a year ago
26
1
Posted On: July 5th 2025, 11:56 pm
📍 GDMBR SECTION 1 - Montana (Part 2)
🚵 Great Divide Mountain Bike Route '24
🧭 Llama Ranch → Helena → Lava Mountain
Montana on the Move: From Llamas to Lava & Bear Encounters
Leaving Llama Ranch came with a brutal but rideable 20km climb—11% grade and all. The descent into the ranch, though unmaintained, was pure joy on fat tires. Others grumbled; you flew.
Llama Ranch itself was more commune than campsite—a hub of hikers, cyclists, and trail energy. You shared space with couples from Washington and Germany, a Dutch retiree, and even CDT hikers. New bikepackers rolled in, a rattlesnake met its end near camp, and somehow you found yourself eating it—cooked by an Aussie with no wasteful bone.
From there, the road twisted toward Helena, crossing the Continental Divide twice. The heat was real, but the high-altitude breeze made it bearable. You fell into stride with locals from Helena—your kind of people, including a film photographer and a laid-back riding couple.
Helena was more than a stop—it was a mini world. You reconnected with characters like Dan, the Frenchman on a folding bike who sold everything to see the world on two wheels, and swapped tips with Tom, a history-savvy rider from Jackson. Young travelers from Banff filled the campsite with global accents and trail stories.
Downtown Helena offered another kind of trail—Reeders Alley, where Montana’s miner legacy lives on in timber and brick. A local, Anna, pointed you to The Bray, a sculptor’s sanctuary you’d never forget.
Then came Lava Mountain, where the night turned primal. You camped wild with Kiwi and British-Aussie riders. That same night, a lone motorcycle traveler crash-camped nearby—only to be circled by bears till dawn. You learned about it over morning coffee, reminded again that the Divide writes its own drama.
#gdmbr #bikepacking
🚵 Great Divide Mountain Bike Route '24
🧭 Llama Ranch → Helena → Lava Mountain
Montana on the Move: From Llamas to Lava & Bear Encounters
Leaving Llama Ranch came with a brutal but rideable 20km climb—11% grade and all. The descent into the ranch, though unmaintained, was pure joy on fat tires. Others grumbled; you flew.
Llama Ranch itself was more commune than campsite—a hub of hikers, cyclists, and trail energy. You shared space with couples from Washington and Germany, a Dutch retiree, and even CDT hikers. New bikepackers rolled in, a rattlesnake met its end near camp, and somehow you found yourself eating it—cooked by an Aussie with no wasteful bone.
From there, the road twisted toward Helena, crossing the Continental Divide twice. The heat was real, but the high-altitude breeze made it bearable. You fell into stride with locals from Helena—your kind of people, including a film photographer and a laid-back riding couple.
Helena was more than a stop—it was a mini world. You reconnected with characters like Dan, the Frenchman on a folding bike who sold everything to see the world on two wheels, and swapped tips with Tom, a history-savvy rider from Jackson. Young travelers from Banff filled the campsite with global accents and trail stories.
Downtown Helena offered another kind of trail—Reeders Alley, where Montana’s miner legacy lives on in timber and brick. A local, Anna, pointed you to The Bray, a sculptor’s sanctuary you’d never forget.
Then came Lava Mountain, where the night turned primal. You camped wild with Kiwi and British-Aussie riders. That same night, a lone motorcycle traveler crash-camped nearby—only to be circled by bears till dawn. You learned about it over morning coffee, reminded again that the Divide writes its own drama.
#gdmbr #bikepacking
Comments (1)
More posts
