These lesser-known trails take you up and away to nature’s own brand of air conditioning
Heat and crowds got you dying to escape the grind in search of cooler, higher-elevation rides? Pack up your bikes, hop in the car and head to one of these high-altitude and high-latitude trails. Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit because you’ll have plenty of chances to enjoy post-ride refreshment while watching magical sunsets and reveling in the day’s adventures.
Here are my suggestions for seven “cool” trails to hit during the heat of the summer.
Flowing Park Loop
Where: Grand Mesa, Colorado
Distance: 15.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Although the Flowing Park Loop has some serious elevation, it isn’t about big climbs or descents. This route, which covers the west side of Grand Mesa, hovers more or less at 10,000 feet on one of the largest flat top mountains in the world. Scenic any time of year, summer is an especially pleasant time to visit as you’ll pedal through seas of alpine wildflowers.
“You’ll have views of Mount Sneffles (14,150 feet) to the south, Grand Junction to the north, the Uncompahgre Plateau and La Sal Mountains to the west and the North Fork Valley to the east,” says MTB Project contributor Christopher Hout of this ride’s impeccable vistas. Be sure to bring your camping gear if you plan to stay close to the trailhead—the closest town is over an hour away. Choose from primitive dispersed camping along the Forest Service road leading to the trailhead or one of Grand Mesa’s established facilities like the Ward Lake Campground (first-come, first-served).
Copper Harbor
Where: Copper Harbor, Michigan
Distance: 3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Although this isn’t a high elevation affair, a trip to Copper Harbor, at 47 degrees north latitude, is plenty comfortable for summertime mountain biking. Located on the tip of Michigan’s remote Keweenaw Peninsula, this trail network features some unique terrain and big descents. While there’s more than enough riding in Copper Harbor to keep you busy for a weekend, The Flow, a 3-mile long, 560-foot downhill from the top of Brockway Mountain, will have you grinning from ear to ear and is not to be missed. The icing on the cake? Keweenaw Adventure Company runs a van shuttle from Memorial Day to mid-October, so you’ll have plenty of gas left in the tank for a second lap: the chunkier Red Trail to Stairway shuttle.
After you regale your friends with tales of the deep berms, steep rock slabs and elevated wooden bridges, you can celebrate with a cannonball into the fresh waters of Lake Superior.
Alpine #7
Where: Swan Lake, Montana
Distance: 23 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
At 48 degrees north, with an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet and within the unionnation’s third least densely populated state, Alpine Trail #7 is a good dose of Montana backcountry that checks all the boxes. “This route is one of the most spectacular alpine ridge rides in western Montana, possibly the entire state,” says Eric Melson, longtime Montana resident and advocacy manager for the International Mountain Bicycling Association. But don’t let this ride’s net descent fool you—its twisting singletrack is chock-full of steep, punchy climbs that’ll force some into hike-a-bike mode. Melson’s favorite part of this adventure? The grand finale: “Top it all off with a massive, 4,000-foot descent down either Wire Creek or Bond Creek. They should have named this trail Lucky #7.”
Waldo Lake
Where: Oakridge, Oregon
Distance: 21.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Go for a deep, cool dive in the shade of the big trees of the Oregon Cascades with a loop around Waldo Lake. This 20+ mile IMBA Epic follows the shoreline in several sections, giving you plenty of good chances to jump into its clear and pure waters. If your timing is right, you might just catch the blooming beargrass, a natural phenomenon that happens only when soil and weather conditions are right. On average, this globe of bright white flowers appears every seven years. However, the flower can lay dormant for a decade or more with no guarantees of future blooms. The nearby town of Oakridge is your best chance for gas, supplies and a tasty pint of local beer from the Brewers Union Local 180 pub. Oh, and about 150 more miles of some of the country’s best riding.
Lost Lake
Where: Seward, Alaska
Distance: 15 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Sure, you’re not likely to simply pack the car and drive here, but a trip to Seward, on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, will take you far enough north that you’d be lucky to see the mercury get anywhere near 80 degrees. What’s better? On a clear day, Lost Lake is one of the most beautiful rides you might ever have the pleasure of pedaling. Besides traversing a unique landscape of forest and tundra, you’ll be surrounded by 360-degree views of the Chugach Mountains and Resurrection Bay. As an added bonus, summer days are extra long—there are up to 19 hours of sunlight around the time of the solstice and 12 hours through mid-September—so there’s no need to rush past the blackberry brambles you’ll encounter along the route. Gorge away!
Fisher Creek Loop
Where: Stanley, Idaho
Distance: 17.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
There’s no shortage of great high country riding around the tiny town of Stanley, Idaho, located just far enough north of Sun Valley to thin the hordes. If you had to pick one ride, go for the Fisher Creek Loop. Although the ride has a bit of pavement and doubletrack, it also has the best of everything the area has to offer, including phenomenal views of the Sawtooth Mountains and two ripping descents on the Fisher and Williams Creek trails. “It flows so well you’ll challenge yourself not to touch the brakes except in a few tighter corners,” says MTB Project contributor Harley Parson about the Williams Creek Trail in particular.
Pop into River 1, Stanley’s small outdoor gear shop on the banks of the Salmon River, for a post-ride scoop of huckleberry ice cream before heading to soak your tired legs at the Boat Box (aka Elkhorn Hot Springs) at mile marker 192 on Hwy 75, north of Stanley.
All photos by Leslie Kehmeier