Geared up: Mountain bikers looking for dry trails have early-season options
By BEN PIERCE Chronicle Outdoors
Mountain bikers finally got a dose of brilliant weather last weekend as puffy clouds, warm temperatures and sunshine rode high over Montana’s big sky. Within the next month, more and more trails will open up after a wet and snowy spring. And before long those classic rides in the Bangtails and Gallatins will be a reality.
For those champing at the bit to get out and ride, waiting out the spring thaw can be a painful enterprise.
“Bozeman’s dirty little secret is that we only have about three months of good mountain biking each year,” said Rob Funderburk, general manager of Bangtail Bikes. “It is very tempting to go, but you get up there a ways and it gets muddy.”
Funderburk said the best riding around Bozeman starts to open up around mid-June.
Until then, he said, it’s better to let the trails dry out and head elsewhere to ride.
“The number one thing to keep in mind is mud and damage to the trail,” Funderburk said on Monday. “It is important to minimize impact.”
Funderburk cited the Leverich Canyon trail, which he said was nearly unridable by the end of last season.
“It was loved to death,” he said. “It is not like any one person does it, but frequency of use. It is always a good idea to think about (trail conditions) early, because damage will stick with the trail through the season. It doesn’t do anything for the cause when we are trying to keep trails open for mountain bike access.”
Thankfully, there’s several great location to ride within an hour’s drive that offer excellent early-season mountain biking opportunities.
Bob Allen, co-president of the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance, said Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park near Three Forks offers some of the best riding in May. The park, situated on a hillside overlooking the Jefferson River, has 10 miles of trails. Eight miles of trail have been maintained for riding in recent years by the park and the Gallatin Valley Bike Club.
“We have south facing slopes and don’t see nearly as much snow as Bozeman does,” said park manager Lynette Kemp. “We are a good place to come and ride when the snow is still in the mountains.”
Kemp said the Gallatin Valley Bike Club has been an excellent partner in maintaining trails. The club has improved switchbacks and widened the trails in areas to allowed for broader turns and mitigate damage.
Kemp said most of the terrain at the park is of moderate difficulty.
“To get from the new visitor center to the old visitor center is about a 1,000 foot climb,” she said. “Most of the trails are about a seven percent grade.”
For mountain bikers looking to get into the woods, Allen said he’s a big fan of the many gulches that extend south from Helena. About an hour-and-a-half drive from Bozeman, the state’s capital offer excellent terrain.
“Helena is truly one of the best mountain biking towns on the planet. It is a true gem,” Allen said. “Helena dries out super early. Everything to the south, they call it the ‘South Hills,’ is great riding.”
To the west, the best riding in the early season can found on Homestake Pass east of Butte by taking the Pipestone exit on Interstate 90. A labyrinth of rock and trail that could take a lifetime to fully explore awaits bikers at Pipestone.
The best part, it’s great riding not only in spring, but throughout the year.
“People bike Pipestone all winter long,” Allen said.
As the weather continues to warm, the first trails around Bozeman should come into riding shape soon. Funderburk said the logging road that parallels Sourdough Creek to Mystic Lake is often one of the best bets in the early season. He also said to keep an eye on the Leverich Canyon trail just south of Bozeman and the trails with western exposure in the Bridger Mountains such as Sypes Canyon and Truman Gulch.
Allen said the best way to find out when trails are drying out is by word of mouth and checking with the bike shops.
Until then, keep your fingers crossed.
“Springtime in Montana,” Allen said. “We could still have a whole blizzard cycle and rain.”
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