Lewis and Clark Caverns Mountain Biking

I certainly didn't expect to do much riding on dirt this early in the Spring. It's been warmish here but two weekends ago brought a fresh 2 feet up high and we just had a 5" shot of wet, heavy snow in town. Folk keep telling me about Pipestone which is about 45 minutes west of Bozeman and a lot drier, but last weekend there was a huge MX race happening out there; so I decided to check out Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park instead. The Caverns themselves aren't quite open yet, but the park is open for riding and hiking and has about 10 miles of single track. I decided to make the 45 minute drive to check it out. The drive alone is completely worth it - along the Jefferson River, through wheat fields, with the Madison mountains in full view. I stopped in at the visitor center and they gave me a trails map and a bit of advice. Apparently some hikers are sensitive to mountain bikes so I was cautioned to take it easy and be polite. I started at the lower visitor center and mostly climbed for 45 minutes up the east side and topped out at the upper visitor center and cavern entrance. It's a lung-burner this early in the season, but nice and steady. Then I pointed pointed it west for the downhill back (you can ride it clockwise or anticlockwise - I like the wide open, fast descent on the West side). The trail had a few squishy spots but was 95% dry; it's a mixture of wide open, twisty single track and side-hill bench cut (yes, with the cactus and the bench cut I had to actively remind myself I was not riding SMT - the similarities are eery). The grades are nice for climbing and descending; could be single speedable if you have iron lungs; very nicely built with a backslope that's not too obnoxious and with nice grade reversals. Mostly smooth with a couple rock features - one in particular on the West side that is really fun and rewarding. Folks put some time, love, and thought into the design and layout. The only bummer to report is the switchback construction. They are tight. I pride myself on being able to get around the tightest switchbacks even on a 29er, but I could only make a couple of these on my 26" bike. It really interupts the flow of the trails - but, they are beautiful trails in a beautiful spot that was ice/snow free...so thumbs up. I can't wait to go back. The park gets great southern exposure and I actually climbed in short sleeves!I saw some bike tracks, two hikers on the way up, and three hikers and a dog on they way down. Not too crowded for a Saturday.