Montana's Passes and Summits by Bicycle


SUMMITS AND PASSES - HIGHEST FIRST
Name surface elevation (ft) nearby towns location
    10000 - 10999  
Beartooth Pass paved 10940 see Wyoming
    9000 - 9999  
FR290 Monument Ridge s(u) unpaved 9587 Ennis Gravelly Range
    8000 - 8999  
FR606 French Creek - Thief Creek Rd s(u) unpaved 8840 Dillon Pioneer Range
FR290 Broomtail Ridge(sh) unpaved 8759 Ennis Gravelly Range
Coulter Pass paved 8066 Cooke City Yellowstone Plateau
    7000 - 7999  
Medicine Lodge Pass/ Big Sheep Creek Divide unpaved 7841 Dell Beaverhead Mtns
Medicine Lodge Rd via Cabin Creek Rd(sh) unpaved 7700 Dell Beaverhead Mtns
Lone Tree Pass unpaved 7650 (Henry's Lake)
Lemhi Pass unpaved 7378 Tendoy Lemhi Range
Bighole Pass paved 7360 Jackson, Bannack Big Hole Mtns
Lost Trail Rd s(u) unpaved 7330 Salmon, Hamillton Beaverhead Mtns / Saphire Range
Skalkaho Pass unpaved 7250 Hamilton Saphire Range
Hyalite Canyon(ow) unpaved 7150 Bozeman Gallatin Range
Targhee Pass paved 7072 Rocky Mtns Stanley, Helena
Big Hole Pass unpaved 7040 Gibbonsville Beaverhead Range
FR485 Marsh Creek Rd s(u) unpaved 7020 Helena Rocky Mtns
    6000 - 6999  
Monida Pass paved 6980 Dell Centennial Mtns/ Beaverhead Mtns
Gibbons Pass unpaved 6945 Wisdom, Sula Bitterroot Mtns
Flathead Pass unpaved 6920 Bozeman Bridger Range
Mt287 Ennis - Virginia City s(u) paved 6920 Ennis, Alder
Ottawa Gulch Rd via Loar Horse Rd s(u) unpaved 6840 Helena Rocky Mtns
Raynolds Pass paved 6824 (Henry's Lake) Yellowstone Plateau
Logan Pass paved 6646 (Glacier NP) Glacier National Park
Nez Perce Pass unpaved 6587 Hamilton Salmon River Mtns
Stemple Pass unpaved 6400 Stanley, Helena Rocky Mtns
MacDonald Pass paved 6230 Boulder Mtns Helena
Flesher Pass paved 6129

Priest Pass unpaved 6050 Helena Boulder Mtns
    5000 - 5999    
Mullan Pass unpaved 5920 Helena Boulder Mtns
Lolo Pass paved 5233 Bitterroot Range Lolo
Marias Pass paved 5213 Columbia Falls Glacier National Park
    4000 - 4999    
FR5621 Como Lake Rd s(u) unpaved 4760 Hamilton Bitterroot Mtns







SUMMITS AND PASSES - ALPHABETICAL ORDER
B - PAVED - Beartooth Pass - (10940ft) - Much of the road is in Montana, but the summit just happens to be over the border in Wyoming

- PAVED - Big Hole Pass - (7360ft) - a ride through wide open southern Montana rangeland

-   UNP   - Big Hole Pass - (7040ft) - CD crossing in a low part of the Beaverhead Range, parallel to Chief Joseph Pass

-   UNP   - Big Sheep Creek Divide - new name for historical Medicine Lodge Pass
C - PAVED - Chief Joseph Pass - (7251ft) - relatively recently constructed road through the forest

- PAVED - Colter Pass (8066ft) - road through Absaroka mtns between Beartooth Pass (Wy) and Cooke City

-   UNP   - Flathead Pass - (6920ft) - pass in Bridger Range near Bozeman, with two very different approaches

- PAVED - Flesher Pass - 6129ft - great climb to a summit with a view towards a huge roadless area
F -   UNP   -  FR290 shoulder summit: Broomtail Ridge - (8759ft) - more ways to get above treeline in the Gravelly Range

-   UNP   -  FR290 summit(u): Monument Ridge - (9587ft) - a long ridge ride in the Gravelly Range, my favorite ride in Montana.

-   UNP   -  FR485 Marsh Creek Rd s(u) - 7020ft - GDMBR summit near the famed Lucky Llama Ranch

-   UNP   -  FR606 summit(u) French Creek - Thief Creek Rd - 8840ft - a high road in the Pioneer Mountains

-   UNP   -  FR5621 Como Lake Rd - (4760ft) - small summit in the nearly roadless Bitterroot Range with a pretty lake at its foot
G -   UNP   -  Gibbons Pass - 6945ft - This peacefull dirt road is one one of the most historically interesting passes in Montana.

-   UNP   - Hyalite Canyon(ow) - (7150ft) - partially paved, shallow climb to several Gallatin Range trailheads
L -   UNP   -  Lemhi Pass - (7378ft) - where Lewis and Clarke crossed the continental divide is a popular mountain bike touring area today.

- PAVED - Logan Pass  - (6646ft) - better known as "going to the sun road"; probably America's best internationally known pass for cycling tourists. In spite of this, cyclists are heavily restricted during what time of day they can cross.

- PAVED - Lolo Pass - (5233ft) - long forest hills route across the CD between Montana and Idaho canyons with a long history

-   UNP   - Lone Tree Pass - (7650ft) - route finding problems are rewarded with superb views onto the Centennial Range.

-   UNP   - Lost Trail Rd s(u) - (7330ft) - forested road connecting Gibbons Pass and Lost Trail Pass
M - PAVED - Mac Donald Pass - (6320ft) - four lane highway west of Helena, good shoulder on 2 lanes on the other side

- PAVED - Marias Pass - (5213ft) - perfect pandemic Montana road ride conditions -  much traffic at other times

-   UNP   - Medicine Lodge Pass - (7841ft ) - historical crossing of the Bannock Rd - spectacular, high, open mountain park

-   UNP   - Medicine Lodge Pass Rd via Cabin Creek Rd(sh) - (7700ft) - high point on a loop on east side of Medicine Lodge Pass

- PAVED - Monida Pass - (6890ft) - extremely shallow gap on I15 on the Idaho boundary

- PAVED - Mt287 summit(u) Ennis - Virginia City - (6920ft) - it's a mystery to me why nobody ever bothered to name this mountain pass.

-   UNP   - Mullan Pass - (5920ft) - historical road and railroad pass parallel to Mac Donald Pass, part of the GDMBR
N -   UNP   - Nez Perce Pass - 6587ft - touring route leading into the endless forests of northern Idaho and untamable Salmon River Canyon area.
O -   UNP   - Ottawa Gulch Rd via Lost Horse Creek Rd(sh) - 6840ft - access to the highest one way bikable summit in this particular area north of Helena
P -   UNP   - Priest Pass - 6050ft - pleasant forested road on the GDMBR, that has a history going back to Mac Donald Pass
R - PAVED - Raynolds Pass - 6824ft - low pass in Yellowstone area with rumble strips on the sides
S -    UNP   - Skalkaho Pass - 7250ft - long, wide dirt road through the Sapphire Mountains east of Hamilton

-    UNP   - Stemple Pass - 6400ft - smooth forested road over gentle part of the DC
T - PAVED - Targhee Pass - 7072ft - heavy Yellowstone tourist traffic over a low pass without scenery
W -    UNP   - Whitefish Divide - apr5600ft - northernmost pass on the Great Divide Bicycle Trail. From West: Eureka (2577ft). From East: Trail Creek (3800ft).



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