Planners discuss Montana bike path

GREAT FALLS – State planners are looking at ways to establish a bicycle and pedestrian path between Great Falls and Helena, cities separated by about 95 miles that include some spectacular scenery.

For years, bicyclists hoped that an idle, BNSF Railway Co. line between the two cities would be converted into a recreational trail, but the railroad rejected the idea and sometimes has used the old tracks to store unneeded railcars.

Now planners encouraged by the 2007 Legislature are looking at options. A public meeting to air ideas is scheduled for the evening of July 9 at Wedsworth Hall in Cascade, south of Great Falls.

A path of fewer than 30 miles, from Great Falls to Cascade, could be developed without much difficulty, said Zia Kazimi of the Montana Department of Transportation’s Rail, Transit & Planning Division.

“Great Falls to Cascade is a bit easier because you’re not in a canyon,” Kazimi said. Farther south, conditions would make a bike trail harder to establish, Kazimi said.

“You’ve got some real terrain problems,” said Brin Grosfield, who owns a bicycle store in Great Falls and serves on a state advisory committee.

“There’s no money to build anything,” Grosfield said.

Trail enthusiast and former state parks administrator Doug Monger said the railroad property offers the most safety, the views along the route are extraordinary, and it is away from highway traffic. Interstate 15 connects Great Falls and Helena.

The route affords views of crags and the Missouri River.

Critics of a pedestrian-bike path have said concerns include trespassing, noise, littering and other effects on owners of land nearby, plus the possible disturbance of wildlife.