Dirt Church in the Flathead Valley
Single track mountain bike trails are expanding across the Flathead Valley, with shuttle and chairlift accessibility in Whitefish and Lakeside and human-powered trails extending to Bigfork and beyond
Mountain bikers are riding more fresh single track each day as snow melts off the mountains and more trails become accessible as summer arrives. From manicured trails in town to chairlift-accessed rides at Whitefish Mountain Resort to the backcountry rides high in the alpine, northwest Montana’s trails offer something for all types of riders.
To complement the well-established 47 miles of The Whitefish Trail to the north, the Flathead’s south valley is experiencing a mountain bike renaissance with many miles of new trail built in recent years.
Legacy Bike Park in 2021 launched in Lakeside and builders with Terraflow Trails have constructed 20 miles of trails with features like jumps, drops, ladders and simple fast and flowy single-track. The 500-acre property also features campsites, a wedding venue and skills clinics.
To the east, local mountain bike nonprofit organization Flathead Area Mountain Bikers (FAMB) has been working in Bigfork to expand single-track at Crane Mountain with the Bug Creek Project System Trails. The system includes rock slab features and steep, technical riding through dark cedar forests.
Check out more information about FAMB and other local trails at www.flatheadamb.org and download the Trailforks app for simple trail navigation.
Here are the best chairlift and shuttle accessed bike parks in the Flathead Valley and beyond.
Legacy Bike Park
Inspired by bike parks in British Columbia, Legacy Bike Park launched in 2021 and was built on a 500-acre piece of property in Lakeside, about 15 miles south of Kalispell, just west of Flathead Lake. Legacy offers a gravity park with a pump track, drops, berms and a variety of features.
Riders are shuttled from the parking lot to the top of the trail system where they can descend trails with names like Dirt Herder, Drift Missile and RADish. Now in its fourth season, crews are continuing to build additional trails while expanding shuttle rider capacity.
Campsites are available at Legacy and shuttle tickets must be purchased in advance.
Legacy opened for the season on May 16. For more information or to purchase a shuttle ticket, visit www.legacybikepark.com.
Whitefish Mountain Resort
With 2,353 feet of vertical drop and more than 25 miles of chairlift-accessed and cross-country mountain bike trails, Whitefish Mountain Resort is an essential riding destination in the Flathead Valley.
Located 20 miles north of Kalispell, the Whitefish Bike Park has trails for all skill levels, from the green circle-rated lower Summit Trail to the double black diamond Zeppelin Jump Line, riders have a slew of trails to choose from with optional features on many of the system’s advanced rides.
If riders want to continue descending from the base area, the system continues down the Bob Cedar trail, eventually connecting to the Reservoir Trail in Haskill Basin. Coordinate a shuttle ride to the Reservoir Trailhead to add an extra 1,000+ feet of vert.
The bike park opens May 24. For more information or to buy a lift ticket, visit www.skiwhitefish.com.
Fernie Alpine Resort
If you’re not satisfied with riding in the states, keep driving north across the U.S.-Canada border and head to Fernie Alpine Resort. The world class terrain that draws skiers and snowboarders in the winter also attracts mountain bikers in the dry months.
Boasting more than 30 trails, Fernie offers 3,383 vertical feet of chairlift accessible single-track. The gravity-fed rides combined with an extensive web of cross-country trails makes Fernie some of the best lift-accessed mountain biking in Canada.
There are trails for every ability level at this bike park in the mountain town of Fernie. Ride wide, machine-made flow trails for beginner and intermediate riders or challenging steep and technical single-track trails for advanced and expert bikers.
Fernie Alpine Resort is located 113 miles north of Kalispell via U.S. Highway 93.
The bike park is open from June 21 to Sept. 2. For more information or to buy a ticket, visit www.skifernie.com.
For bike rentals and purchases, visit the local bike shops in Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell and chat with shop employees about their favorite rides in the area and to get up to speed on trail conditions.
Wheaton’s Cycle – Kalispell
214 First Ave. W.
(406) 257-5808
Sportsman & Ski Haus – Kalispell
145 Hutton Ranch Rd.
(406) 755-6484
REI – Kalispell
2270 U.S. Highway 93
(406) 755-4839
Glacier Cyclery and Nordic – Whitefish
326 Second St. E.
(406) 862-6446
Great Northern Cycle and Ski – Whitefish
328 Central Ave.
(406) 862-5321
Sportsman & Ski Haus – Whitefish
6475 U.S. Highway 93
(406) 862-3111
A7 Cycles – Columbia Falls
28 Fourth Street W.
(406) 760-1717
Glacier Journal is the Beacon’s annual guide to summer in Northwest Montana. Pick up a copy on newsstands across the valley or read a digital version here.