6.1 miles
Distance
2,833 ft
Climb
-195 ft
Descent
07:14:52
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Muskrat Creek Trail
  • BLM
    BLM
    Land Manager

  • USFS
    Land Manager

Muskrat Creek Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
    • Horse
    • Snowshoe
    • Backcountry Ski
    • Nordic Ski
  • Riding Area
    South Elkhorns
    Boulder, Montana
  • Ref Number
    #72
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond rate
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    DH, AM, XC, Fat
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    May-November
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    No
  • TTFs on Trail
    Bridge, Drop, Jump, Rock Face, Wallride
  • Global Ranking
    #36784 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #52753 in Hiking
  • Local Popularity
    100 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 100 in Hiking
    • 5 in Horseback
    • 5 in Snowshoeing
    • 5 in Skiing
    • 5 in Skiing
  • Land Manager
    USFS

Muskrat Creek Trail 72 is a popular out-and-back ride that offers lots of playtime rocks along the trail.

Access Info

Exit I-90 and Boulder and turn onto the frontage road. Turn right on Sloans Lane, and then left on Upper Valley Road. Follow Upper Valley / Muskrat Road along Muskrat Creek until the road ends at the trailhead.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Muskrat Creek bike trail trail
  • Altitude change
    2,637 ft
  • Altitude min
    5,353 ft
  • Altitude max
    8,000 ft
  • Altitude start
    5,353 ft
  • Altitude end
    7,990 ft
  • Grade
    8.205%
  • Grade max
    -17.127%
  • Grade min
    40.685%
  • Distance climb
    5 miles
  • Distance down
    3,879 ft
  • Distance flat
    833 ft
  • Avg time
    07:14:52
  • Avg reverse time
    00:28:07
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Jun 27, 2022
Variable
Avg: 4.65 (8 votes)
Your vote: 0

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  • Basemap 
  • Trail Style 
    • ?
  • Activity Type  
Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Inadequate
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
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  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
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  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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Radar Time
x Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
  • mountain biking recent
  • mountain biking (>6 month)
  • hiking (1 year)
  • moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
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      Directions to muskrat-creek trailhead (46.306900, -112.028430)
      update trails status or condition

      Muskrat Creek Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Jun 27, 2022 @ 4:14pm
      Jun 27, 2022
      the Rat is clear top to bottom! a few logs near trail but cut, alot of debree needs to be worked on. some snow at 6.5 miles.
      Jun 25, 2022 @ 11:56am
      Jun 25, 2022
      		 Lots of down timber. Needs some serious clearing to be rideable. We gave up at the switchbacks and hiked another mile or so with no improvement.
      Jun 26, 2021 @ 8:11pm
      Jun 26, 2021
      Trail is clear to Tizer Lakes trail junction, thanks to my hubby and his chainsaw! Very dry and loose. Needs drainage maintenance. Stop and clear...
      Jun 26, 2021 @ 8:11pm
      Jun 26, 2021
      Trail is clear to Tizer Lakes trail junction, thanks to my hubby and his chainsaw! Very dry and loose. Needs drainage maintenance. Stop and clear...
      Jun 14, 2021 @ 8:23am
      Jun 14, 2021
      To reiterate the other report. Full matchstick trees at ~mile 5. The trail is not all clear. But the bottom is starting to grow grass. Dusty dry...
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 2 rides
      • 13 miles avg distance
      6 Months
      • 6 rides
      • 9 miles avg distance
      All
      • 146 rides
      •  

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      more »
      97 |
      Jul 14, 2019 @ 12:25am
      Jul 14, 2019
      84 |
      Jul 14, 2019 @ 12:25am
      Jul 14, 2019
      206 |
      Jul 25, 2017 @ 9:47pm
      Jul 25, 2017
      184 |
      Jul 25, 2017 @ 9:46pm
      Jul 25, 2017

      Routes with this trail

      titledistance
      Rawhide - Muskrat Loop20 miles
      Tizer Traverse Remix23 miles

      5 Reviews & Comments

      • + 0
      luciannovo (Sep 29, 2020 at 14:36)
       Phenomenal downhill. Will test your ability to dodge, flow and guesstimate short drops. I would put this in my top 3 for the Helena region.
      [Reply]
      • + 0
      Camelot (Nov 24, 2019 at 10:28)
       Current blowdown greatly takes away from the flow; needs to be cleared.
      [Reply]
      • + 0
      MikeyMT (Jun 16, 2019 at 17:55)
       Simply amazing. The descent is one of the best around.
      [Reply]
      • + 0
      pcullen (Jun 3, 2018 at 13:57)
       Trail clear of logs up to 4.5 miles, then about 8 more trees above. 6/3/18
      [Reply]
      • + 1
      evasive MBG (Apr 21, 2016 at 7:23)
       Like most Helenans, this trail is my least favorite climb, and my absolute favorite downhill. The climb doesn't give you a break, but then the downhill doesn't either. There is a fantastic raspberry patch at the bridge in late summer. It's a big ride, but not too far from town.
      [Reply]





      Videos

      more »
      Mountain biking Deerlodge National Forest -...
      21:03 | 569 | Jun 17, 2019 , Boulder

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