Great Falls has many epic mountain bike rides. The River’s Edge Trail North and South Shore trails are perhaps the best rides in Montana. Exploring the nearby Rocky Mountain Front by mountain bike has extraordinary rewards. Rides in the Little Belt and Highwood mountains are less than an hour’s drive from town. Information about many of the area’s outstanding rides is detailed in the following web links.
River’s Edge Trail South Shore
River’s Edge Trail North Shore
Clarey Coulee (Rocky Mtn Front)
Pilgrim Creek (Little Belt Mtns)
Green-Rearden Gulch Loop (Rocky Mtn Front)
Bender Creek Loop (Little Belt Mtns)
Willow Creek (Rocky Mtn Front)
Smith Creek – Welcome Pass (Rocky Mtn Front)
North Fork Birch Creek (Rocky Mtn Front)
Highwood Mountains Loop (Highwood Mtns)
Big Snowys (South of Lewistown, MT)
Red Coulee (20 miles east of Great Falls)
Crown Mountain Petty Creek Loop (20 miles west of Augusta)
Ford Willow Creek Trail (17 miles west of Augusta)
I’ll be out from MN for work in a couple weeks and have one afternoon to mountain bike. I’m looking for something around 2-3 hours of riding, so probably 15-20 miles ish, less than 1 hr from the airport. I prefer technical single track, rocky fine but not legitmate downhill where air and full pads are required. Climbing OK but without mountains in MN probably prefer cross-country with ups and downs and not the epic climb for hours type of thing. For reference, I’ve ridden Bogus Basin, ID, Tuscon Mountain Park, AZ and Boulder Canyon, NV recently and find those to be awesome for my taste and skill if anyone happens to be familiar with those. Hopefully, there is something like that around Great Falls.
I did look at the links above and couldn’t fully figure out what the trails were like or miles or locations relative to Great Falls or a combination of above to pick one.
Oh and suggestions for rental would also be appreciated.
And if you are ever in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and looking for a ride start here http://www.morcmtb.org/
Fortunately for you, we have better than the examples you mentioned. Hope you reserve more than one day of a 2 week trip to ride the Gt Falls trails. Check out the “Featured Ride” in Great Falls on MTB Project.com http://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8009010/great-falls