GOLD CREEK BLACKFOOT MISSOULA AREA

[CATSLEDMAN1]

12 13 1ST Gold Creek Mineral Mtn ride for us this year. Sledding from now on no problem.

road plowed up three miles, parked at turn to Mineral mt, pulled trailer to there and ok but not for long if it snow this whole week end. Can ride your sled to Shoo fly meadows no ruts good coverage, some trees down, carry chain saw cut them out will you, we forgot to throw one on. Shoo fly meadows waist deep snow on what ever base, no problem getting stuck. Too fluffy and no base to boon dock as you would expect, caution. Step off over in the trees and you will be up to your chin in places...........I did that.

sun came out down low, blizzarding up high tooo cold and windy for lunch so pictures are the Mineral road about 1/2 way up to shoo fly.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Sunday ride

back to the same Shoo Fly mineral ridge area today, no one around. Sleds and bike had been around Sat. and packed trails and wooped a little. wind blowing on the ridge to the lookout and snowing lightly, going to be some big drifts, but settting up what had been deep fluf.

by the time we were at the pipe gate below the lookout sat riders had quit. snow here is what you hope for, some good base, 15" new, good boondocking on the sno bikes. going to be lots of wind drifts on that trail, we didn't go up to lookout but the new snow on FRI and SAT on old fluff, avy conditions so be cautious.

 

[vega350]

was on the ride in this post and here are some pics snow was good

 

[montanasledhead]

Nice.. looks like a horrible day

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

coming our way

back today, more snow, better coverage, once up on mineral ridge, snow conditions pretty good.

we boondocked around out around the base of the look out knob, good coverage, good riding for the bikes. Pile of sleds with family gettogether down at shoo fly, kids have the meadow flattened, could zoom into back meadow, 2ft fluff put good going.

road bikes out 513, so that trail is cut from shoofly to end of road coming up from sheep mtn trail head. pretty fur sno fur tis time of ear.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

12 26

road up to mineral turnoff icy, I chained up, 4 other didn't and I guess all ok.

3" of new DENSE snow, was wet and power robbing out in the loose snow on the way up at noon today..

had chain saw and we eliminated the logs across the road, careful going by them, still some buried wood in the snow., 6" of dense new snow from shoo fly and higher. short ride with grandson's today, still haven't been over in the West fork.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

check vega's report.

posting above for gold creek, vega was there today.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

SAT 12 29 13

two of us rode from the Scout Camp/ road up to 513 Sheep Mtn trail head.

Icy rutty road for 2 miles from bimbo's on atv's and rock hoppers trying to drive to skiing or snowboard'n ? If there's enough snow to ski or snowboard you can't drive there, if you can drive there........there's not enough snow to ski or snowboard ?? For sure a concept that some folks JUST CAN"T GRASP.

by the time you are at 513 trail head careful boooon dock'n ok, we rode 513 to shoofly, no old tracks, so foot or better of fresh on 3 or 4' base, easy to go over the downed trees.

So typical for this range of mtns from Hiway200 North to Seely N Joko area:

not enoughsnow down low, great up high, rained below 5000' and snowed above that quite often late fall.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

thursday 1 2 14

gold creek road ice skating rink, chain up at the road. several vehicles have slid off and skinned up some trees, coming out with chains it was white knuckle, caution.

upside is new snow up high, all good, at meadows all covered in new layer of fresh snow, just need some down at the road. wind blowing over in west fork and fairly warms so more crust forming. bought average for this time of year.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

but way up the crick

Road into way upper Gold Creek / Boles Meadows via the Joko road from Arlee.

some on sleds some on bikes, coverage way down on road ok, at lake had to ride up the lakes as the road was sliding and dangerous, don't like those lake rides through the slush, but an adventure.

Rainy then snowing hard in the afternoon, snow on the hills south of the Joko /Placid road, getting pretty good. Heavy wet, made you work snow, all good.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

SUNDAY 12

Gold creek road had 3 or 4" of dense new snow, ok to drive to Mineral Mtn turnoff, just ok. Snowing all day up high, getting there, down lower finally looking like might be ok, still better stay on roads until you hit 5500 ft or so.

Anyone go over in the West Fork this week end ?

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

sat 25th

road is glare ice from the hiway to the gravel pit, most chained up.

1st real ride through the west fork, way in the back and up to the cabin, all good, obviously not great snow this year, but all base, if you can't see it you can boon dock and won't hit anything, hero snow going up hill. Bright and sunny, some areas absolutely no tracks. Avy danger if it snows now, base with glare to it in some areas. too much fun............sunny warm go anywhere no one around.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

more snow..........all good

road off hiway now snow covered and no so icy. area we were in Today Friday 31, about 8" of fresh powder and still snowing when we left, this was low elevation where we were working. I am sure more up high, watch for sliding snow !! AVALANCHE is going to be HIGH so be careful.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Feb 2 Super Bowl Sunday

maybe 8 " of new down low, now no more driving beyond end of private plowing, some rode from hiway. lots of folks playing down low on way up Mineral mtn road, hardly any tracks up high, only one or two beyond shoo fly meadows ? maybe 16" of new up there, trees all snoloaded and bent over the trail, but wow did conditions improve. we were on bikes so a riot, a little western if you weren't a real experienced sledder on decent iron, all will setup and be way good.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Sunday 9th

most rode from hiway, plowed to gravel pit.

8" plus new down low, but as you rode up maybe got to be 18" or 2 ft in some places, and cold weather softened some of the base, handlebar deep on the bikes in places up on Mineral ridge. A few sleds up high, all pretty good iron and a challenge. When this settles out, going to be good, should make West Fork riding tolerable. Looks like good winter now in most places, all good.

The picture with Dan between sleds is after we came down out of the Mineral ridge area and rode into lower foothills on way back to truck, still that much new just up the hill from truck.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

sat 15

enough new snow up above about 5000' that all track from the past covered.
New dense and quite a bit of it. Now tracks from last week visable. Lower areas almost good enough to boondock.

so........ride to seely lake, go up the west fork............all real good. I see lots of guys that must be heading into the Sheep Mtn bowls, any reports from there ?

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Sun 16

stormy day, wind almost blew us off the bikes over by black mtn, more new snow since yesterday, you would'nd thunk it, all good, but wow did the wind n snow blow, then balls of ice in your face with 40 mph wind, then sun. snow conditions improving quickly, even lower gates almost covered. road riding over towards seely way good, like a wilderness because no one has been there. not a track. must of lost a pile of sledders in the last depression.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

more and more snow

after the last 10 days or so of snow and storms, all of the gold creek area benefited, even the lower areas are all good for boon docking, road still plowed to gravel pit, but narrow road, guys with trailers found it a little tight,, but no problem leaving road anywhere, riding from hiway no problem good snow banks and loose snow on road. Real warm though on sat so road snow will go fast.

 

[drandy]

location

how do you get there off of 90

 

[Scott]

Get off at Bonner (east of Missoula a couple miles), go north on Highway 200. If you get to Potomac, you went too far up highway 200.