Montana Roadtrip. Tour of to be closed trails

[hick]

Jesus. Really?! I dont claim any knowledge but the crazies have been quite the situation between the checkerboard, land managers getting "re-assigned, etc. But hey I did learn from the tgrz and some chick with Jeremy Jones that nobody in montana skis there and hardly even knows what the crazies are...

And yeah fuck imba.

Yeah, I saw that about the Crazies. I was so excited to find out that there was a mountain range to the north of us with great skiing . Thank goodness we have someone to come post some fucking bullshit on the web or in Outside Bozeman to tell us they exist. Real Lewis and Clark shit going on over here.

I should add on a positive note though, we are getting official access back on Elk Cr in the Crazies. Should have a new reroute built this summer around the private ground at the bottom, so that’s a win!

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[RootSkier]

The Crazies? Never heard of 'em.

[kidwoo]

Yeah, I saw that about the Crazies. I was so excited to find out that there was a mountain range to the north of us with great skiing . Thank goodness we have someone to come post some fucking bullshit on the web or in Outside Bozeman to tell us they exist. Real Lewis and Clark shit going on over here.

Can we be friends?

[hick]

Can we be friends?

Ha! Just referring to the new shrinking world through social media where 1st descents are claimed constantly with no regard for the local history of these more remote ranges around the west. There is always somebody who’s done it before or maybe at least try and find out before making false claims. End crazy old man rant/ now get off my fucking lawn!!


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[kidwoo]

Ha! Just referring to the new shrinking world through social media where 1st descents are claimed constantly with no regard for the local history of these more remote ranges around the west. There is always somebody who’s done it before or maybe at least try and find out before making false claims. End crazy old man rant/ now get off my fucking lawn!!

Oh I know trust me.
All I'm saying is when you find a grassy knoll with good sightlines let me know.

[Montana Rider]

Looks like the biking advocates are starting to respond to the Wilderness astroturf including my own $0.02 (toot => my own horn)

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.co...700d6e715.html

(Use science, facts to make informed land decisions)

I write to express sympathy to Ruth Angeletti whose recent letter lamented the loss of her favorite hiking trail due to discomfort with increased mountain bike use.

I lost my favorite local biking trail too a few years ago -- the Gallatin Crest Trail.

Unfortunately mine wasn’t a voluntarily decision, rather judge’s decree.


While Ruth didn’t name her trail, time share arrangements (Emerald Lake) would go a long ways to help address the push/pull of population growth inextricably tied to our proximity to the woods we moved here to explore.

I am an old, fat and out-of-shape biker, and derive immeasurable pleasure by taking my bike for long slow walks in the high country, where I ponder the world and my own insignificance.

I don’t begrudge group hikers, even though 90 percent of my adventures are solo, because we all love this place!

I don’t begrudge trail runners who cover more miles in less time, because we all love this place!

I don’t begrudge outfitters bringing even more people into the woods, because we all love this place!

I don’t begrudge horseback riders and llama trekkers, though I’m jealous of their coolers, because we all love this place!

Bikers have been historical users (and maintainers) of these trails years before my first bike ride in the summer of 2000.

If biking had a disproportionately large impact on trails and was harmful to the forest ecosystem, wouldn’t that be self-evident by now?

I argue the historical use of bikes in the Custer Gallatin has not been harmful and should be allowed to continue.

I urge folks to educate themselves on the alternative proposals and use science and facts, not feelings, to inform our land use decisions.

We all love this place – just a little differently!

[stuckathuntermtn]

"I'm uncomfortable with all the mountain bikers" = "I should stay home"

[livefreerdie]

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hlcnf...stelprd3798801
Looks like the Ice Caves loop will stay open! East end of the Big Snowy's will close.

[LeeLau]

Good!

[Montana Rider]

I tried to decipher the legalese to see what (good biking) trails were closed under Alternative F and am too dumb to do so...

It "seems" Elkhorns (Muskrat) is still open (right?), though Tizer Lakes is now closed -- I'd been wanting to do the BIG Loop one of these days...

What else did / will we lose that I should try to ride this summer before it's shut down for realz?

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...eprd741177.pdf

[livefreerdie]

https://caltopo.com/m/G6PJ
I'm editing, so it's gonna change a little. Working on it. Haven't ridden any of them. I know at least 1 section is due for rerouting outside of these boundaries. I'll have news from my home turf of Custer Gallatin NF next month. Line Creek, Lionhead

[evasive_MT]

I think Muskrat is just over the border in the B-D, but I haven’t looked at a map of that trail recently.

I’ve downloaded the majority of the files for my library, but aside from glancing at the maps as they loaded, I haven’t had a chance to digest it yet.

[406]

https://caltopo.com/m/G6PJ
I'm editing, so it's gonna change a little. Working on it. Haven't ridden any of them. I know at least 1 section is due for rerouting outside of these boundaries. I'll have news from my home turf of Custer Gallatin NF next month. Line Creek, Lionhead

Thanks for putting it on a map, very useful. Too bad they will not adjust the boundary of the "electric rwa" so the CDT was not included. Not that I have biked the other sections of the CDT, but have always dreamed of riding all outside Wilderness in MT, so bummed to be loosing several more sections.

If you have time, would be cool to put on trailforks so the masses can see the impact. Should be easy to import shape files and gpx that you already made into trailforks. Good to catalog everything lost, because it really is an amazing amount of trail.

[livefreerdie]

No problem. I just hand digitized the polygons, I still need to get a hold of the Forest to get things exact. Especially trails they say only a fraction of a mile closes... it really matters which end

[yeahman]

So that Baldy RWA being closed to biking...that's going to pretty much screw over that Big Belt yurt operation up there, no? They advertise as a mountain biking destination in the summer, skiing in the winter. But most or all of the trails they were riding look to be closed now (the yurt is located a few miles south of Duck Creek Pass, basically right at the boundary of the RWA). That kinda sucks.

[evdog]

Bummer about more closures.

Saw this just now... be careful out there in Griz country https://www.pinkbike.com/news/mounta...y-montana.html

[livefreerdie]

Who knows about Electric RWA? Specifically which trails along the southern edge are open to bikes. Nevada RWA also, trails #465 and #367?

[toastybroski]

I am moving to MT and am not in the loop, I thought it was a mountain biking mecca?

[idahospud]

I am moving to MT and am not in the loop, I thought it was a mountain biking mecca?

I believe that perhaps you have been slightly misled.

[jono]

I'm not up on my Mecca history. Is Mecca the site of a decades-long battle that resulted in numerous martyrs and massive destruction? That could be accurate.

[lifelinksplit]

I'm not up on my Mecca history. Is Mecca the site of a decades-long battle that resulted in numerous martyrs and massive destruction? That could be accurate.

Lol.

[rideit]

So, this just hit my inbox.
Do any of you have a more concise summary of what this means for cycling access?

https://www.fs.usda.gov/custergallatin

[homemadesalsa]

So, this just hit my inbox.
Do any of you have a more concise summary of what this means for cycling access?

https://www.fs.usda.gov/custergallatin

I got a text this morning from my contact in the MT biking world, saying that the Lionhead will be a "Backcountry Area," not a RWA, which preserves access for bikes. Have not had success in deeper dives into the doc (on a phone, anyway), so can't say there. But great news for my favorite riding area!

Now I just need to rehab enough to be able to ride there!

[rideit]

That’s great news!
Curious about Line Creek as well.

[panchosdad]

I got a text this morning from my contact in the MT biking world, saying that the Lionhead will be a "Backcountry Area," not a RWA, which preserves access for bikes. Have not had success in deeper dives into the doc (on a phone, anyway), so can't say there. But great news for my favorite riding area!

Now I just need to rehab enough to be able to ride there!

The preferred alternative F does indeed have the entire Lionhead as a "Backcountry Area".

It also says " In all backcountry areas where mountain biking is suitable, mountain biking would
be suitable only on approved system mountain biking routes. " which is language I don't recall hearing before. Will the FS have to designate "mountain biking routes"? Opens up a whole nother can of worms.

Line Creek Plateau looks like it's designated a Research Natural Area. No idea what that means.