Epic Great Divide - Day 2

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Whitefish Lake State Park to Beaver Lake via the Lion Mountain trail

20.3 miles/26.5 kilometers (my ride was 27 miles)

1772 feet/540 meters elevation gain

Full-service campground. Flush toilets, showers, electricity, potable water.

Today’s ride was short but not easy. It was all single-track and quite technical in more places than I expected. We had five people take tumbles and I personally got off the correct track for seven miles. Was admittedly unnerving being alone in the woods in bear country … especially since I left my bear spray at the campsite. I will not do that again!

Even though it is an organized tour and we all start together, everyone rides at their own pace. We all have hard copies of cue sheets plus  Ride With GPS navigation options but it is still possible to get lost!

Anyway, today our route was an out-and-back to Beaver Lake. Once at the lake, it was incredibly serene and beautiful. The only thing that was not so great about today actually was something that happened last night: freight trains! On the hour, every hour, all night long! And here I was worried about snoring and crunchy sleeping mat sounds! Ha!

Tomorrow morning we pack up all of our things and load everyone into the van. Bikes will be secured on top. We will be shuttled 60 miles north to Roosville which is on the Canadian border and then begin the ride proper. Due to zero wifi both here in Whitefish and where we will be next, it’s quite evident that I will not be able to do any blog posting for a while. It’s not ideal but a huge reason I wanted to do this trip is because of how remote it was. I will therefore just enjoy my time and publish when I can.

Okay, time to sneak some mini naps in-between freight trains! Out. Zzzzzz