Longboarding Hyalite Canyon
Hyalite Canyon is a scenic winding mountain road just south of Bozeman, Montana that leads to the Hyalite Reservior. The moderate amount of traffic and the beautiful scenery make a perfect setting for a fun longboard run. There are many opportunities to ride a board in Bozeman including the Bozeman Skatepark, the Belgrade Skatepark, and the nearby mountain roads. Longboarding Hyalite Canyon was the highlight of our longboarding experience in Bozeman. The grade of this canyon road allows for maintaining a good speed without getting super fast or scary.
Basic Info
First Impressions of Hyalite Canyon:
While camping in Hyalite Canyon we decided to drive up the road and check out the Hyalite Reservoir. Taking this drive revealed to us this great opportunity to longboard back down the canyon. The lush Montana forest surrounds both sides of the pavement for the entire ride down the canyon. A free feeling it is to coast down the mountain road at the mercy of gravity.
Pros:
Smooth pavement, beautiful scenery, and a great overall ride
Cons:
It is a double yellow line and the grade of most of the run will have you rolling slower than the cars.
Know Before You Go:
Bring your helmet; I used soft wheels and didn’t need to slide.
How to get to Hyalite Canyon Montana:
From Bozeman, take South 19th Ave south for 8 miles then turn left onto Hyalite Canyon Road. From here it is about 10 miles to the top of the hill at Hyalite Reservior.
Riders Thoughts:
Longboarding down Hyalite Canyon was a fun ride on the pavement through the woods. The entire run is about 9 miles and the slope of the road varies making for a great ride up and down some rolling hills. The dense forest on either side of the road really sets a great mountain scene.
Longboarding Hyalite Canyon
I started my run at the Hyalite Reservoir and went downhill going north from here. The beginning of the run is the steepest part of the entire run. You can really build up a lot of speed going down the first section of the hill. I was worried about building too much speed from the top of the run, but the rolling hills make it so you naturally slow down enough to maintain a comfortable speed.
The porous pavement in combination with the rolling hills caused there to be some kicking involved in this run. This run descends about 1,200 feet in elevation in 9 miles so it is considerably downhill, but the slight amount of kicking makes this run a good workout too.
Longboarding Hyalite Canyon was exciting because there are many rolling hills, some of them being gradual and some of them being steep. Each hill surprises you with what might be a steep drop. The rolling hills in Hyalite Canyon make the road a great longboard run because it gives you a chance to build enough speed to get a little rush, but then slows you down where the road goes up and levels off before dropping elevation again.
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The road at the bottom of this run gets windy resulting in many blind turns. These turns are very fun on a longboard, but the blind turns keep the run exciting and a bit dangerous. So it is very important to stay on your side of the road.
Overall, longboarding Hyalite Canyon is a great run for someone who wants to feel the downhill mountain wind but does not want to do anything too crazy or dangerous. I really enjoy the physical benefits of riding a longboard, so I prefer a run that requires some kicking but still supplies you with beautiful views. Hyalite Canyon provides both of those making for a great downhill longboarding experience.
If you’re ready to feel the downhill mountain wind on a new longboard we can help you out! We make our own hand crafted longboards! Click here to go to our Lost Coast Longboarding shop to see the latest line up of hand painted longboards.
Camping near Bozeman
If you’re looking for a place to stay near Bozeman Montana, there is actually free camping right in Hyalite Canyon. You can have this awesome longboard run in your backyard! Click here to read our article about the free camping near Bozeman Montana.
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