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Donate to Whitefish Legacy Partners during this year's Great Fish Community Challenge currently underway! As you may have heard, we recently cancelled the Hootenanny due to Covid-19, you can still support the Whitefish Trail by buying raffle tickets and custom 'Hoot from Home' pint glasses - and giving to Great Fish. Get the latest trail report, read about the Girls on the Trail program, and find out about WT future projects and current DNRC logging operations.
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Support the trail and open spaces you love!
2020 has been a BIG year on our local trails. Lion Mountain, for example, experienced a 27% increase in trail use this year compared to past years. We need your help to cover the associated increase in maintenance and outreach costs. Donate to WLP during the Great Fish Community Challenge to support the local trail and open spaces you love!
WLP PRIMARY USE OF FUNDS: Funds will support maintenance projects on the Whitefish Trail such as tread work at Lion Mountain, Woods Lake, and Haskill, brushing and drainage work, Adopt-A-Trail volunteer crew support and training, replacement of damaged trail signs, and trailhead cleaning and plowing.
WLP SECONDARY USE OF FUNDS: Additional funds will support Whitefish Legacy Partners' ongoing programs to secure permanent conservation at Smith Lake, provide recreation access on the Whitefish Trail system, and provide free outdoor education opportunities.
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 After careful consideration, we have decided to formally CANCEL the Whitefish Trail Hootenanny. A HUGE thanks to our title sponsor, First Interstate Bank, for helping us offer a raffle and sell event pint glasses to make up for lost event income. Here's how you can continue to support our important work.
2.) Buy a custom 'Hoot from Home' stainless steel pint glass! (includes free fill from a local brewery) There's only 90 left in stock, so get your's today before they're gone! www.whitefishlegacy.org/hootfromhome
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Whitefish Trail - Project Updates
 USFS Taylor Hellroaring Project - This multi-partner project is beginning to get underway in the front-country landscape of the Whitefish Range just west of Whitefish Mountain Resort (WMR). The project includes forest management, habitat improvement, and recreation development. A 3-mile new section of the Whitefish Trail will be constructed in upcoming years that will link the Holbrook Overlook to Smith Lake. This WT segment is a small component of the total 28 miles of new trails approved by Flathead National Forest and will provide a vital recreation link for non-motorized trail users.
Forest management and fuels reduction are scheduled to begin this fall at the Holbook Overlook located southwest of WMR on Big Mountain Road. Forest management will continue over the next few years with trail development beginning in the upcoming 2-3 years.
We are thankful to have a local recreation partner in Flathead Area Mountain Bikers taking the lead in partnership with the Flathead National Forest on the other 25 miles of front country trails that will ultimately connect WMR to the Ralph Thayer Memorial Trail at Werner Peak.
The Whitefish Trail will partner with Flathead National Forest to develop a new trailhead at the historic Holbrook Overlook on Big Mountain Road. This new trailhead will be the starting point for trail adventures to a bridge and destination at Hellroaring Creek and will eventually connect to the proposed conservation lands and new trails at Smith Lake. This front country recreation amenity will be an incredible addition to the Whitefish Trail and our community's recreation opportunities.
 Smith/Swift Timber Sales - The Swift/Smith salvage permit work has begun along East Lakeshore Dr and Lower WF Lake Rd with operations cleaning up the damage from the historic wind event last March. Trucks are hauling logs down East Lakeshore with 6-8 loads per day potentially 7 days a week. Cyclists and pedestrians should use caution on East Lakeshore Drive. The 2nd timber sale near Smith Lake is the Swift Smith Excaline Timber Sale. It is a larger timber sale scheduled to be reviewed by the MT Land Board later this month with work to begin in September. The work is scheduled to prioritize timber management adjacent to the Whitefish Trail, minimize beetle impacts, and support wildfire mitigation in the area. Once the work is underway later this fall, we will assess impacts to the Whitefish Trail wit hopes to re-open the trail. With long sections of trail lost to down trees and root ball upheaval, we do not anticipate trails at Smith Lake to open this season. Stay tuned for updates.
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If you have been enjoying the Whitefish Trail recently,
we need your help with our 2020 fundraising!
Be a WT Friend or Family this year and make an investment
in the future of our local lands.
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WLP Education Program Update
 Girls on the Trail - SUCCESS!Our 3rd annual Girls on the Trail Program was a success this July, thanks to a small, motived, and socially-distanced group of girls from across the Flathead Valley.
The free program is a collaboration between WLP and community partners to bring teenage girls ages 12-15 out on the Whitefish Trail for a week of mountain biking, hiking, photography, writing, volunteer events. The program provides teenage girls in the Flathead Valley an opportunity to find their own love of mountain biking, their own appreciation of trails and open lands, their own creativity through writing and photography, and their own strength through hard work and mentorship. Girls on the Trail began in 2018 in memory of Katy Branston and her passion for biking, trails and community.
Forest Explorer's Camp - CANCELLED
With local cases of Covid-19 on the rise this August, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our summer day-camp for kids 6-10 years old. Forest Explorer's Camp brings youth to the Whitefish Trail Learning Pavilion for a week of hiking, lessons in natural history, interactive games and art activities. We simply could not keep a group of 6-10 year olds appropriately distanced and wearing masks in the heat of August. We look forward to getting back to normal soon and thank everyone for their understanding.
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Whitefish Trail Report - Mid-August
by Alan Myers-Davis, WLP Director of Development
August has brought hot weather, increased fire danger, and...frost? It's been a wild month of weather so far with extreme heat followed by increased fire conditions, and last week local farms woke up to their first frost! Not to worry however, winter is still a few months off and temperatures will rebound into the 90's next week. It's a reminder that fall will be here before we know it, and now is the time to enjoy our local trail.
Check out the video of Reid Sabin and Jesse from Greenscapes LLC donating their time and equipment to re-install the damaged donation box at Lion Mountain. Additionally, locals Dan and Sharon Roat donated the money needed to replace the damaged steel drawer. Aren't we lucky to have such amazing community members?! Thanks for your help!
A few trees came down the last couple weeks including a big one across the cliff band at Lion Mountain. Our Trail Coordinator Helen was able to quickly get this potentially dangerous tree cleared. Thanks for sending in all the reports!
Trail conditions are drying out as we head into the middle of August, and it's a great time to remember fire safety. Flathead National Forest recently put out this helpful information as you plan your outdoor adventures:
As you get out and explore the Whitefish Trail this summer, we'd love to see your photos and hear your trail stories!
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Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors
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The Whitefish Trail relies on the generosity of trail users, conservation-minded supporters, and local businesses to create a year-round, sustainable asset for future generations.
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For the first time, Kandahar Lodge has joined our team as a Whitefish Trail Annual Corporate Sponsor! They are a Montana mountain lodge offering cozy comfort and convenience just steps from Whitefish Mountain Resort. The next time you need slope-side lodging for yourself or a friend, consider a local company that gives back to the Whitefish Trail project.
annual WT Corporate Sponsor!
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Hurraw! Balm supports the Whitefish Trail every year as a Whitefish Trail Annual Corporate Sponsor. Made with organic, vegan, and raw ingredients, their lip balms are a must-have for any outdoor adventure. Next time your lips are chapped or you need a small gift for a friend, buy local from a company who gives back to the community year after year.
Thank you Hurraw! Balm for being an annual WT Corporate Sponsor!
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