Awesome New Mountain Bike Terrain In Big Sky!

Mountain biking in Big Sky as a sport is experiencing more growth this summer than in many past years combined. Trails are being cut all over Meadow Village and Mountain Village and the bike buzz is in the air. Terra-Flow has been contracted to construct new trails in Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, and Spanish Peaks. Big Sky Community Corp, in cooperation with Big Sky Town Center, has constructed a series of trails in the hills above Town Center. New bike trails have also been constructed in Yellowstone Club.

The new trails in Mountain Village include the Otter Way trail connecting Big Sky and Moonlight Basin terrain and the Otter Slide downhill trail. The LTD team has had the chance to sample these new trails and they are awesome to say the least. Otter Way connects the Big Sky base area to the Moonlight Lodge and joins the Moonlight Basin and Big Sky terrain. With the trail winding by homes and condos in some sections, it's possible that some ski in-ski out properties should now be labeled bike in-bike out! The Otter Way is great to ride whether going uphill from Big Sky or flowing downhill from Moonlight Basin back to the Big Sky Resort base area. The Otter Slide starts at the Moonlight Lodge and flows downward finally terminating at the bottom of there White Otter lift. Otter Slide is fast and flowey with fun table top and double up air sections and a few great dropaway bank turns but is a bit more playful and forgiving than some of Big Sky's more notoriously challenging downhill terrain.

There is also a great new connector trail between Big Sky Resort and Spanish Peaks Mountain Club which offers a great ride and a way to connect terrain between both areas. The new Town Center trails are also a great addition to our local quiver of riding choices. Located just above Big Sky's Meadow Village and Town Center, these trails are divided between the Uplands Loop section and the Hummucks section. The Uplands Loop section is higher and drier with a steeper inclination while The Hummocks Section is a bit flatter with several fast flowey stretches and a pass through swampy mossy terrain including a lap around a forested mountain pond that seems haunted on some foggy early mornings.

These trails are a collaboration between Big Sky Community Corporation and Big Sky Town Center and are truly a great example of community improvement. Craig and I have ridden these trails quite a bit and they are really fun. Bottom line: if you're a mountain biker and you live in or visit Big Sky your life just got a lot better.

The feeling among riders of all levels of skill and motivation is that it's time to get out and ride. The stoke and attention that mountain biking has generated this summer has a palpable difference to years past and hopefully this is a self perpetuating motion that keeps biking access and improved trails at the forefront of Big Sky consciousness. Many in the Big Sky biking community have known for years that we have the potential and natural terrain here to make Big Sky a biking location second to none and it seems that the wheels are turning. Pun intended.