Helena Shuttlefest

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Sorry for thready drift, but headed up the Helena THIS Thursday and hoping to ride Mt. Helena Ridge => Show me the Horse

Are those trails dried out?

I'm planning to meet a friend and self-shuttle Grizzly Gulch.

Can you still drive past Park City or is the road closed due to construction?

I was thinking about hitting Andy's trail but open to other connector routes/suggestions over in Mt. Helena City Park area as this will be our first time riding in the Capitol City.

Was riding up there the last two days. Didn't do Show Me The Horse this time around, but it should be like 95% good to go. The ridge itself was good the whole way.

[evasive_MT]

Anyone know if I need to do anything to camp at the fairgrounds, or just show up and deal there?
Thanks!

Never done it myself, but I think you can just show up. MTB City said they’ll be full open, too.

Horse is good, from what I understand.

[rideit]

Damnit, it looks like rain.

[elesquiador]

Rode Horse on Saturday. It's in great shape.

[greasyslope]

FYI- the “Don’t fence me in” trail run is this weekend. I’m not sure how much it will affect the trails for biking, but one should probably account for it.

[evasive_MT]

FYI- the “Don’t fence me in” trail run is this weekend. I’m not sure how much it will affect the trails for biking, but one should probably account for it.

It’s usually over before too late in the AM. The 30K route starts early, and that’s the only one that uses the Ridge. The other routes stick to lower Mt A and Rodney Ridge.

[evasive_MT]

I don’t think I’d set my hopes on the Mac Pass shuttle they have advertised for Sunday, though. To the best of my knowledge nobody has done any clearing yet. The people most likely to do it have all been sidelined for one reason or another.

[panchosdad]

Damnit, it looks like rain.

It's a long way off to be worrying about a weather forecast.

[Montana Rider]

Trails were primo yesterday.

First time riding the ridge.

Totally jealous of the longer riding season and easy access to the trail network.

Helena definitely has the best "in town" riding in MT

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Any local intel on wetness? Looks like it could be a shitshow or taper off and leave behind some hero dirt by the weekend.

[evasive_MT]

[shrugs]

It all comes down to the weather between now and then. We had moisture overnight, but not enough to cause a problem. The forecast calls for half an inch tomorrow. Depending on how it comes down, it could just soak up. Once our trails have dried out, the older hardpacked ones handle rain pretty well.

[rideit]

Turns out we had reservations for Chico this weekend. We were gonna cancel if Helena was a lock for weather, but we decided to soak with it being so unsettled.
Can’t wait to have the flaming orange....have fun and good luck with the weather, gents!

[yeahman]

Weather report from the top of Mt. Helena this morning.



Lower down it wasn't so bad...yet. Light drizzle.

[rideit]

Update...so, it looks like we will be in Helena Saturday evening and Sunday this coming August 10 and 11. Anyone have any tips on finding a shuttle (and a good ride or two) for kiddo, wifey, and myself?
Is the McDonald pass ride too much to do with them? (Medium fitness, 11 yo).
Can I do laps and self-shuttleShow Me The Horse/etc?
Anyone wanna make a few bucks?
We need some advice.
Thanks!

[RootSkier]

The MacPass ride is actually pretty technical. It has a lot of rock gardens and quite a bit of climbing. Rides on Mount Helena/Mount Ascension will probably be better.

One good non-shuttle ride is up 2006 > down Entertainment > up Dry Gulch to Rodney Ridge and Rent Money. Start and finish in downtown, more or less. There are free shuttles on both Saturday and Sunday: https://www.bikehelena.com/trail-rider/

I think your kid would be fine on either of the Saturday shuttles. You could probably do the 8:45 to 2006/Arrowroot Drive > Entertainment or something else and make it down to catch the Helena Ridge shuttle at 10:15. That would be a good morning.

Edit: fucking reading comprehension skills. Can you make it there on Friday night instead? You can definitely climb Mount Helena to get to Show Me the Horse without the shuttle.

[rideit]

Can’t make it Friday, wifey has this thing called a ‘real job’.
Sounds like I will probably just ride back up to the truck after riding together on the Ridge somewhere.
Any other thoughts of what to ride down with them, or if I want to go for a more technical rip on Sunday Solo?

[evasive_MT]

There’s only one (system) trail in the South Hills that I’d call technical: Hogback Trail off the top of Mt Helena. It’s not terribly challenging, but it’s rocky AF. Not very climbable, but a lot of fun to descend. Lots of photos of it on Trailforks.

I’d recommend a Mac Pass ride Sunday AM if you have the time. There are a few trees down on the descent, though, as of last weekend.