Mountain Bike

25.4 miles

Distance

4,731 ft

Climb

-4,731 ft

Descent

1 mile

High Point

Missoula's premier backcountry classic ride This is the typical way most people ride the Sheep Mountain loop, although it can be done backwards (with an amazingly long final descent from Blue Point to Woods Gulch Trail). The recommended counter-clockwise direction is slightly easier climbing (but still VERY hard). This ride takes you far into the backcountry, so bring appropriate food, clothing, first aid, and repair items. There is a spring near the intersection of 1513 and the Sheep Mountain Descend (shown on Trailforks). Bringing a filter and filling up at the spring is highly recommended. Count on this ride taking 4 to 6 hours.

MTB Missoula removes the deadfall from this trail annually. If you enjoy this ride, become a member and please give them your support!

Detailed Description

MTBM - Classic Sheep Mountain Loop is a 25 mile popular expert route located near Missoula Montana. This mountain bike only route can be used one direction and has a hard overall physical rating. This route includes 3 trails. This route climbs 4,731 ft with a max elevation of 7,581 ft then descends -4,731 ft.

Route Supporters

MTB Missoula
Maintainer

Local Trail Association

MTB Missoula (www.mtbmissoula.org)

Please consider joining or donating to the local riding association to support trail development & maintenance.

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Trails in Route

	Sheep Mountain				10 miles
	Sheep Mountain				3 miles
	Main Corridor				8 miles

Details

Featured
Riding area

The Rattlesnake
Primary Activity

Mountain Bike
Difficulty rating

Black Diamond
Route Type

Loop
Bike type

AM, XC
Direction

One Direction
Physical rating

Hard
Ridelogs

18

More Stats for MTBM - Classic Sheep Mountain Loop mountain bike route

Avg time

4 hr 15 min
Altitude min

3,575 ft
Altitude start

3,589 ft
Altitude end

3,589 ft
Grade max

-84%
Grade min

96%
Distance climb

10 miles
Distance down

13 miles
Distance flat

2 miles

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Trail Conditions

1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
All Time

Unknown
Snow Groomed
Snow Packed
Snow Covered
Snow Cover Partial
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
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Description & Photos
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Only trails in this region hierarchy

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.

most popular
popular
less popular
not popular

ATV/ORV/OHV Filter

ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
Jeep - 72 inches

Max Vehicle Width

inches

Ridelog Year

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
Snowmobile

Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

x Missing Trails

trail	date	description
Sheep Mountain	Sep 2, 2024 @ 6:14pm Sep 2, 2024	A few larger trees across trail that need a saw to clear
Sheep Mountain	Sep 2, 2024 @ 6:12pm Sep 2, 2024	A few trees down across the trail that need a saw
Main Corridor	Aug 4, 2024 @ 9:14am Aug 4, 2024