Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 42 BIG SHEEP CREEK BACK COUNTRY (BYWAY) WHAT: A two-lane, 50-odd-mile dirt road on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land that's part of the Great Divide Trail that Adventure Cycling has fashioned out of 2,470 miles of gravel and dirt road that runs on or near the Continental Divide. According to the VisitMt.com site: Once past the canyons of the Tendoy Mountains, the traveler may pass only two or three cars along the entire route. Passing beneath the high rock cliffs of Big Sheep Canyon, one can look down into clear, deep pools of spring-fed Big Sheep Creek. Perhaps nowhere else in America can one see so many trout without leaving the car. Bighorn sheep and deer are a common sight in the evenings. e Byway provides one with the opportunity to see this country as it was experienced by prehistoric Indians and the first mountain men. WHERE: Located west of Dell, Montana, and 24 miles north of the Montana-Idaho border. ink middle-of-nowhere. BUCK RIDGE TRAIL NEAR BIG SKY (MOUNTAIN ROAD) WHAT: Buck Ridge Trail is on a huge sub-alpine ridge filled with wild flowers in the early summer months. WHERE: Take highway 191 from Bozeman to just south of Big Sky and the "only stoplight" turn-off to the ski area. To reach Buck Ridge, drive on Forest Road #2599 to the Doe Creek Trailhead. (A high-clearance vehicle is recommended and do NOT try this when the road is wet unless you like a big helping of Montana gumbo. WHY: It offers beautiful views of Lone Mountain, the Gallatin Range, and the Sphinx, and is double-track and easier to ride than a technical single-track. It starts with a good initial climb (and that's starting at the trailhead where you are already at 8,500 feet). OF SPECIAL NOTE: You've heard this before. Mountain weather is changeable so bring rain gear and keep an eye out for foul weather. And foul bears! THE DOUBLE DIVIDE RIDE FROM HELENA TO LINCOLN AND BACK (ROAD) WHAT: Simple, hardly? A two-day road ride from Helena to Lincoln and back. WHERE: Riding out from Helena, ascend the MacDonald Pass, then ride to Avon, and pass by Nevada Lake. e final leg heads towards Lincoln on the highway through the Blackfoot River Valley. Spend the night in Lincoln if you like, and then ride back to Helena via the Flesher Pass WHY: Grueling but joyous. It's 135 miles and you have your choice of one or two day rides featuring rolling hills, tranquil valleys, and challenging mountain passes. Either way, you'll cross the Continental Divide twice, a noteworthy feat accomplished by only a handful of intrepid bikers. GOING-TO-THE-SUN ROAD GLACIER NATIONAL PARK (ROAD) WHAT: Going-to-the-Sun is the famous paved road that runs through Glacier National Park. If ridden in its entirety from Apgar on the western side of Glacier to Saint Mary on the eastern side of the park, the route stretches for a bit more than 56 miles. WHERE: East to West is the harder climb, but both tracks are beautiful and can be done by experienced cyclists. Many cyclists do an out-and-back using Logan Pass as their turning point. OF SPECIAL NOTE: Because of heavy motorized travel, there are biking restrictions in place between June 15th and Labor Day. Check the park service for updates and use caution, as you are rid- ing on a shelf carved into the mountainside. Not for the faint-of- heart or acrophobic. 3 4 5 6 callout BOB ALLEN IMAGES Not on this list, but an Awesome Bike Ride is Peet's Hill in Bozeman.

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