn't see what it was. Too noisy to be deer. I had to pee so got up too, and I could see numerous eyes reflecting off my headlamp from the next campsite. Too many eyes to be a big cat or bears. Mountain goats. They came back through our camp an hour later and I had to throw rocks at them to get them to move away.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_041307.jpg

Soon after the goats left the skies opened up and it rained steady til 10am. Got out of tents to see snow capped peaks above us and the sound of falling rock from a number of directions. Thought our tent pad would be ok but turned out to be a bit of a low spot so things were a little wet. Took a while to set things up to dry and since the weather seemed to be holding the ride was a go. Trying to drive out on wet slippery road wasn’t a good option at this point anyways….

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_101140.jpg

Trail connection right from camp to the Fairly Lake trail

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_121652.jpg

It is a stout climb right from camp with much HAB and not so much riding. But we sucked up a few short sections for the TR

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_123032.jpg

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_123311.jpg

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...3_123306_1.jpg

We got funny looks from the hikers as you do on these sort of rides. None seemed aware there was any trail up here aside from the one going to the peak.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_125856.jpg

The wind picked up big time as we approached the saddle and made the decision for us to skip the peak, another 900ft gain over a mile or so with full exposure

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_131820.jpg

Adding some layers we pushed on south on the Bridger Foothills Trail

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_133131.jpg

Not a huge accumulation of snow but enough to make riding tricky by hiding loose rocks

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_133553.jpg

Soon we were back on clear ground

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_133748.jpg

As we got toward the first descent our tires started picking up mud. Should have known the trail up there would get a bit sticky when wet. It made for a few interesting moments and we had to walk down a couple slick sections, but mostly it was ok.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_134701.jpg

406 staring down the Devil’s Crotch. Yeah the sidehill was pretty steep with narrow trail. Definitely didn’t want to fall

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_134956.jpg

Switchbacks were mostly fun. This is a moto trail and some were a bit torn up which made things interesting

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_135050.jpg

Great views

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_141917.jpg

The trail stays high up on the valley wall for what seems like ages and then traverses along through the trees

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...3_142842_1.jpg

More moto damage than I remembered made switchbacks hard but otherwise it was mostly rideable

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_144432.jpg

Last time here we continued south and dropped down the west side down Truman Gulch. In addition to making for a heinous shuttle I thought the trail south of Ross Pass was kinda “meh”. So I was stoked to see a newer trail on Trailforks from Ross Pass heading back toward Fairy Lake.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_151925.jpg

Footage of the descent on Bridger Foothill Trail and Ross Pass Trail:

https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493885/

https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493886/


It turned out that Ross Pass Tr was not just a useful connector but also a hell of a lot of fun, good flow and no sustained climbing. It took us over to the Fairy Lake 500 “trail” which was actually old doubletrack, but not terrible for a 3mi / 1000ft climb back up to Fairy Lake.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_161955.jpg

First time seeing Fairy Lake and I was impressed. Pretty nice

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_170315.jpg

It was a bit cold for a swim but fortunately our stuff had dried out, so we packed up and headed out toward the next ride.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_184745.jpg

406 found the only spot open for miles around in Two Dot MT. It was actually pretty good. Diviest dive bar I think I’ve ever been in. Would go there again.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...913_203823.jpg

Day 7 – Elkhorn Mountains – Helena

Prior night we made the drive up to Big Snowy Mtns planning to do the Ice Caves ride. Roads had been a bit wet but we didn’t clue in that the trail might be too wet top ride. After getting up 406 realized that fact and since it was mostly cloudy the sun wouldn’t be much help to dry things out. Apparently the Ice Caves ride has some peanut butter dirt up top that wouldn’t we good to ride if wet. So we grudgingly changed plans and headed over to Helena.

I didn’t know much about the Helena area except that the Elkhorns is another area threatened by closure to bikes, this time due to wildlife concerns. Apparently the USFS has thrown us a bone in that the management plan does include an option to allow bikes in the local WSA, but would ban them under all options from the Elkhorns due to wildlife concerns (yet they allow cattle grazing of course, go figure….)

As we were about to start the ride 3 school buses came rolling down the road and stopped nearby, then 120 or so kids came hiking down the trail we were about to head up. So the trail user count was a bit skewed on this one. Since we saw zero people after that I’ll mark it zero.

Climb started off easy through thick forest

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_132544.jpg

It soon opened up on Casey Meadows Trail and we got first views of today’s objective Casey Peak

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_134235.jpg

The climb up was steady and had enough rock to keep things interesting

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_142305.jpg

Did see a few trail users actually, all bovines

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_143523.jpg

Once on the Teepee Creek Trail things got delightfully rocky

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_145012.jpg

Lots of it was rideable with a few short pushes. But once we got onto the Casey Peak trail it was mostly HAB

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_152837.jpg

406 does a short ride for the TR

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_155229.jpg

Getting serious

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_155644.jpg

Trail was pretty nice with almost no downed trees to this point

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_161140.jpg

We started getting more of those up top in an old burn area but most had been cut out.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_162133.jpg

It got a bit hard to follow towards the top. There were some cairns which helped as the tread was rocky and faint, and braided around some downed trees.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_163321.jpg

Got distracted by wild raspberries that were next to the trail too

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_163727.jpg

Almost there. Lost the trail through this rock field and just pushed cross country

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_164726.jpg

Views up top were great

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_165637.jpg

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_170749.jpg

Pano shot looking north and NE

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_165156.jpg

Dropping in. What a fun descent. A bit of painful climbing as we continued west on Teepee Creek Trail then it was all downhill. Fun chunky riding up top and fast buff singletrack lower down.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_171915.jpg

Video sampler of the descent:

https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493891/

https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493893/

Headed south after the ride with a pit stop in Butte for 50cent Rainiers

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...914_201336.jpg

Hope you got a Wop Chop at the Freeway. And Two Bit is a quality stop in a place with no alternatives. Great TR, and thanks for documenting what we stand to lose.

Were both starving so we each ordered two wop chops, but she only brought us one each. Probably better off with just one :)

Day 8 – CDT Bannock Pass

The original plan had been to head back to SLC Friday night and do a ride there which would leave plenty of time to drop 406 at the airport Saturday night. But we decided to get one more MT ride in instead since it’s harder to get up there and SLC is an easy trip. We had everything timed out with a one-hour cushion in case anything went wrong (like me being slow). But were a little late getting started at first light.


I need to get up for sunrise more often

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_070318.jpg

Looking back down to Bannock Pass

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_073421.jpg

The singletrack was pretty nice grade most of the way

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_075322.jpg

Fence more or less divides ID from MT

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_075846.jpg

Crossing to the other side now

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_085014.jpg

Eventually we emerge from the trees and traverse some open hillsides

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_091450.jpg

Views open up to the west

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_091737.jpg

The ride was basically two main climbs separated by one descent. We wouldn’t make it all the way to Goat Mtn which was another descent and climb away, but where we stopped had good views and was a logical turn around. Trail that continued on was enticing though….

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_100529.jpg

Interesting wood, reminds me of the ancient bristlecone forest on White Mtn here in Socal

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_100624.jpg

Riding back went pretty quick. 406 powered on ahead since he had to disassemble the bike

Footage:

A bit from the ride out and some from the ride back - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493899/

More from the ride back - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493896/

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_102631.jpg

He was half done when I rolled in. My only job was to down the post-ride beer

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_121135.jpg

A hunter pulled up and handed us each a bud, hoping for good karma in his hunt. Who are we to say no, but we at least waited til we were on the Idaho side to drink it.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_123614.jpg

Since we made good time we had time for a swim and found a good swimming hole down in the valley below. Cold water but not the worst for the trip

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...915_133228.jpg

Getting a swim in was nice but also had time for side trip to REI and quick dinner before heading to the airport. After dropping 406 off I headed to a car wash to clean out the van and get more or less packed up myself.

Stats for the day I think were around 20mi and +/- 2,000ft

Day 9 – Perry Canyon to Grizzly Peak to Northern Skyline via Ben Lomond

I did this ride during a big 2012 road trip and it has stuck out in my mind to this day as one of my favorite rides. I’ve tried to include it in a few other trips but it hasn’t worked out. That first trip was extra memorable because I used public transit to close the loop then rode into goat head hell and had two flat tires within minutes of entering the trail system. I had to limp a few miles into town on partially flat tires to the nearest bike shop to with tubes and sealant. Got back on the trail around noon and finished the ride right at dark.

No issues with goat heads this time, but buses didn’t seem to be running on Sunday so I had a long pavement pedal to get to Perry Canyon. Rather than do the whole 15mi pavement pedal I went for a bit of extra credit singletrack on Bonneville Shoreline Trail. Though nicer riding it would add extra time and 1000ft extra climbing to the route.

The peak in the distance is Ben Lomond where I’ll top out, though I will be approaching from the opposite direction

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_071836.jpg

BST is a pretty nice trail through here, contoured and well graded. I skipped a harder 5-mile section that would have added 1,200ft more climbing, which left me with around 10mi of easy pavement

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_074115.jpg

Got started just before sunrise so I caught the first rays coming over the mountains

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_081455.jpg

Classic trail sign at the bottom of Perry Canyon Trail. Yeah, 9 miles and 4,500ft to Grizzly Peak. Off we go!

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_092529.jpg

Goat heads weren’t stopping me today. Only pulled one out of the tire. Maybe more traffic keeps them clear now?

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_093747.jpg

Rather than take Perry Canyon on the way up I saw a trail called White Rock on Trailforks that looked interesting, rated less difficult so I figured it might be easier if not too overgrown.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_102050.jpg

It was pretty nice at first, traversing across open sage scrub hillsides. Definitely more raw than Perry Canyon but was in pretty good shape

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_103006.jpg

Higher up it got tougher. Parts were overgrown, it got hard to follow through a basin, and switchbacks above were torn up some by motos. But mostly it was pretty nice.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_113704.jpg

Nearing the top the grade mellowed out again and the trail was nice. Decent amounts of shade were found and there was a nice breeze to keep things cool.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_120643.jpg

Back on Perry Canyon Trail things got tough. North aspects had soft dirt that were often chewed up by motos who seemed to have a hard time staying on the singletrack bench. Overgrowth didn’t help and no doubt tugged at their handlebars. Once higher up the views really opened up especially toward Willard Basin

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_144120.jpg

Beyond Grizzly Peak was a couple miles of narrow jeep road and regular forest road. There were plenty of side by sides tearing ass all over the place. Found a spring to fill up on cold water at, which was nice.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_154019.jpg

Wasatch Crest Trail, here??? Last time I took the dirt road around all the way which led to some miserable extra credit climbing. This time I climbed up a moto trail through the upper basin which was much nicer. There was a side trail that appeared to be non-motorized and was pretty nice.

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_155119.jpg

View from that side trail was pretty awesome, after climbing above the lake

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_161441.jpg

Continuing on I traversed around Willard Peak which brought great views down to the valley below

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_162316.jpg

Pano view

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_162652.jpg

And the other way

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_162802.jpg

Trail traversing south. Such an awesome section of trail

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_163900.jpg

Getting to the top of Ben Lomond summit, looking north from where I came

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_171703.jpg

Summit shot

https://www.habventures.com/photos/0...916_172054.jpg

It was at this point I re-checked my mental math on timing. It was now 5:30 and my flight was at 10, with an hour to disassemble bike plus pack and a 45min drive to the airport. This left an hour and a bit to descend to the van. Should be ok? We’ll see…

Ben Lomond part 1 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493912/

Ben Lomond summit to N Skyline - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493936/

Northern Skyline part 1 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493938/

Northern Skyline part 2 - https://www.pinkbike.com/video/493910/

Turned out the descent took right on an hour. Had to settle for a bird bath at the trailhead using remaining water jugs and some snacks at the airport. Skipping a dinner stop and swim I got to the car rental 90min before flight which was pretty much perfect. But well worth it to get this ride in. Most switchbacks on the trail were completely moto-fucked it was still a great descent and a definite happy ending not just for the ride but for the whole trip. I was stoked to get in so many great rides in one trip.

Stats for the day - 45mi and +/-7,000ft

Nicely done. Good thing you take it easy

Haha. After ACL surgery back in May I got cleared to ride trail just after labor day. Five days later started trip with 9 straight days riding. A bit of pain the first 3-4 days but knee passed with flying colors. All the cheating I did last couple months may have helped 😁