Trail deserves community support

Whitefish Legacy Partners, the nonprofit behind the ever-expanding Whitefish Trail system, announced last month its intent to complete the 55-mile recreational loop circling Whitefish Lake by 2020.

This is a lofty goal with many challenges, but one that’s obtainable and worthy of Whitefish’s continued support.

Legacy Partners has much to be proud of since their efforts began in earnest in 2010. About 36 miles of trail and 10 trailheads have been built since then. Anyone who hikes or bikes from the Lion Mountain trailhead knows just how much this amenity is used and appreciated by locals and visitors alike. On any given day that parking lot will be filled with cars displaying plates from Montana, Canada and beyond.

Locals love the trail for its ease of access for an afternoon workout, while visitors are now making Whitefish a biking and hiking destination thanks, in part, to the trail’s vast offerings.

Of even more importance, the trail is securing permanent access to the forests and lakes surrounding our community — a benefit to Whitefish for generations to come.

It’s taken a total community effort to get this far, dating back to the original visionaries with the A Trail Runs Through It group. Volunteers have provided muscle on the ground, corporate sponsors and individual donors have opened their checkbooks, and many property owners have graciously allowed the trail to make its way through Whitefish’s treasured open space.

That same level of commitment and drive is ultimately what it will take to get this project to the finish line. To be sure, many hurdles remain as the trail navigates a maze of land ownership and topography on the east side of the lake.

Continued support will be needed more than ever as Legacy Partners rolls out its “Close the Loop” campaign in the coming weeks.

First up will be the new segment of trail through Haskill Basin, with trailheads off Reservoir Road and Big Mountain Road. This section, set to open next year, has the potential to be equally as popular as the Lion Mountain area with its connectivity to the city pedestrian path on the north side of town.

Greg Gunderson, who has been involved with the trail effort since the beginning, and his business partner David Noftsinger at Forestoration, Inc., have designed the entire Whitefish Trail and are in the process of mapping out the future route. Gunderson is right on the mark when he says completing the 55-mile loop would be of national significance. Projects of this magnitude are often only dreamed about. But this one is nearing reality thanks to a true community effort.

Legacy Partners will host a fundraising kickoff at an Open Lands Month celebration Saturday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to noon in Whitefish’s Depot Park.