shona

Are there any places to ride (paved only) other than the fabulous trail that runs from Missoula to hamilton? We have been there before and loved the trail but would like some variety if we are going to be there for a week. Thanks. Any other suggestions of places in Montana are welcomed. We used to go to Boseman but the country roads are becoming subdivions.

indyfabz

I've done several loop tours starting/ending in Missoula. I could be wrong, but there doesn't seem to be much quiet other than the trail you mention. You could ride east from town then up MT 200 to the junction with MT 83 at Clearwater, where there is a c-store and highway rest stop with water and bathrooms. Nice shoulder, but busy.

Will you have a vehicle? If so, a drive to Hamilton to ride Skalkaho Highway (MT 38) up to the falls would be nice. You hit some dirt as you close in on the falls. I rode it in 2014, so my memory has faded a bit, but I don't remember the dirt portion between Hamilton and the falls being that long. Put on some good tires and go for it. The falls are nice. Took this photo on my way down to Hamilton. It was raining really hard, so the lighting wasn't good.





Another option from Hamilton is south on U.S. 93 then a right on Lake Como Rd. up to the lake, where there is a swimming beach. Again, if you can take some benign dirt/gravel, Sleeping Child and Old Darby Rds. on the other side of the river are fabulous. IIRC, there is a total of about 7 miles of unpaved road. Once you get back to U.S. 93 you can make a left and then right on Lake Como Rd. You can see the unpaved surface in one of these photos.