6.4 miles
Distance
2,956 ft
Climb
-31 ft
Descent
01:51:13
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of First Yellow Mule Trail

First Yellow Mule Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Madison Range
    Big Sky, Montana
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (1 vote)
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Fat
  • Direction
    Both Directions
    Popular in reverse
  • Climb Difficulty
    Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    June through September
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    No
  • Global Ranking
    #56942 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #39085 in Trail Running
  • Local Popularity
    90 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 90 in Trail Running
    • 70 in Hiking
    • 5 in Horseback
  • Land Owner
    USFS

Legendary trail accessed from the heart of Big Sky Town Center or Ousel Falls Trailhead. Fairly rugged most of the time due to pocket gophers and Elk, also there's a long rutted section in the Big Meadow with runoff problems. Most people will hike a bike several sections on the way up. Screaming fast on the way down with very little climbing. Grizzly bears are proliferous. Epic views up top. If used in conjunction with Second Yellow Mule and Buck Ridge Trail, the loop is 5 Stars in either direction. Second Yellow Mule is an easier climb, but longer. Unrideable when wet.

Disclaimer

Livestock prohibited seasonally between October 15 and July 15

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for First Yellow Mule multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    2,925 ft
  • Altitude min
    6,539 ft
  • Altitude max
    9,463 ft
  • Altitude start
    6,539 ft
  • Altitude end
    9,462 ft
  • Grade
    8.7%
  • Grade max
    -14%
  • Grade min
    57.7%
  • Distance climb
    6 miles
  • Distance down
    807 ft
  • Distance flat
    479 ft
  • Avg time
    01:51:13
  • Avg reverse time
    01:08:40
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Sep 14, 2024
Dry
Avg: 4 (2 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
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      First Yellow Mule Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Sep 14, 2024 @ 5:06pm
      Sep 14, 2024
      Jul 25, 2024 @ 2:09pm
      Jul 25, 2024
      		 The descent was really fast and fun, rough in spots. Extra suspension may help intermediate riders.
      Jul 23, 2024 @ 9:43am
      Jul 23, 2024
      		 We’ve been riding a lot of long back country rides this summer (4000’ 20+ miles) so I don’t have unrealistic expectations of back country...
      Jul 21, 2024 @ 2:27am
      Jul 21, 2024
      		 Great views and flowers but the upper section is pretty poor riding. Overgrown and drainage issues force you to ride freestyle above the trail in...
      Jul 16, 2024 @ 1:39pm
      Jul 16, 2024
      		 Trees cleared
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 65 rides
      • 33 miles avg distance
      All
      • 130 rides
      • Last: Sep 28, 2024

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      more »
      190 |
      Sep 12, 2020 @ 9:38am
      Sep 12, 2020
      182 |
      Aug 9, 2020 @ 9:59pm
      Aug 9, 2020
      172 |
      Jul 25, 2020 @ 10:12pm
      Jul 25, 2020
      351 |
      Jan 5, 2017 @ 9:53am
      Jan 5, 2017

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