Billings Montana has Amazing Mountain Biking Trails and Road Bike Routes
Biking has been a popular sport in the United States since its inception. There are a number of reasons for this but most of them link back to plain old freedom. Biking is generally the first independent mode of transportation available to children and teenagers and this feeling of freedom tends to carry on into adulthood. Bikes are also environmentally friendly, easy to maneuver and easy to store. While they can be seen to be expensive, especially some of the top of the line bikes, they are vastly less expensive than a car and will likely last far longer. When you factor in the health benefits, biking really can’t be best.
Two of the biggest selling points of biking is the ability to use bikes them in places a car can’t go and to see things that you would miss if you were stuck in the steel cage of an automobile. You miss a lot when you travel by car and in Montana there is a lot to miss. This could explain why Montana has some of the best biking trails in the United States. To sweeten the deal, Billings has some of the best biking trails in Montana.
Two Moon Park – 2 to 5 miles – Easy – Mountain Bike
There are four main trails here: Mallard, Weeping Wall, Roche Jeune and Dull Knife. You can create an excursion out of any combination of them for this easy and family friendly hike. There are beautiful picnic sites and a paved trail as well. This is a great way to get the whole family involved with biking or just a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Alkali Creek – 3 Miles – Easy – Mountain Bike
This family friendly bike trail is perfect for a beginner. It contains a smooth singletrack trail with amazing views. The trail itself winds around the North part of Alkali Creek. Enjoy the sandstone rim as you travel this fun and easy trail.
Molt Road Trail – 35 miles – Moderate – Road Bike
This is considered to be the favorite trail of the urban road bikers. Those who prefer road biking to mountain biking seem to flock to this trail. It’s fairly long and it’s considered to be moderately difficult. It should be known that there are fairly steep hills to navigate so those used to flat land biking should prepare themselves.
This trail begins at Zimmerman Park and heads east to Rimrock Road. There is a steep climb and then you begin to see the Beartooth and Crazy Mountains. This trail has beautiful views alternately of wide-open spaces and sprawling countryside with majestic mountains in the distance. This is a perfect example of the differences between road biking and mountain biking. Here you are viewing the scenery at a distance in a peaceful and serene manner.
Rimrock Trail – 4.5 miles – Easy to Difficult – Mountain Bike
As with the Molt Road Trail, Rimrock also begins at Zimmerman Park. Beyond that, they two couldn’t be more different. There is a wide variety on this trail and the difficulty level is left to your own choosing. The easiest trails are those found in Zimmerman Park where there are a number of choices to explore. Another leisurely ride can be had on the Black Otter Trail. For more difficulty and adventure, select other trails. This is a perfect place to gain experience with more difficult trails.
Again, the Zimmerman trailhead is the perfect example of the differences between road biking and mountain biking. In this case however you are viewing the scenery on a much closer scale and as part of it. If there is one thing that the two diverging trails from Zimmerman Park tells the biking enthusiast it’s that they need two bikes.
Photo Courtesy of Adam Norwood
