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09-28-2014, 02:20 AM #1
TR - Idaho - Montana fall 2014 (pic heavy)
I've seen many complaints about too little stoke in this forum recently, so here you all go.....
Three of us made a week+ long trip from San diego recently to get some high elevation riding in before the snow flies. Destination this trip would be 4 days in Stanley ID and 4 days in Montana. Fortunate timing allowed us to escape last week's brutal heat and humidity from what was left of the Baja Calif hurricanes. Being on vacation is awesome enough, but being able to rub our perfect temps in the face of everyone sweltering back home was priceless.
After flying to ride the Chilcotins earlier this summer we opted to fly again and rent a truck to avoid the 15hr drive. This would mean traveling light and no camping comfort gear like chairs, cooler, water jug, cooking equipment, or full tools/bike stand. Turned out this was not a big deal and gave us extra days riding without having to drive through the night.
After a late start due to freezing temps overnight we started day 1 with an intro loop to the Boulder-Whiteclouds.
Brian (406) and Gil (Gman) check out the trailhead map
Our route would start with a 2 mile climb to 4th of July Lake and then descend down a valley to the Washington Lakes basin seen here
From there the climbing began and views opened up
When I got to the top of this pass my jaw dropped. The white streak down the opposite mountain was brilliant white, the pic does really not do it justice. This is looking down into the Chaimberlain Lakes basin.
While we were snacking a visitor showed up, came within 20ft of us
Finishing our break we enjoyed the drop into the basin
At first I thought this was one of the lower Chamberlain Lakes but those were tucked in closer to the bottom of the peak
We checked out the first Chamberlain lake and then started an out and back climb to 10,000ft Castle Pass
Views were not bad looking down toward Germania creek drainage
Dropping beyond the pass was incredibly enticing with switchbacks dropping as far as the eye can see, but would mean a 1,500ft climb back up. Gil rode down the first switchback before stopping.
I hiked up a small ridge to get a better view of the mountains to the left of us, which was definitely worth it.
It was a fun drop down from Castle pass
Chamberlain Creek Tr was little used compared to the Castle Divide trail we'd been on. Through a couple open meadows the trail nearly disappeared.
It was steep in many spots, I would not want to ride up this trail!
Hmm, what is this laying on the trail?
We made it down to Germania creek after a longer than expected descent. Germania is a moto trail so we expected to cover distance faster. We did, with a few fun rock sections thrown in
It was either wet shoes or barefoot for creek crossings.
And finally there was a beast of a climb out from 7,000 to 9,500 at 4th of July Lake
Views were excellent again on the climb especially being in the golden hour, so I did not mind too much.
Last came a 2 mile happy ending back to the truck that ended right at dusk, so timing was pretty tight. It turned out to be more than we had bargained for at +/-6,100 ft in 28 miles, but was still a great ride. Things cooled off fast again in the evening and we were looking for hot springs near town. Never found them in the dark unfortunately, but they are all over this area. Great start to the trip!
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09-28-2014, 02:21 AM #2
Moar...
Day 2 - Little Casino to Big Casino Creek Trails
Another cold morning, another late start. The Stanley Bakery is always recommended for great food served and attractive hippy chicks, but we could not get near the place because there were two large weddings in town. We made up for that loss by searching out a couple of the hot springs we had missed the night before. Rising steam made them easy to spot in daylight.
Our camp was just above the shore of Stanley Lake
Hot springs with a view. Would have been epic for sunset but unfortunately this one was little more than luke warm
Better luck here along the highway. Scalding water can be directed right into the pools or the cauldron
Having sorted out our post ride options we drove a few miles up Hwy 75 to the trailhead. Both upper and lower Casino Creek trails leave from the same trailhead making a convenient loop
The climb up Little Casino started nice, got tough/loose for 3/4 mi and then was nice until we approached the final ridgeline. After the first tough part a nice view of the Sawtooth mountains opened up
JRA
The final couple miles had some steep HAB. Each of these are moto trails so they go straight up the nose of the ridge. Gets us up high faster, at least. And stopping to rest gave relief in the form of amazing views.
Nearly at the top we spot Casino Lakes below and get a peak at the White Cloud peaks in the distance
White clouds, tough to get a good pic of they are so white
Up top we get a bit of riding before the descent starts
And then it is on. Fun, chunky, yet flowy
The trail had lots of whoops in between all the chunk, almost like A-line for xc bikes. Sorry, enduro bikes.
Dust picks up lower down so we had to spread out
Post ride soak and refreshments were enjoyed
More visitors. We were not the only one enjoying the warm waters!
This ride was 20miles and +/- 4,100 feet. It felt less than that since most was good climbing and the rest of the HAB went pretty quick. Definitely a good one, and you can also connect from 4th of July trailhead from Day 1 to these trails for a long point to point.
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09-28-2014, 07:53 AM #3Registered User
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Posts
- 1,572
Classic, looking forward to the Montana pics.
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09-28-2014, 08:06 AM #4
Sick dude! Thanks for sharing, would've had no idea extended high altitude options like that were over in idaho. Moar!
"We're in the eye of a shiticane here Julian, and Ricky's a low shit system!" - Jim Lahey, RIP
Former Managing Editor @ TGR, forever mag.
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09-28-2014, 08:44 AM #5
Awesome photos and write up Evdog, I will add a few.
Day 1:
Not at sea level anymore:
Gman gets some extra g.n.a.r. points:
Cold night and morning equals late start. Big ride equals late end, but good lighting:
As Evan mention, we got our act together after this one and made sure there was a swim at the end of each day.
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09-28-2014, 08:45 AM #6
Day 2:
This might have been my favorite ride in the White Clouds (although I skipped day 4), all trail and all up then all down. Scenery was not as close up, but big views after a sandy slog up to the higher country:
With a little rain, there would have been a lot less hike the bike, but still got some uphill riding:
Didn't get any good photo's on the downhill, too fast and fun and in the trees...it was awesome.
I see Montana in the bar code:
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09-28-2014, 08:47 AM #7
Day 3:
Our only planning shortfall on the day, IMO, was starting where we did which put 5 miles of highway and 10 miles of hideous dirt road at the start of the ride. In hind site one of us could have hitched up the dirt rode, but we figured there wouldn't be much traffic on a Monday. Turned out there were still lots of hikers driving up to the trailhead. I managed to get my bike in the back of some other bikers truck and a ride for the last couple miles, so that was nice.
All that was soon forgotten after some nice hike a bike to this view:
And wicked fun trail down to the lakes:
Evan makes the most difficult switch back look easy:
We catch up to gman because he stopped to wait:
After the lakes it was some fun backcountry riding, felt very remote:
Fall colors:
Then we got to more well used trail and it was one of the nicest/fun up hills I have ever done.
Back down to the truck was uber buff max speed single track:
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09-28-2014, 09:29 AM #8
Strong work fellas. Thanks for the post.
Did the last unsatisfied fat soccer mom you took to your mom's basement call you a fascist? -irul&ublo
Don't Taze me bro.
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09-28-2014, 10:28 AM #9
Wow, some strong work...
great shots. Love seeing all that alpine riding.www.dpsskis.com
www.point6.com
formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
Fukt: a very small amount of snow.
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09-28-2014, 10:50 AM #10
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09-28-2014, 12:59 PM #11
Day 3 - 4th of July Ants Basin to Fisher Creek
Things were looking up on the trip by now. Warmer temps... check. Stanley Bakery for breakfast...check. We had many options for routes and settled on one that would get us nicely in the backcountry at the expense of 4 miles of flat pavement and a 10 mile, 2k fire road climb. Sucks not having a shuttle but the climb wasn't terrible and got us to what I think was my favorite ride of the trip.
We would end on the legendary Fisher Creek, which is actually called Williams Creek Tr (the fire road to get to it is Fisher)
The pavement was a breeze and the dirt road had some nice scenery. Took around 90mins, similar to what a shuttle + retrieval would have taken.
Started with the same climb as Day 1 but turned left and did some hike a bike up to a high ridgeline
We were greeted with a mind-popping view of Ants basin on the other side
Check out the bend in the rock
There was a fun descent off the ridgeline into Ants basin
But watch your speed, the switchbacks were sharp and steep
Lower down they got real loose too, which made it hard as the views were trying their best to draw your eyes off the trail
A bit of easy cruising toward Born Lakes
Then the riding got tougher with some nice chunk and steep climbs/descents
We headed to the lakes and then picked up the trail near its outlet down Warm Spring Cr
The trail from there was a great mix of rough and buff
More color down the canyon
There were a few steep climbs to get above cliffs over the creek
And more nice colors as we rode through a burn area
Looking back up the valley
Nearing the end of our ride on Warm Springs trail we enter the big meadow
The creek is looking quite fishy here, but I forgot my pack rod. GIl checks it out for fish
2mile, 800ft climb to the top of Williams Creek Trail on well used moto trail. Easy climb
Then a couple more miles climbing on Williams Cr beyond the intersection from Fisher
I had pictured the whole descent being buff trail through burn area like this
But most of it actually looked more like this
We nearly get taken out by cattle just before this final climb.
Fisher/Williams is a very fast and fun trail, though I wouldn't call it the best in the area like most people seem to.
After the ride we were back to the hot springs for a soak and refreshments.
Stats - 36mi and +/-4,700 (includes the 2k dirt road climb)
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09-28-2014, 01:04 PM #12
Day 4 - Big Boulder to Little Boulder
For our last day in the White Clouds we moved camp to the east side of the range. This ride had potential to take us back to Castle Pass where we topped out at 10,000ft on Day 1 if time and legs would allow. The plan was to start early as overnight temps were nice by now. Unfortunately the skies opened up unexpectedly right at our 6am wakeup, so that was abandoned as we waited out the rain. It was after 9am before it looked safe enough to head for the high country.
We start at the Livingston Mill TH, near an old mining town. Check out the Lost & Found, Idaho style
Cool history. Why can't we all just "live and let live"?
Nice stream crossing. First part of the trail was steep section followed by flat section, and repeat...
Big Boulder is rated double black on the map but climbs a lot easier on nice contour singletrack than the rating would suggest
We topped out around 9500 and then had a nice descent down to the boulder lakes basin
The Boulder Chain Lakes are tucked in behind the rocky ridges all the way back to the main ridge in the distance. Checking out these lakes was a main objective for the day
Boulder Chain Lake #1
We cross a stream to get to the main boulder chain lakes trail
Lake #2
Riding next to Lake #3. Took a bit of HAB to get up to this one
Pic of the lake
Trail splits with a low option for fisherman and high option to get to the next lake
Lake #4. I lost the trail here, it goes into a boulder field. Supposedly you can HAB to the last lake then up and over Windy Devil pass to Born Lake from Day 3 to create a loop. Interesting, but sounds heinous.
Lake #3 again on the way back down
I started to do a bit of fishing but soon noticed clouds rolling in fast, so we made a bee-line out of there. It was a mile and a half from the lowest of the lakes to Little Boulder Cr trail and we made quick time out of there
Fortunately rain never materialized beyond a few spits so we were able to enjoy the trail
It eventually opened up into a fast ripper of a descent, and the views opened up too as we approached the lower valley
Some of the trail was real loose and steep, you could go as fast as you could handle
Nice view down the valley toward the bottom of Germania Creek drainage
Final bit of descent
We were done at a pretty reasonable time as we faced a 5 hr drive to get to our next day's ride in Montana. Giddyup!
Stats for the day, around 19mi and +/-4500
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09-28-2014, 01:11 PM #13
Nice dudes, looking forward to the rest.
"The skis just popped me up out of the snow and I went screaming down the hill on a high better than any heroin junkie." She Ra
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09-28-2014, 01:37 PM #14
Day 4:
I decided the best drive to Montana, would be 30 miles of dirt road over historic Lemhi pass. From wikipedia:
Lemhi Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains and within Salmon-Challis National Forest. The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the continental divide, at an elevation of 7373 feet (2247 m) above sea level.
The pass gained importance in the 18th century, when the Lemhi Shoshone acquired horses and used the route to travel between the two main parts of their homeland.[1] From the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 until the Oregon Treaty in 1846 the pass marked the western border of the United States. On August 12, 1805 Meriwether Lewis and three other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass. Lewis found a "large and plain Indian road" over the pass.[2] This was the first time that white men had seen present-day Idaho:
We proceeded to the top of the dividing ridge from which I discovered immense ranges of high mountains still to the West of us with their tops partially covered in snow
The next day Lewis met Cameahwait and his band of Shoshone, and returned with them across the pass to meet Clark. On August 26, 1805 the entire expedition crossed the pass.[3]
In the early 19th century the pass was regularly used by the Blackfoot people, so that in 1824 Alexander Ross referred to the route as the Blackfoot route.[1] At that time the pass itself was known as North Pass, to distinguish from South Pass.[1] The pass derives its present name from Fort Lemhi, founded in 1855 by Mormon missionaries who were the first non-Indians to establish a sustained relationship with the Salmon River Indian people.
During the mining era the pass was used by stagecoaches, but the route fell into disuse after 1910, when the Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad was built through the nearby Bannock Pass.[1] Only a single track dirt road now crosses the pass.
The pass was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
The Lemhi Pass area contains the richest deposits of thorium discovered in the United States. Rare earth elements have also been discovered in Lemhi Pass.[5] Rare earth element products include magnets, lasers, colorant for glass and enamels and X-ray machines.
80 mph dirt road on the Montana side, but we slowed for wildlife, Pronghorn:
And history:
Montana sun set over the Pioneer Mountains out the window of the truck at 65 mph, as A. B. Gurthrie called it, The Big Sky:
Last edited by 406; 09-28-2014 at 02:16 PM.
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09-28-2014, 01:39 PM #15
Day 5:
Curly Lake Highline, Tobacco Root Mtns, Montana. I have been wanting to do this one for years.
The snow from the week before all melted, so the dirt on the trail was expected to be really good and it was. So most of the up was rideable, very nice:
Trail:
Some down to the lake:
A lake:
Then the real up hill started:
To a saddle in the tundra with views of the mountains and Beaver head valley:
And then the for-real up hill started (5k ft isn't free), although still mostly rideable but stopping to breath a lot:
And very scenic:
Around 10,000 ft we got to the high point and the trail started down, going through tundra for awhile (spot the rider?):
Then very well built contour through the scree:
Then steeper into the trees:
And all the way down to below tree line in the sage brush as will be shown in Evan's photos. Big ride, one of my favorites.
That night we had bacon wrapped Bison meet loaf from Montana Ale Works in Bozeman and I had way too much beer.
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09-28-2014, 04:26 PM #16
Outstanding stuff. Thanks
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09-28-2014, 04:38 PM #17Registered User
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- Apr 2004
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FKNA yeah!
Hmm, it's only a three day drive
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09-28-2014, 05:14 PM #18
Nice pics/adventures. More please.
"If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough."
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09-28-2014, 06:24 PM #19
We continue.....
Day 5 - Curley Highline
On to Montana! Our first day in MT was Curley Highline, one of the most highly thought of back/high-country rides among those who like that sort of riding. We wanted to do it on our prior trip but the trail has a seasonal closure for sheep humping and we were there during the closure period. I am told they take these things more seriously in MT than they do in Socal.
There may or may not have been some rain overnight, we're not sure - but it didn't affect our start time and we were off reasonably early
A couple miles of dirt road brought us to the trailhead where climbing began in earnest
It started off and quickly got technical with some loose rock and moto/horse ruts to fight through. Soon enough we crested a ridge and dropped down into the Curley Lake Basin
Steep side hill in places
There was some contouring beyond the lake and the trail was not bad, just constant climbing
Eventually we got to a saddle and then into a final climb up some tough switchbacks
Holy cow did the views open up as we got higher
We crested the final ridge and stopped for a snack. Squint and you may be able to pick out a dot of orange where we rested
Then it was on, a few switchbacks on the open scree slope took us back below tree line where things opened up
This is a moto trail too. Interestingly left hand turns like this tended to be chewed up and rutted by motos, while right handers were in great shape. Do they all suck at turning one direction?
Some steep turns followed
Soon after this stream crossing we got into a short steep climb and some technical rock garden
A further climb over a short ridge brought us to a final screaming descent down the valley
One short climb on the way down
And then a final descent
Our only planning shortfall on the day, IMO, was starting where we did which left a 4 mi dirt road climb to end the day. It wasn't bad but definitely was a buzz kill after the awesome descent. Fortunately there was some good swimming nearby.
Choices
Cleaning up!
Total ride was around 25 mi and +/-5,000ft
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09-28-2014, 06:26 PM #20
Day 6 - Continental Divide Trail (CDT) near Butte
Our plan to ride Mt Blackmore near Bozeman was in doubt as the forecast called for 60% chance of rain with lightning. We decided to see how things looked and go from there, so found a campsite near the trailhead just south of Bozeman. The day didn't start well as a beautiful warm night gave way to lightning and thunder all around our campsite around 4am, followed by rain. Riding at elevation here would be out of the question so we re-evaluated our options over breakfast looking for areas not too far away that were not getting hit. Butte fit the bill and with a ton of new trail construction recently including a new segment of the CDT. Bike Magazine had a big writeup on Butte in July.
Supposedly we would be able to climb 13 miles up to the Lady of the Rockies
Very nice trail. A little steep in places but a good climb for the most part
Playing around at a viewpoint overlooking Butte 1/3 of the way up
The trail reminded me of the Tahoe Rim Trail with all the rock they went through
Part of this segment was built last year, the rest this year
The trail dodged and weaved around a bunch of large rock outcrops
The ride back down promised some opportunities to get air
The climb was somewhat rolling with a few descents thrown in. There was a 500ft switchback drop down to a saddle that we were all dreading having to climb back up on the way out
Finally there was a long section of raw new trail that was not bedded in well yet and pretty tough to climb. A final HAB up an overgrown dirt road brought us up to the top of the mountain
The sign says "welcome" but the tour guide who showed up with a "crowd of paying customers" and threatened to prosecute us had a different tune. The tourists were all happy to see us though.
The view we came to see
I mentioned the trail reminded me of TRT. That is without the lake, of course. We did get a nice view of a big hole in the ground though.
This formation apparently called Little Jesus. I don't quite see the resemblance
View from afar
The ride back down was fast and fun though there were a lot more short climbs than I recalled descending on the climb!
And some nice swimming right near the trailhead was a bonus
The out and back was around 24mi and +/- 4,000ft
Afterwards we stopped in at the Freeway Tavern for a wop chop sandwich. Apparently this was Evel Knievel's favorite sandwich and it did not disappoint
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09-28-2014, 07:09 PM #21
outstanding tr lads. great looking trail
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09-29-2014, 11:07 AM #22
Day 6: Butte, America.
The new sections of CDT outside Butte had been my weather back up plan. Turned out to be a good back up. Like Evdog said, trail was very Tahoe Rim Trail like, but with smaller trees and views of the Berkley Pit/Richest Hill on Earth/Largest Super Fund Site, not Lake Tahoe.
It's fall:
I think the trail is about a year old:
The boys get some air:
Butte:
Bit of up on the way back, but good views:
Swim and beer:
WOP CHOP!:
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09-29-2014, 01:01 PM #23
This TR is crushing it!
I want to ride with you guys, you find the goods!
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09-29-2014, 01:33 PM #24
This thread delivers, you dudes have hit some great rides.
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09-29-2014, 01:46 PM #25
Daaayum.
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