trails

Cary Shimek (UM News Service) Terms like “e-mountain bike” are fighting words to some folks. University of Montana doctoral student Abigail Fuesler learned that firsthand this summer while studying public land trail use at Thompson Park south of Butte. As she sur...

Missoula County’s recent support for a new system of trails for mechanized vehicles on federal land near Seeley Lake has drawn criticism from conservation groups and individuals.

After a working group had insufficient time to reach consensus, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks now wants input on what trails the public wants at Fish Creek State Park and Wildlife Management Area.

The City of Missoula owns and manages 4,700 acres of conservation lands, 67 developed parks, 20 miles of commuter trails and 70 miles of unpaved natural trails.

Cities and states are filing lawsuits and scrambling for alternative sources of money as the Trump administration seeks to shut off the federal funding spigot for biking and walking trails.

A number of parks and trails tucked away in subdivisions across the Missoula region are slated for improvements this year, including sport courts and tree planting.

The city and its engineering partner will begin the design and eventual bidding of more than one mile of new trail in the greater Mullan area.

In August, the city won a grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to update and expand the current trailhead at Duncan Drive, with an emphasis on accessibility.

Kevin Proescholdt writes, "Let’s cherish our wilderness heritage, whole and intact. We owe it to the farseeing founders of the Wilderness Act, and we owe it to future generations."

The steep three-fourths-mile hike to the M attracts over 1,000 hikers daily, connecting them to miles of adjacent U.S. Forest Service trails and the city trail system.