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Thread: Whitefish/Kalispell 'Big' ride?
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01-01-2019, 07:57 PM #1
Whitefish/Kalispell 'Big' ride?
Planning a trip in August, looking for a 4-5 hour ride with 4-5k vert. Are there any 'must do' epics like that?
I poked around on trailforks, but didn't see an obvious route.
Thoughts?
(Not that that is a particularly big or epic ride, but you know what I mean! )Last edited by rideit; 01-01-2019 at 10:28 PM.
Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident
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01-02-2019, 12:09 AM #2
Depending on what kind of ride you are looking for... This summer I did a ride from Herron park to the top of Blacktail Mountain and back. Was about 40 miles and Strava had the vert at 6500. A little bit of double track, but otherwise good fun singletrack with options to add additional trails at Herron park for a few more miles/vert.
Alpine trail 7 also comes to mind.
How much suffering do you want to do? I have a friend who really loves to climb and probably has a dozen or so that fit your criteria.
Seth
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01-02-2019, 10:35 AM #3
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01-02-2019, 11:58 AM #4
Alpine Trail 7 comes to mind. I'm sure that toast will chime in here and have better recommendations.
It sucks to suck.
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01-02-2019, 01:46 PM #5
up 6 mile peak trail (1000ft double track, 3000 ft single track, mostly rideable.
across on Alpine 7
down Hall lakes
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/hall-lake/
then beer/ food in columbia falls at
https://backslopebrewing.com/
also worth emailing the staff at whitefish bike retreat for current conditions
http://www.whitefishbikeretreat.com/
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01-02-2019, 02:02 PM #6
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01-02-2019, 07:29 PM #7
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01-02-2019, 09:03 PM #8
Mntlion's suggestion is a good one.
If you can do a partial shuttle, napa point, north along alpine 7, and then down wire trail is arguably the best ride in the area. Sometimes the descent is brushy though.
Also involving a partial shuttle: doris creek, north on alpine 7, and down the front side (west) of Columbia. It's a bit shorter with less climbing, but it's all open to moto so it'll be clear, and it's still a decent ride. Less remote than napa or hall, but very rideable and fun trails. And it's easy to pedal to backslope brewing from the finish.
Ten lakes up towards eureka has a bunch of great options. Tbd whether it'll still be open to bikes next summer.
Shoot me a pm if you want more details or other suggestions.
Also check out flatheadamb.org - local bike club. Sometimes they set up rides / shuttles on rides noted in here. Usually free to anyone. Their stuff probably won't be on the calendar until early summer though.
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01-03-2019, 12:26 PM #9
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01-07-2019, 03:38 PM #10
Think I found my ride. This looks amazing, 5k up and 8k down.
Anyone wanna join?
https://www.trailforks.com/route/nap...lpine-7-route/Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident
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01-07-2019, 04:24 PM #11
Bump this when the time approaches. I have been wanting to do that ride for a few years.
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01-07-2019, 04:29 PM #12
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01-07-2019, 04:35 PM #13
I'm definitely interested. Keep me posted as we get closer!
Seth
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01-07-2019, 11:14 PM #14
SUMMERBBIKALISPELL?
Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident
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01-08-2019, 08:17 PM #15Registered User
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Massive potential in the north end of the Swan but most trails are fucked from absolutely no maintenance due to the awful rec program run out of Hungry Horse. South end of the Swan is good for sure. Some really good stuff around Eureka got nuked by fire and is slowly getting back into shape, but some of those trails are full on giggle fests when in condition! I dream of a full time non profit private trail crew in the Flathead/Kootenai. Place could be World class backcountry riding with some good saw teams.
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01-08-2019, 08:34 PM #16
I'm trying to line up funding through the bike club to do exactly that.
The club owns a saw and a nice brushcutter. We just need to find the funding to pay someone to run them. We've done some stuff with volunteers, but most of the trails in the swan would require a multi-day mission.
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01-10-2019, 03:08 PM #17
If the trails are open to Moto, Steve from PencoKalispell has a crew that cuts out those trails regularly. Btw, Alpine7 from CreviceLks N gets cleared by motos... He and his crew do a good job!
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01-11-2019, 08:38 AM #18
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01-11-2019, 10:03 AM #19Registered User
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Fuck ya, Toast!! Good for you guys, pretty overwhelming backlog, but there has to be a way to turn it around. I’d like to do a similar thing here in Park county but have just been clearing on my own as it is easier just to get shit done.
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01-11-2019, 12:07 PM #20Registered User
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I haven't ridden at all in Park County despite living in BZN for 18 yrs, and plan to change that this summer...
I would be happy to provide some additional hands/labor and beer for a ride or two in exchange for the opportunity to pick your brain over which trails to explore first (based on giggle factor and amount of downfall.)
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01-11-2019, 04:43 PM #21Registered User
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Shit I'd prob be down for an excuse to head north.
Also echo statement above that I need to explore more on the Livingstoned side. Been meaning to hit that newish section over off trail ck.
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01-11-2019, 09:07 PM #22Registered User
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01-11-2019, 09:21 PM #23
We do quite a few volunteer days, but those are pretty limited to reasonably accessible areas. Trails that need brushing 10+ miles from any access point pretty much need a paid crew. Or maybe some very dedicated volunteers who are willing to put in an overnight, but so far those people haven't surfaced.
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02-05-2019, 01:59 AM #24
Alpine 7 trail is really special, it feels like you're riding in Glacier Park. I wouldn't recommend it unless a saw crew has been through or its more like a 20mi hike, you should be fine by August if its on the calendar for the year. And as Toast mentioned, all the trails off the ridge can be very brushy, those enduro hand guard things would be pretty prefect. It also holds some pretty big drifts late in the year, but again- you should be fine in August. Theres water up there all summer.
The Blacktail-Herron trail is a different sort, I don't know that I would recommend the whole trail as an out and back- lots of up-down, and a longish road section in the middle- though it makes for a short shuttle, either way some cool sections and plenty fun, maybe a good ride for the day after alpine 7?
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02-17-2019, 10:03 PM #25Registered User
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There are trails like this all over NW MT. The tread is still there it will just take a few weeks of hate sawing to properly brush out. This trail is super close to Columbia Falls and accesses an awesome ridgeline trail.
It just took packing my bike through 12’ high alder and Yew brush to get there. The Smokey Ridge (I think that was the name) National Rec trail had enormous potential for loops and a through ride, but... It’s fucked.
Fuck MAGA, Make Our Trails Great Again!
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