New trails approved for Blacktail Mountain

Swan Lake District Ranger Richard H. Kehr Jr. has authorized development of more than 35 miles of new trails on Blacktail Mountain.

The move is designed to give hikers, bikers and motorized trail enthusiasts new recreation opportunities.

The decision notice for the Island Unit Trail System Additions Project authorizes two new motorized loop trail systems and two nonmotorized trails.

The Island Unit is the area of Flathead National Forest land west of Lakeside and south of Kalispell and Kila.

“This project, many years in the making, authorizes a great mix of new motorized and non-motorized trails and will provide better opportunities for managing the existing recreational use of the Island Unit,” Kehr said in a news release.

One of the motorized trail routes is nine miles in the Truman Creek Drainage that extends the existing Blacktail Wild Bill OHV Trail; the other is 15 miles on Kerr Mountain, which is also part of the existing Blacktail Nordic Trail System.

The new nonmotorized trails totaling 11.5 miles include the Foy’s to Blacktail Trail and a trail from Lakeside to Blacktail. In combination with the existing trail system and designated roads to link them all together, there will be 63 miles of trails on the Island Unit.

“The selected alternative is the result of many years of collaboration with local motorized and nonmotorized user groups, other government agencies and interested citizens. It is a compromise that provides some great trails while minimizing effects to wildlife habitat and minimizing the potential for conflict between recreational groups,” project leader Andrew K. Johnson said. “The proposal generated a lot of interest, both in support of and against the new trails.”

Since the project was first presented to the public in 2007, more than 300 comments were received.

“One critical element of this decision and this project is that it works toward resolving problem recreation use on the Island Unit, such as ATV use on closed roads by providing appropriate places to ride and installing better closures across the area,” Johnson said.

A 45-day appeal period ends Aug. 16.

For more information on the project, visit www.fs.fed.us/flathead or contact Johnson at the Swan Lake Ranger District at 837-7507 or by email at andrewjohnson@fs.fed.us.