With new trail, two city parks are now a short walk away
Kelsey Aerni eyes a big rock she dug out while co-worker Jesse Thomas looks on as Montana Conservation Corps crews, led by city councilman Darin Fisher, worked on a trail from Columbus Park down to Mosquito Flats last week. The project is designed to make a walking path to connect Columbus with River's Edge Park, so pedestrians don't have to walk the long way around.
Columbia Falls now has a trail that will allow folks to walk from Columbus Park to River’s Edge Park without having to follow a circuitous route along city streets.
Last week a crew from the Montana Conservation Corps under the tutelage of city councilman Darin Fisher built a new trail that uses a city right of way down the hill from Columbus Park. Fisher, who also owns Backslope Brewing, is no stranger to building trails. He was the trails foreman for the Hungry Horse District beginning in 2009 until recently and prior to that built trails for the Forest Service in Montana and Wyoming for 18 years. He left the Forest Service after the brewery got too busy.
The MCC crew was made up of crew leaders, who will lead other crews on trail projects this summer.
“It went great,” Fisher said. “I’m really happy with the product.”
The trail was paid for through a $12,000 grant from the LOR Foundation and administered by the Flathead Land Trust for the city.
Fisher said the trail is safe and open to the public, but he wants to go in with a MCC youth crew in June and finish up the entrances, which still need work. They’ll also shore up any problems with the trail after spring runoff.