Big views and smooth dirt on the way down

Ride the Magnificent Trails of Missoula

Explore the exceptional trail riding that can be found just outside Missoula city limits!

Mountain Biking Moderate, Difficult

Description

The second largest city in Montana and home to just over 100,000 people, Missoula is one of those places which make you wonder why you've never lived there. The town is vibrant, but the wilds of Montana are remarkably close at hand, and on these rides you'll get to sample them. The state is known for its big sky and epic vistas, and you'll experience both of those assets, plus some exceptional trail riding.

A couple of the trips in here (The Pattee Canyon Loop and the Best of Blue Mountain Ride) are pretty mellow, but we've also listed three long and challenging rides - all within a 20-minute drive of Missoula city centre. We've got the long and scenic trip to the top of Blue Mountain, an exceptional (and exceptionally named....) trail on Mount Dean Stone and a gorgeous journey right on the edge of the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area. The long trip down Deadman's Ridge on Blue Mountain is the toughest of all the trails listed here, but it's not truly difficult, just a bit bumpy! Suffice to say that if you want exceptional intermediate-advanced riding, then you'll find it in here.

There are no lift-served rides in this list - all of them are pedal up, ride down, but this is Montana - being self-sufficient in the wilderness comes with the territory! As you explore these rides and the state they take you through, you'll certainly come to understand where Montanans get their pioneering spirit - it's big,wild country and all the better for it.

So, if a cool, funky city ("Keep Missoula Weird" is a popular local bumper sticker) and some world-class trail riding sound like your version of a good time - this is the guidebook for you!