Helena is a biking community. But it’s not just the adults who have some choices on where to go mountain biking. There are several trails in different parts of Helena and the valley that we take our boys (ages 2 and 4) to bike. Here are 10 trails around the area!
1.LeGrande Cannon Trail: This is such a great trail for bikes! It’s one of the first ones we took our boys on when they were learning to bike on their balance bikes and then pedals. It’s not completely smooth, but it is flat and wide, and it gives the feeling of mountain biking with the trees and views. If your child enjoys more hills, there are also plenty of opportunities for quick or longer hills off the main trail. Want to also push a stroller? You can on this trail! If you want more insights into this trail, check out an earlier post on it!
2.Ten Mile Creek Park: This is another great biking trail for kids of all ages and abilities, as like LeGrande, it is flat and wide. And if you’re child doesn’t care for bumps, this is a smooth gravel trail they can enjoy! It can get hot, though, on summer afternoons! But thankfully, there is water and shade near the creek where we end up hanging out for much of the outing. I wrote a little bit about biking and hiking this trail earlier. If you want a wonderful map of the trails, check out Prickly Pear’s website!
3.Helena Valley Reservoir Loop: This 5-6 mile loop (depending on the exact route you take) can easily be shortened depending on age and preference. Now that our older one has a larger bike, he can bike the loop. However, when we have the balance bike or smaller bikes along, we just bike a short part and then play at the lake (see map with water access in red). The trail does get narrow and rocky in places (at least according to our 2 year old). The hills are not big, but little legs can get tired easily, so it doesn’t always take much, which is why when our youngest boy is with, we just go a short distance and then play at the water. Depending on when you go, the bugs can be pretty intense. And if you’re going to bike it and not spend much time near the lake, the sun gets hot in the summer. I also recommend this trail during the fall, as it is beautiful with all the changing leaves! There are also always birds to watch here!
4.Centennial Park Trail: If the boys want a smooth, fast riding trail, Centennial Park Trail is a fun place to go! You can bike small to big loops, bike at the Vigilante Pump Track, play at the playground, bring a soccer ball and kick it around, or baseballs hit. It’s a fun place where you will see plenty of other families!
5.DeFord Trail: This stretch of trail is super fun for the boys! It’s not completely flat, but the hills are manageable. Our boys do sometimes walk the bikes up or down the hills if they are too much. The trail is wide enough to scoot over when other mountain bikers ride by. Of if you want to park the bikes off to the side for a snack break or a play break, there’s plenty of room to do so! There is also quite a bit of shade on much of the trail, so if you get a late start during the summer, it’s not too bad.
6.Waterline Extension Trail: This has been one of our favorites on hot summer days as it provides plenty of shade and water. Also know, it is super short! But when we go to this short stretch of the Waterline Trail, it’s not JUST to bike. It’s also to play in and around the water. There are several places to do so, and we usually stop at all of them! So even though this is a short trail, we can easily be here for more than an hour. As far as biking goes, the trail is narrow in spots with some sharp drop offs. We’ve had a close call when one boy wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. There are also little hills with rocks on and around the trail to be aware of (again, we’ve had some close calls). So it all depends on your child’s comfort level and abilities. One thing that is fun for our boys is when other mountain bikers go by – they think it’s pretty cool to see others biking it! For more insights on this trail, check out an earlier post I wrote up about it.
7.Norris Trailhead: When we lived closer to the Scratchgravels, we headed to Norris frequently to bike. Sometimes the boys would bike on the trail. Other times, we would just bike down the low-traffic gravel road. This place gets hot in the summer, so it’s great earlier or later in the day, or in all other months besides summer! Even though we live further from this trail now, my boys still ask to go biking at Norris frequently! Check out an earlier post where I wrote in more detail about this area.
8.Meatloaf Mini Loop: Sometimes the boys like a smaller loop where they can just bike it over and over. This mini (maybe it should be micro…) loop gives them flat terrain, uphills, and downhills. During mud season, it also dries out quickly, so it’s a good one to visit if you still want to get on the trails.
9. Sierra Park Loop: This is a fun loop for all ages. Like many of these trails, it is flat, fairly smooth (gravel, but not rocky), and also near other play opportunities, such as playgrounds, soccer fields, and wide open spaces to play whatever you want! Dogs are welcome here as well.
And last – 10!!
Prickly Pear Trail: Full disclosure, I haven’t been to this one yet! But, it’s on my list as I see families biking it, and it looks like a great one for kids – flat, wide, near water, and lined with chokecherry bushes. I think what’s holding me back is the interstate traffic drowning out any other nature sounds. I will update this page when we do make it out there!
I hope this list is helpful in finding a trail that is suitable for you and your little one(s)! Let me know if you have any favorites from the list or if you have some you like that aren’t on the list! Happy biking, friends!