Road trips are at the forefront of the mountain bike lifestyle. The excitement to see new places (and faces) and experience fresh new challenging trails are all reasons we are addicted. This time we are headed west with a new friend for the first time – Bob (furry friend)! This “Road Tripping – Exploring Lesser Known Interstate Spots” is focused on some new and old pit stops along the 29 hour route to our final destination of Victor, ID. Victor lies on the western side of the Teton mountain range just over the border from Wyoming. Jackson and Jackson Hole Resort are just to the east on the other side of Teton pass.
Over the years we’ve found that we can find fun trail in many more places that we thought. It isn’t just the mountain states that offer “mountain” biking anymore. Towns across the US have figured out that if they build it, you will come! Poke around long enough on Trailforks and I guarantee you’ll be surprised where the trails are and how assessable they’ve become.
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Along the way we made a semi regular stop in the middle of Kansas at Wilson State Park’s Switchgrass trails. The park had great lakeside camping (and cheap at something like $13) that is right next to the trailhead. Unlike what you may see from the interstate in Kansas, Switchgrass is NOT completely flat or all grasslands. There’s a nice 18 mile loop that has beautiful lake views and some nice slow speed rock tech play on the Rock Garden Trail. Also, we love the outside heated showers at the campground – sorry no photos :).
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Next stop – visit with friends in Laramie, WY.
I’ve been hearing very good things about the riding in the area for a while and really wanted to check out Curt Gowdy State Park. Apparently they don’t accept Bob’s off leash so we opted for Happy Jack Recreation Area that’s just to the west of Curt Gowdy. It sounds like all the rock at Curt Gowdy might not be to Bobs’s puppy pad’s liking either.
The riding in Happy Jack definitely did not disappoint. I now see why the Laramie Enduro which uses most of Happy Jack’s Trails is so popular. My personal favorite is the Death Crotch Trail! The super fun 2 mile long downhill is mostly open at the top and finished in beautiful pine and aspen forests.
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Other trails were fun as well with lots of aspen forests offering enough root and rock to keep me entertained. Trails are also decently tree covered for the warmer days too. The Happy Jack trails are well worth a stop if you’re heading through the area on I-80. Trailheads are less than a mile off the interstate and multiple loops options are available from super short to epic.
The Final Destination – Victor, ID
Heading toward our final destination in Victor, ID Bob definitely appears to be enjoying himself. The new smells and even the different views seem to have him pretty interested even while in the car – especially going over Teton pass into Victor. Expect to see more coming up in on this emerging mountain bike community. The local community AND Mountain Bike the Tetons organization appears to be really moving and shaking!
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