5.9 miles
Distance
645 ft
Climb
-2,742 ft
Descent
00:52:58
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Buttercup Trail

  • USFS
    Land Manager

Buttercup Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Sleeping Child
    Hamilton, Montana
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Downhill Primary
    Popular direction shown
  • Climb Difficulty
    Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Season
    Late April to October
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • Global Ranking
    #79289 in Mountain Biking
  • Local Popularity
    75 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
  • Land Owner

When the trail leaves the road when heading east to west, there is a half mile of climbing with a least two, maybe three lung busting, but rideable pitches. From the top it is mostly flowy downhill with several short, steep climbs tossed in to make sure you earn a least some of the descent.

At the bottom, there are a series of sketchy switchbacks on a steep exposed hillside. Treat them with respect.

Access Info

Head up Sleeping Child Rd south of Hamilton and stop at Red Barn Bicycles if you need some emergency work done. Ride, drive, and with combination of both drive up Black Tail Point Rd. Try and find where the single track leaves the road. There is no sign.

Local Trail Association
More Stats for Buttercup mountain bike trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -2,097 ft
  • Altitude min
    3,946 ft
  • Altitude max
    6,147 ft
  • Altitude start
    6,057 ft
  • Altitude end
    3,960 ft
  • Grade
    -6.753%
  • Grade max
    -28.426%
  • Grade min
    18.691%
  • Distance climb
    2 miles
  • Distance down
    4 miles
  • Avg time
    00:52:58
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Jun 7, 2025
Dry
Avg: 3.74 (6 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • 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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  • Downhill Primary
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  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
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Radar Time
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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
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  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
  • Snowmobile
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      Directions to buttercup trailhead (46.096681, -114.055723)
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      Buttercup Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Jun 7, 2025 @ 5:05pm
      Jun 7, 2025
      Just a couple of large trees down yet. Otherwise in good shape.
      May 10, 2025 @ 11:19am
      May 10, 2025
      reporter About a dozen trees are down. Most are obvious, but two are in blind spots. We will try and get a saw up there soon.
      May 12, 2024 @ 2:28am
      May 12, 2024
      reporter Trail is riding great. Still a little residual snow on the access road, but easy to ride around or over
      Jul 6, 2022 @ 11:13pm
      Jul 6, 2022
      Starting to get overgrown but still rideable. The wildflowers at the top are worth the lung buster climbs.
      May 10, 2022 @ 8:07pm
      May 10, 2022
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 2 rides
      • 21 miles avg distance
      All
      • 11 rides
      • Last: Jul 5, 2025

      Photos

      more »
      18 |
      Jul 7, 2024 @ 8:18pm
      Jul 7, 2024
      157 |
      Jun 5, 2020 @ 7:30am
      Jun 5, 2020
      58 |
      Jul 6, 2022 @ 11:13pm
      Jul 6, 2022
      68 |
      Jul 6, 2022 @ 11:13pm
      Jul 6, 2022

      Trail Events

      1 Review & Comments


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      Videos

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      • By BitterrootBumTF Pro BBC & contributors
      • #58279 - 3,605 views

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