Keep Rolling Past Summer: Our Guide to the Best Fall Mountain Biking
In Southwest Montana, the arrival of September (and the subsequent “-ber” or “brrr” months!) brings rapidly shortening days and noticeably cooler mornings and nights. In many ways this onset of fall is welcome, offering a yin-ful pivot from the yang of the amped-up summer weeks, and an invitation to shift routines, conserve some energy, and move more quietly…until ski season arrives.
Admittedly, fall can also bring a bit of anxiety; lots of darkness, bitter cold, and constant snow shoveling are on their way. Another Montana winter.
For me, fall riding is an antidote to this autumnal angst. Squeezing in those big backcountry rides you didn’t get to yet this season, revisiting your favorite trails in a literal new light (the low angle of the sun can make even the most deeply familiar place feel mysteriously new), and a jaunt or two for a few days further south are my key ingredients to a successful fall riding recipe.
Check out some of our favorite spots to keep you rolling past summer.
Vancouver Island & Cumberland (Early Fall)
There’s a special kind of magic that happens when you ride Vancouver Island in early fall. By this time of year, Southwest Montana is, well, crunchy. I love trading the aftermath of Montana’s dry summer heat and wildfire smoke for mossy trees, loamy trails, and coastal air on the Island.
Bikepacking into the coastal edges or spinning laps at Cumberland’s flora-rich trail network are must do’s.
My dream is Fruita in mid-fall. Arid and sunny, Fruita’s plateau geology offers tire-crunching, crystalline trails and open vistas, and its low-key vibe is just what my nervous system needs by mid-fall.
Fruita’s fall brings perfect temps and dry trails (particularly compared to Vancouver Island’s rain). The aspens up higher start to glow; the light gets soft, with long shadows and killer sunsets.
Favorite Flora: Three Leaf Sumac Support & gratitude to: COPMOBA - Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association
Pro Tip: Raise funds and have a blast at The Hot Dogger - an annual hot dog eating and MTB race held on Fruita’s 18-mile trails to support COPMOBA.
Northwest Arkansas (Mid-Fall)
Big caveat here: I haven’t ridden in Arkansas…yet! But I will find myself there on a day-job worktrip in October and I can’t wait to check it out. This is the place whose flora is featured on our first line of hemp tops, in partnership with amazing NW Arkansas-based artist and mountain biker, Paige Dirksen. It’s also home to All Bikes Welcome, building a more inclusive biking community.
In the Ozark Mountains’ dense mixed hardwood forest, fall colors go full on: oranges, rusts, golds, reds everywhere.
Favorite Flora: Osage Tree
Support & gratitude: All Bikes Welcome, building an inclusive biking community.
Oaxaca, Mexico (Late Fall)
As fall wears on, heading south becomes more appealing. For those of us with the privilege of being able to cross borders safely, Oaxaca can’t be beat. Late fall down there means warm, bright sunny days, cooler nights, and old school style trails that show off Oaxaca’s dramatic landscapes. You get wild contrasts: lush green growth and cloud forests pierced with gigantic agave plants that open up into arid, scrubby foothills with steep, techy trails down their spines.
Favorite Flora: The gigantic Agave
Support & gratitude: Project Bike Love, who has donated bikes to children in the community and teaching bike maintenance skills
Southwestern Montana Backcountry: Last Call!
Hot damn the summers here fly by so fast. Each fall comes with a hit list of rides that I hadn’t gotten to yet in the season, and the chance to get those final laps in on the tried and true trails. September and October are prime: snow hasn’t come yet (or only lightly at elevation), AND the crowds are thinning. Time to squeeze in rides like Mile to Sheep and Muskrat on Elkhorn Mountain, where your toes might be frozen the first few miles but the summit will be full of autumn’s bright sunlight and long shadows.
Pro Tip: This time of year you can expect to encounter bears and hunters on our public lands, so practice the necessary safety precautions!
Favorite Flora: Goldenrod Support & Gratitude: SWMMBA - Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association
