Columbia Falls bike path plans progressing

The Gateway to Glacier Trail group hopes to have another chunk of local bike trail under construction later this year. The group is working on a final design for a single track bike path on Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. land on the south side of the river.

Last year, the group was granted a 10-year license to construct the trail along the river from just north of the Flathead River Bridge to just north of the House of Mystery.

Now they’re ready to submit a plan to CFAC. Once that’s OK’d they’ll start work on the trail, said Gateway director Seth Schnebel.

He said there’s already a trail that runs through the property, but it needs some improvements, including a bridge to cross a stream.

When it’s completed, it will be open to non-motorized use. With another bike path slated to go in along U.S. Highway 2 from the bridge to the canyon, the trail could eventually be a loop.

The new Hungry Horse bridge will also accommodate bicycles when its completed next year. It will have a bike and pedestrian lane.

But there’s a greater vision as well — the group is also working with the Forest Service to improve about 30 miles of trails north of Columbia Falls in the Cedar Flats area.

That project is a longer-term project that could take upwards of 30 years, with improved trailheads, bathrooms and other amenities. The idea, noted bike enthusiasts at an open house at Backslope Brewing last week, was to be able to hop on a bicycle in town and be able to ride into the woods — all the way to Foy’s Lake or Glacier National Park or points in between.

That will likely take a greater organization among the biking community, with a countywide organization.

With Columbia Falls and the Canyon becoming more popular places for tourists and residents alike, bike paths are becoming more and more popular.

The group has seen great success over the past few years, having raised the necessary matching funds in the past few years for a bike path that extends from Hungry Horse to West Glacier.