Featured Ride: Trout Creek Canyon to Beartrap Gulch, Montana
Originally posted on May 25, 2016 at 18:58 pm
The Trout Creek Canyon to Beartrap Gulch loop is an excellent opportunity to experience Montana backcountry riding in the Helena National Forest. The 13.6-mile ride features two scenic and fun trails connected by a moderate doubletrack climb.
You’ll want to climb Trout Creek and descent Beartrap. The grade is steady with a few, short punchy climbs. After beginning opposite a campground, you will quickly enter into a canyon. The route bounces back and forth on each side of the canyon and alternates between lush pockets of green and open scrabbly trail. For the most part the route is in the shade, a welcome respite from the sun on a hot day.
Beartrap Gulch is an excellent singletrack descent that features long, fast, carving turns. It’s not steep, but has just the right grade to carry your speed and enjoy the ride.
The upper section is a series of carving turns through large pines with occasional long runs of trail through open meadows, offering some big views as you go. The lower section of the trail ducks back into the forest and whips through a series of tighter turns that bring you to bottom of valley. The ride finishes on fast trail through tall grasses.
Photos courtesy of MTB Project