opedaler from NE Nebraska on 11/8/2022 10:13:07 AM:
It appears that if following your order of rides you will start with the Katy, move on to the Cowboy, and finish it off with the Mickelson. The Katy will certainly be warmer, and the Mickelson will certainly be colder. I'm older so cold weather doesn't interest me as much as it did when I was younger. For me PERSONALLY I'd wait until at least until May if I could. There's also the potential for soggy riding from melted snow much earlier than that imo. Since you've picked all limestone trails I'm assuming you're aware of what it takes to ride these kinds of trails.....the good things....and the bad. My wife and I did a three-trail ride to your north a few years ago (Centennial, Coeur d'Alene, and the Hiawatha). We've also done the Katy, Cowboy, and Mickelson. I've enjoyed them all, but found timing pretty important on all of them. I've seen too much smoke up north late in the year, and too much rain south at times. Imo if you have to nail down a timeline, you'll just have to take a little risk, but the later you can wait to make your decision the better imo.