Review Date
July 19, 2010

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Reviewed by: rth009 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
As my riding pal said, whoever built this trail is going to come back as a king in his/her next life. This has got to be in the top 3 long rides in Montana, not quite as epic as Curly Lake Highline, but more fun considering it is nearly painless for a fit rider. I recommend riding the entire 31+ mile route from Stone Creek to Stone Creek with no shuttling. After 1+ mile of road on Stone Creek Road, there is a great, sustained climb up well-built switchbacks. After 20-22 switchbacks you are on the Bangtail Ridge, where you will experience beautiful scenery on a fast, undularing ridge for several miles, with some small climbs. Then comes the excellent downhill from Grassy Mtn to Bracket Creek Trailhead. Finally, the road ride down Bridger Canyon from Bracket Creek to Stone Creek is enjoyable as well.

Recommended Route:
Park at Stone Creek Road. Ride the whole 31+ miles

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Grassy Mountain

Review Date
September 4, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: fiz1ct ,  Racer

Summary:
This trail has a little bit of everything. There is nothing too technical about any part of it nor difficult. It however is a very long and exceptionally beautiful trail with great views. The terrain ranges from heavily wooded areas to wide open fields. If you ride the whole 26 miles it will give you a nice workout though, if only due to the length. There aren't any super steep sections but the trail covers a lot of elevation. There are a few rocky sections (nothing compared to other trails around Bozeman) and no roots. This review is written by someone who rides 4-5 days a week, if you are a weekend warrior it may be difficult to do the whole 26 miles in a reasonable time.

Recommended Route:
You can start at the end of Stone Creek Road and end at Brackett Creek, or do the opposite. Either is a great ride. Starting at Stone Creek gives you a little more of a climb, however.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Emerald Lake (or Heather Lake) or Sypes Canyon are both great rides, Heather Lake (above Emerald Lake) being the most technical climb.

Review Date
August 20, 2008

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 4 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: britneysbabydaddy ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Glad I did it, but it was not as easy as I thought it would be. All the "intermediate" and "good for beginners" stuff on the local forums and map descriptions understates it in my opinion. I recommend the trail - awesome views and great downhill sections. But you will earn those, be prepared. I parked at Stone Creek Rd near Bridger Cnyn Rd and rode in, took the Divide trail up and over to Olsen Creek and back down Bridger Canyon. Total of 24+ miles, and about 4+hours. Take water and food and go early when it's not too hot. Even after the initial 22 switchbacks, it's almost all climbing to one degree or another for the first 8 miles.

Recommended Route:
Only done it as stated above. Will do Olsen to Brackett next, which I think will circumvent most of the climb.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
For a decent out/back - Do Bozeman creek. Up the FS road to Mystic Lake and take the single track back down.

Review Date
July 28, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a year

Reviewed by: isaacstokes ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
WOW! Great trail! Right up there with any epic level trail in the country imho. Dreamy stuff!

I rode the complete 30mile park at Stony Creek, bike the road to Grassey Mtn, then up the trail from there loop. 4 hours at fast clip with no breaks.

This trail is 95% buff, and quite wide in many places. It's open to motos, but I encountered none on a Sat in July. What I did encounter were superb views and mucho wildflowers. This is a gorgeous area (!), and there are long open sections with killer, killer views in all directions.

It's a big ass climb out of Grassey Mt trailhead, or Stoney Creek for that matter. Several dozen switchbacks that will have your heart blasting...all very gettable though. Just settle in, they go on for 30-45min at least, very nice endorphins on this ride!

Only fyi's are... the trail could almost be too buff (hard to believe)for those who love Porc Rim, Moore Fun, etc type rides. Definitely XC riding. And the area is stunning but there are a few area of logging, etc and sometimes the trail is a bit man made/planned/wide. Small complaints tho' for trail of this length. Also, bring some bug spray, many more bugs than my home state of Colorado.

DO THIS TRAIL. I'm already daydreaming of return trip.

PS Pair this up with an afternoon float/tubing trip on the Madison River and you'll be stoked!

Review Date
July 11, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 4 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: timweston1 ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Awesome singletrack! The ascent, with 20+ switchbacks, is fun and challenging but not crazy. Once on the ridge, there is a lot of good rolling terrain with a couple of fun downhill sections before linking up with the Grassy Mtn section of trail. At that point, some more rolling trail leads to the final descent to Brackett Creek, which is rad.

As of this past weekend, there were still lots of wildflowers out, and the still-snowy mountains make for some great views.

The most difficult aspect of this ride is the length (not too technical, never too steep, no exposure).

Overall, just real fun riding.

Recommended Route:
South to North on the trail (finish with the descent to Brackett Creek). Save gas, make it a loop!

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Huffine, North 19th, North 7th.