Did we ever say that we will report only about rides in Czech Republic? Well, if we did, then we will break this rule now. This ride is a little away from there – in Montana… It is a loop around the hill in Paradise Valley starting in Livingston. Maybe we can rename our blog as the best rides in the world – inspiration taken from the recent motorcycle blog on yoair.com.
(Update April 12, 2022. OK, we just checked this ride and for two reasons you should not follow it as is. The road from start to point 6 is being repaired and biking through that section would be unpleasant. So, start around point 6. This will make your ride about 10 km shorter.)
You may start this ride at the parking lot of Albertsons supermarket, or in front of the Murdoch’s, the cowboy’s, rancher’s, and farmer’s supermarket. By the way, it may be entertaining to check all the tools and supplies in Murdoch’s. After riding along the road on the sidewalk, when you will see the blacksmiths’ workshop, jump on the bike path and follow it to point 6, from where you will continue on the dirt road. The map will try to push you to drive on the highway from point 5, but you should stay on the bike path. The bike path is for a little bit just next to the highway, but you should never enter the main road (highway 89).
So, now you passed point 6 and you are on a dirt road. Yes, it is a real dirt road with a lot of dust being raised by cars. However, you may be lucky and not see any cars passing by you for the next hour or two. At point 7 you turn right and will pass through very deserted road uphill with several signs advising you that you are in a “grizzly country“. And it is not a joke, you are in a country where meeting grizzly is not extremely rare. (By the way, you can meet grizzly bears in Grizzly Encounter place, not far from Livingston.) From point 7 to point 8 you will gain 250 m in 5 km, so this is the hardest part of your ride – you know, uphill and grizzlies. After point 8 you will be going downhill for the next 33 km all the way to the start.
From point 9 to 10 you will follow a slightly more frequented road and you will see a lot of nice houses which were built here mostly by people who wanted to live in a beautiful and secluded area. And most of them were not born in Montana…
https://en.mapy.cz/s/hunacomohe 54 km, 374 m elevation gain
