Curly Lake Trail

It had been seven years since I rode the Curly Lake Trail.  Back then I was always searching for longer alpine rides, which can be hard to find in Montana due to our abundance of Wilderness areas, preventing cycling in a lot of our alpine areas.  I remember buying the book Montanas Singletrack in my younger years and slowly picking off all the rides. Montana Singletrack.  The Curly Lake Trail boasted an abusive ride, and made claim that it was the best rides in Montana and beyond.  A bold claim, one I am not sure I fully agree with, however in my younger years the hype had me obsessed with heading out on this ride.  

For some reason I found myself this year wanting to return and complete the ride again.  After all the years in Montana it has been a great experience heading back to revisit adventures I have done in the past and gain a new perspective on the outing.  This time was no different, and although the weather was far from perfect, the day was so much fun.  I was impressed with the perfect grades on the trail, but forgot how rocky and technical some of the trail was.  This may be from the heavy rains it experienced or some of the motorcycle usage, but the trail kept me on my toes both up and down with technical loose rock.  It was important to remember to get off the bike and soak in the sites as opposed to focusing on the trail in front of you the whole day.  A great day non the less and always good to get the bike up to 10,000 feet.  Considering the elevation it can get pretty crisp in late September, and with the Goat Closures till July 15th the window to ride is quite short.  

If you have ever wondered what your dog is dreaming about, this is probably it.