State park adds cycling comforts

Travelers arriving in Whitefish by bike will be welcomed with extra hospitality after Whitefish Lake State Park this summer added new campsites and amenities tailored to cyclists as part of a statewide program.

During his first visit to Whitefish Lake State Park on Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock praised the partnership of the Montana Department of Commerce and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that made the project possible. These facilities not only improve parks, he said, but also help the state economy.

“It’s amazing what’s been done. Let’s make sure our agencies are better working together to serve Montana, and this is an example where we can take commerce dollars and add to our state parks,” Bullock said. “This is more than just something for folks from other states to enjoy, it’s a big part of our economy. It’s an important and significant first step when we look at those out of state tourists.”

Whitefish Lake is one of four state parks seeing improvements to camping accessibility for nonmotorized travelers, along with Wayfarers State Park in Bigfork and Placid and Salmon Lake state parks near Seeley Lake. While Whitefish saw updates to its existing biker campsites, the other three added completely new areas that hadn’t been there before.

Each campsite has covered shelters for cooking and eating, bike maintenance stands, bike racks, electrical outlets for charging electronics, bear resistant food lockers and potable water. Whitefish Lake expanded its existing four-tent area into an expanded “bike hike” area that can hold up to 10 tents.

David Landstrom, Region One Parks Manager for FWP, said the project came together after the two agencies recognized a rise in bicycle tourism in Montana.

“It’s always been popular here, but there’s been a spike and a renewed interest,” he said.

The park has a “no turn away” policy for bicycle campers and the new sites don’t require a reservation, he said. The facilities at Whitefish Lake were under construction through most of the summer, but Landstrom said the space was in use more than 75 percent of the time the sites were open anyway.

“We’re pretty excited with how they’re already being received and I think it’s only going to get better,” he said.

The Montana Department of Commerce allocated $200,000 for the four state parks, with $37,000 going toward the Whitefish Lake campground.

Bullock said the goal is to have these bicycle campsites at 22 of Montana’s 54 state parks.

In addition, Landstrom said Adventure Cycling Association in Missoula is working to link up popular routes with Whitefish Lake, bringing bike tourists in and offering a great place to rest along their rides. Anybody arriving in nonmotorized transport, which includes bikers, hikers and kayakers among others, are welcome to use the sites.

Bullock also praised the community’s work on the Whitefish Trail and future plans to connect its trail loop around Whitefish Lake.

“Thanks for all the hard work the community’s done to make this the example of what can be done,” he said.