There's More than a "Big Sky" in Montana

Andy Baur swings a pulaski while cutting the "Pay Dirt" trail.
The trails in Helena are so fun that kids learn to ride before they can walk.
Volunteers in Missoula changed the flow of the trail by adding more technical challenges.
Lora enjoying a Missoula trail.
The locals showed us some of the more technical trails, built on private land.
There was a good turnout of volunteers in Billings.
In Billings, they start mountain bikers early, both riding and trailbuilding.

In May, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner spent three weeks in Montana's Big Sky Country and managed to visit some of the hottest spots for mountain biking in this beautiful state.

The first stop was the state capital, Helena - a hotbed of fun trails and friendly people. The Crew led a project re-routing a fall line trail and replacing it with a new contour route. The volunteers affectionately named it "Pay Dirt," and thanks to several days of sweat and hard work, it is now being enjoyed by all types of trail users.

The next stop was Missoula, where work on the Woods Gulch Loop addressed speed and user conflict issues on a steep section. Mark and Lora showed the locals how to change the flow and add technical log features. Mountain bikers loved the new challenge, and hikers were pleased with the slower speeds.

Finally, Mark and Lora visited Montana's largest city, Billings. With the help of volunteers, they laid out and cut more than half a mile of new trail - a great addition to the existing two miles at Phipps Park.

At just under one million, Montana's population is small, but they have plenty fabulous trails, top-notch mountain bikers, and enthusiastic volunteers. It's an outstanding mountain bike destination away from the crowds.