Montana Loop 2023

It seems impossible that we are only 3 weeks away from our next big graveling adventure. This year, 5 of 7 riders from last year’s Oregon trip will participate. Mark F. will join his wife to be with their daughter when she delivers their first grandchild. Karl H. was a last-minute scratch due to a recent biking injury. This year’s riders will be Jim T., Pat M., Rolf O., Shawn O. and me, Mark L.

On June 26^th we will head out on a 280 mile clockwise loop. The route will begin and end 7 miles west of Whitefish, MT at Bike Retreat. Whitefish Bike Retreat – Whitefish Bike Retreat  Our route will take us by lakes, rivers, and through mountain passes as we travel north then turn east just below the Canadian border. When we turn south, we will roughly follow the Flathead River, and travel along the western border of Glacier Park. We will finish by riding west through Whitefish back to the Bike Retreat lodge.

The trip is shorter in miles compared to past trips, but there is considerably more mountain pass climbing on this trip, so it made sense to plan for shorter distances each day. Our most challenging day will be the first day when we travel 62 miles and climb more than 4,000 ft. On the backend of the trip, we planned shorter mileage days to allow time to explore areas around Glacier Park. We expect to exceed 300 miles on this journey as we ride in and out of viewpoints along Glacier Park including Lake McDonald.

Those of you that are familiar with this part of the country know that it is home to the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48 states. We will each have a sleigh bell on our bike to announce our arrival and reduce the risk of riding up on a bear. If we do encounter a bear, we each have bear spray that is 90% effective at deterring a bear attack. We will practice good food hygiene by hanging food and garbage high up on tree limbs away from our tents, and not eating in our tents.

There are a few small communities scattered along this remote wilderness area that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.  We will be able to break up the monotony of dehydrated food with local food offerings. This trip promises to have an incredible photo opportunity with mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and good-looking old guys on bikes. Here is a picture of the overall route. The mapping is 95% completed. I will post the interactive route in the next week on Ride with GPS and fire up the group Facebook page to document our travels.

Here is the link to the interactive route map. Routes · Ride with GPS

This is a non-interactive map of the route.