Missoula mags - afternoon/evening gravel/xc ride recommendation?

[sethschmautz]

I am probably heading to Missoula this afternoon and am thinking of bringing the gravel bike with me. I'm looking for a good workout. Will do either Threshold or VO2 intervals this afternoon and just need a place to do it. Was looking at the Main Corridor #99 in the rattlesnake . Looks like a good gradual uphill to do some of these efforts but would love a recommendation if you have one.

Could also bring the hardtail as Threshold exercises look a lot (for me) like hard uphill grinds. Thanks!

Seth

[jamal]

main corridor is cool but gets pretty rocky for a gravel/cx bike. I go up it on a regular basis but you definitely have to be careful on the way back down.

My spots for threshold on a cx bike or ride like that are marshall grade and snowbowl road.

Or deer creek road or deer creek sneak. If you go up deer creek or pattee when you get up there you can keep going and then drop down into miller creek on the inez route which is a good loop.

This would be the most straightforward way up deer creek and down into miller, although there are lots of ways through there and a bunch of trails and stuff.

https://www.strava.com/routes/2857350430505998790

[Iowagriz]

I was going to suggest deer creek as well. This is my strava for deer creek to deer creek sneak to MOZ downhill. Could be done on cross bike, would be more fun on mtb. At the top, cross to the south and pickup some Braxton Bike Trails singletrack. Could also add some gravel climbing to the top of the backside of Mount Sentinal if more work is needed. I park at the university to start/end this one.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5471096941

[sethschmautz]

Thank you both. Trip got postponed but I'll stick these in the back pocket (along with my visor that fell off during my ride today).

Seth

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

I might have time for a gravel ride over in Missoula next week when I'm there for work. If I can make it an evening ride sounds like Deer Creek is the way to go, but I may end up only having time for a 6-8am ride. I'll be sleeping on Reserve. Is Snowbowl Rd. the best spot for a gravel ride from there? If so, is it possible to loop over to Butler Creek?

[Iowagriz]

From reserve street, I'd say up towards Snowbowl (bike trail that parallels the pavement), then gravel up. Yes, you can loop back down Butler Creek. I've only ridden it once (Jamal does it all the time). My time was up Butler and down Snowbowl road. I remember 1 or two confusing spots, but not bad.

Just so happens there is a group ride this weekend and they posted their route. This should help with planning.
https://www.strava.com/routes/286054...wNdWvmV4G4ESTI

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Thanks! Too funny - that's exactly the route I was thinking of.

Really cool to see you guys have these group rides too. We're a bit more limited in that regard over here in Bozeman.

[jamal]

Yeah I prefer to climb snowbowl road and descend butler creek. The top of butler creek before you get up to the junctions that go around tv mountain gets really steep and then snowbowl road tends to be washboard loose gravel. Although the other day i came down the lower section and it was freshly graded, so a little loose but smooth at least.

So just go out the back of the parking lot and don't make any right turns that go uphill and you should make it down butler creek. . For extra credit you can do tv mtn or a little loop past the new chair.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Thanks for all that info! Really excited to ride over there. Hopefully the air quality cooperates…

[jamal]

Yeah it's bad right now, but we've been getting little breaks of cooler, cleaner air every once in awhile. My weather app seems to indicate possible improvements tues-wed

I missed that ride this morning but did see them go by on my ride to work. Here it is plus tv mountain.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5503949044/

I go up there a lot because it's close and a good way to get a lot of vert on a ride. Point 6 and the beargrass highway singletrack descent down snowbowl is fun, especially on the weekend when the bar is open.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Thanks again for the intel guys. I rode that Deer Creek/Inez loop (plus a few wrong turns) when I got to town around 6 last night. What a cool ride. Was hoping to do rattlesnake early this morning too, but sleep and work got the better of me. Will have to come back for that one.

[jamal]

Nice, that whole area is probably my favorite for gravel rides but yes you do need to keep an eye on the map. A lot of it has only been recently made public when a land trust bought a bunch of stuff up there. So there was always the holloman saddle loop and some fairly roundabout ways to get from miller to pattee but now it's pretty direct. There's new trail being built from that saddle where you drop down all the way to the top of mount dean stone.