3.2 miles
Distance
691 ft
Climb
-400 ft
Descent
01:13:02
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of CDNST (MacDonald Pass to Switchback Ridge) Trail
CDNSTSponsor
Montana CDTSponsor
USFSLand Manager
Montana Bicycle GuildMaintainer
Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Snowshoe
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
-
Riding AreaMacDonald Pass
Helena, Montana -
Ref Number#337
-
AKAMac Pass
-
Difficulty Rating
-
Hiking SAC ScaleT1 Hiking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeAM, XC, Fat
-
DirectionBoth DirectionsPopular direction shown
-
Climb DifficultyBlack Diamond
-
Physical RatingModerate
-
Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
-
SeasonJune-October
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike Allowed
-
TTFs on TrailRock Face, Rock Garden
-
Global Ranking
-
Local Popularity45 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 70 in Hiking
- 5 in Horseback
- 5 in Snowshoeing
- 5 in Skiing
- 5 in Skiing
-
Land OwnerUSFS
Four miles of the Continental Divide Trail lead to a locals' favorite downhill on the Switchback Ridge Trail. The CDT portion doesn't climb very much, but it is strewn with very challenging rock gardens. Several of them provide very difficult climbs. Get ready to session them, or to carry your bike. The rocks are the trail's defining feature, and Helenans love testing themselves on them.
Access Info
Exit Highway 12 at the Cromwell-Dixon Campground, and drive up the hill to the Continental Divide overlook. The trail starts at the stairs. There is a gate shortly after entering the forest; be sure to close it behind you. As the CDT rises into an open meadow, the Switchback Ridge Trail is to the left towards the trees. This provides the downhill connection to Tenmile Creek and Rimini Road.
Local Trail Association
-
-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportdonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for CDNST (MacDonald Pass to Switchback Ridge) multi-use trail trail
-
Altitude change291 ft
-
Altitude min6,217 ft
-
Altitude max6,706 ft
-
Altitude start6,415 ft
-
Altitude end6,706 ft
-
Grade1.7%
-
Grade max-34.1%
-
Grade min44.8%
-
Distance climb2 miles
-
Distance down1 mile
-
Distance flat1,004 ft
-
Avg time01:13:02
-
Avg reverse time00:37:56
- view trail stats
close
-
Layers w
- Map Content
- More Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
-
Upgrade to
3D
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)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
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
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 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
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
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
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
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
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with NO bikes.
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
Save
Directions to cdnst-macdonald-pass-to-switchback-ridge trailhead
(46.557070, -112.306940)
update trails status or condition
CDNST (MacDonald... Trail Reports
view all reports »
Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 0 rides
6 Months
- 0 rides
All
- 255 rides
- Last: Jul 15, 2023
Bridge
Photos
more »
Trail Lists
-
Continental Divide Trail20 trailsNational Scenic Trail or Official Route
Routes with this trail
Trail Events
We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!
Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.
Videos
more »
youtuber
![It's hella fast in Helena | Mountain Biking...]()
11:29 |
648 |
Aug 17, 2018 , Helena
5:48 |
64 |
Oct 1, 2018 , Helena
7:20 |
68 |
Oct 1, 2018 , Helena
Nearby Trails
- Cdnst Macdonald Pass 2,113 ft
- Parking Area Branch 2,365 ft
- Cdnst Connector 3,730 ft
- Fs 1897 1 mile
- Switchback Ridge Trail 4 miles
- By evasive
MBG & contributors - #18000 - 4,341 views
- follow/subscribe
- login to download gpx or kml files.
You must enter a description before submitting.