Shafthouse Trail – Mid October 2011

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The Shafthouse Trail is a brilliant ride – can’t believe it took me 11 years living in Bozeman to discover it!   Peak flower season would probably be the ideal time to ride it, but snowy mid-October was certainly exciting and spectacular.

mountain bike leaning on tree with snowy mountains in background

Nearing the high point on the Shafthouse Trail

Up high, the wind blew me off the trail a few times and I had to push through some snow, but most of the trail was snow-free and super fun.  At the high point, you’re looking across into the bowl below Sacagawea and you’re at roughly the same elevation.

trail with snowy mountains in background

The Fairy Lake side of the Shafthouse Trail looking toward Sacagawea

I rode from the trailhead just below Fairy Lake, up and over to the trailhead at the other end on Flathead Pass Road, then rode back.  There was a fair amount of pushing and lots of steep, technical riding on the climbs.  In the future, to avoid subjecting the car to the fairy Lake Road, and to end with the long fantastic downhill, I would park at the Flathead Pass Road trailhead and ride out and back from there.  On a weekend it would be important to do the ride early so that you’re done with the climb before huge numbers of downhill bikers start bombing down.  I was amazed at the level of use – must have been at least 30 downhillers riding through the snow with their big bikes.  I think I was the only one with a x-country bike.  Looks like most of them do a huge car shuttle.

barn with aspen trees and snowy mountains in background

Looking back at the Bridgers near the Shafthouse Trail's Flathead Pass Road trailhead

Map My Ride wouldn’t work as there was very limited cell coverage except at the high point on the trail.  Here is a ride summary based on my watch and the trailhead sign.  Note that these times DON’T count numerous stops to take photos and enjoy the scenery.  The ride actually took me much longer than this:

  • Drive time from Kagy/Willson intersection to trailhead below Fairy Lake was 50 minutes.
  • From the Fairy Lake Road trailhead to the high point was about 25 minutes.
  • The descent to Flathead Pass Road took about 45 minutes, but would be quite a bit less without the snow.
  • Riding (and pushing) time from the Flathead Pass Road to the high point was about 1.5 hours.
  • Riding time from the top back to the Fairy Lake Road trailhead was about 15 minutes.
  • The Fairy Lake Road trailhead sign said the trail was five-plus miles long.  So the total out and back distance was somewhere around 11 miles.
  • The total elevation gain from Flathead Pass Road to the high point appears to be around 1400 feet.

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