The first mile plus of trail is two track. From there the trail diminishes to singletrack, and for a short time on the last push to the top of the pass, there is no trail. This last half mile or so to the top is quite steep and a hike-a-bike section, but it is short grass ecotype so you can "easily" get your bike to the top. It is 2.75 miles from the trailhead (gate) to the top of the pass. This is beautiful open classic Mongolian country with a nice mix of grassy steppe valley, large rock outcrops and cliffs, larch trees and amazing views. You are riding on either thin lose scree or grass. It can be rocky in places.
From the top of the pass and down the other side (north side), everything drastically changes as you enter a dense forest. The trail becomes much more organic, very narrow (6-8") and quite rooty. The slope ranges from 12-20% mostly. Follow this narrow trail downhill for about 1.25 miles to connect up with the Terelj Singletrack Loop trail (see listing on the website).
The south side of the pass is TOTALLY different than the north side. The south side is more dry and open (but very beautiful). The north side is dense forest. Going down the south side you can let it rip. The north side is much more techy (narrow and rooty) and requires you to slow a bit to stay on your line. Currently, the north side needs a lot of branches cleared from the trail. I cleared maybe the first 400 meters or so, but that's all I had time for today. I'll go back soon and clear the rest. Some flies today (horseflies) but not bad. The flies could be really bad by mid-summer.
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