Montana’s Best Singletrack?
October 7, 2010 by Mike Harrelson
By the time Indian summer rolls around here at the 45th parallel, avid mountain bikers are looking to tick a few big, definitive rides before the snow flies. Definitive, in our circle, equals a full-day outing with lots of mileage and vertical relief. The climb(s) must be sustained, nearly anaerobic lung busters, and yet just barely do-able. The switchbacks should be tight, yet ride-able without a dab. Not seeing another soul (outside of your carefully chosen posse) accentuates the remote, must-be-self-reliant space we seek. Add an element of primal fear, like the possibility of encountering a large toothed, sharp clawed predator, and the allure bumps higher still. Finally, the singletrack must be narrow and buttery. We’re not talking trammeled, double track; we’re talking artfully engineered, sustainably built serpentine trail that flows with the natural landscape. In short, welcome to Mile Creek.
Located just north of Raynolds Pass in the Henry Mountains – near the Montana/Idaho border – Mile Creek begins in a lonely grass parking lot at 6800 feet. Built in 1995 by artisan trail builder, Terry Johnson, this section of the iconic Continental Divide Trail heads for a notch in the mountains where the serious ascent begins. Switchback after switchback (50-some in all) winds you upward from the muffled roar of the creek bottom (“here bear, coming through Mr. Bear!”) to an eventual alpine plateau where the altimeter strikes 10 grand. Assuming you have the juice, you can scramble still higher to tag the summit of Targhee Peak (10,300’). Granted, the ride up is taxing and not for everyone. But the views and the wild, head-clearing alone-ness make it worth it for some of us. Oh, and the ride down is pretty sweet too.
Thanks for sharing Mike. Looks pretty damn good.
-Josh
No worries, Josh. Would love to see you ride this one on your single-speed!
Looks like a knarly bit of a climb with some great big sky views. Doing well here in D town— thanks for the share.
Bethy
This is definitely on my must-ride list. Wish I hadn’t had meetings that day so I could’ve made it out. Great looking ride!
Sweet vid, Mike. I just added that to a long list of your skills. I think I would have eaten it a few times!
Thanks, all, for your comments. Rich you can add “crash dummy” to my long list of “skills.”
Sweet footage! I really like that music too. Do you know the artist?
George, The musician is Dominique Fraissard, a talented guitarist/vocalist out of BC, Canada. I met him here in Bozeman when he was playing at the Emerson Cultural Center. My soundtrack is the opening of Tabula Rasa off his CD by the same name. You can find Dominique on iTunes.
Gracias Don Miguel es muy grande y muy bonito. Mateo
Mike, Nice. Rainy and cold in Park City this morning. Good to see a good single-track video.
Sunny. Warm. Beautiful. Nice work.
Thanks Mike for the inspiring piece. Not to be a buzz kill – but rather a FYI for your viewers – what you didn’t mention is that the non-motorized section of the Continental Divide Trail in Mile Creek is probably the best / most endangered bicycle trail in the country. Most of the trails in Lionhead on the Montana side of the border are in a Recommended Wilderness Area and could be closed any day to our silent and low impact mode of recreation by the Forest Service. Some of our partners in the conservation community are keen to boot bicycles. This spectacular trail and area certainly deserves protecting – just not from bicycles. There are better ways to manage bicycles on our public lands! Go ride Mile Creek – love it, share it, and advocate for its protection and continued bicycle friendly status.
Rather that this whole area be completely skipped past by any media reports. As a local, and not a snob, I think more exposure=more riders, more ruined trails, more crap. Although as a supporter of the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance, I work hard and urge everyone to get behind keeping this region open
Thanks for the advocacy comments. Believe me, I’m quite conflicted about promoting “secret spots.” However, in the case of Mile Creek, I believe that keeping it on the “down low” doesn’t necessarily bode well for its long-term accessibility to mountain bikers. In short, it needs responsible mountain bikers to put a stake in the ground. You know, the same riders that were up there doing trail maintenance this summer… embracing their responsibility with good, old-fashioned sweat equity. Because the ride is remote and the climb is not for the faint of heart (3000’ of UP), I think it’ll self-filter all but the truly committed.
I love the music! This is making me want to get back to NM so I can ride! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the pictures and video of a sweet but technical looking ride. Nothing like that in MN, but something to shoot for. Next time I’m in Bozeman/Montana area I’ll have to shoot you and email again so you can abuse my lungs and quads. PS had some sweet skiing in the Beartooths last June.
TJ(Mac’s bro)
Hey Mike-
Thanks for the post. Love Mile Creek, Sheep Creek, the whole Lionhead. I think that more knowledge is actually power and further advocacy, as long as we take good care of the territory. More people to make a stink, give $$$ to MMBA, get out there with pulaskis- be responsible users.
Rode Denny Creek to Dry Fork of Targhee Ck a couple weeks ago- only an hour and a half from Driggs.
best
Lynne Wolfe
nice job crafting natural beauty with the pleasure of riding trails on two (emission-free) wheels. keep leading with the head.
Thanks for that Mike! My nose is bleeding just thinking about it. Most rides around here are under 6K. Id love to check out your area some day, it’s on my list!
Cheers, Lance…
Nice, Mike! Hoping to ride there this weekend…it’s been on the to-do list for awhile.