Mountain Biking at Mill Creek

The view below

The day was supposed to be spent kayaking a portion of the Jefferson River. Unfortunately, the morning was chilly & the winds had picked up. We were forced to change the plan. Too much wind on such a flat river could have made for a miserable day... especially when faced with a head wind or heaven forbid gotten wet. 

The decision was made to head out with our friends and do some mountain biking. I'd rather be on my bike so was pretty happy to make the switch. We headed out to one of our favorite rides from last year...Mill Creek in Paradise Valley. 

Bill taking in the view from where we came up

The View back from our perch

The original ride we discovered in that area was up Wicked Creek Trail, but the June flood last year took out the bridge to get to the trail head. So last summer we drove out to see if we could safely cross Mill Creek & get to the Wicked Creek trail head. 

Not possible, but Mill Creek Road looked to be in good shape so we took our bikes down the graveled road. As it turned out the road had been graded & prepped for summer, but the flood had compromised a small portion of it so no vehicles could access it. 

It became one of our favorite rides. 

Sandi & me... a selfie for proof of ride

This summer we took our friends to Mill Creek Road for a mountain bike ride. Not too many vehicles to have to deal with & lots of wildflowers to see as we rode up from the valley floor into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. 

About 9 miles into the ride a gate closure kept us from continuing up into the mountains. Not too surprised with the gate closure. 

There are several closures in the area to protect trails from getting destroyed while wet & muddy. Most trails at lower elevations open June 15th and the higher ones will hopefully open July 15th. It gives us an excuse to come back and do this one when the gate opens. 

We took in the view for a bit and headed downhill...18 miles in 2 hours in the beautiful mountain air. Doesn't get much better!

Western & Pale Swallowtails

Mill Creek 

Indian Paintbrush

*click photos to enlarge!