Foy’s to Blacktail Trails Map - Thanks to Shannon (an FTBT volunteer) and a grant from Flathead Electric’s Roundup for Safety program, a map of the miles of trails in and around Herron Park is available. Pick up a hardcopy at Rocky Mountain Outfitter, The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, or at our kiosk in Herron Park. Or download a streamlined Herron Park/Foy’s to Blacktail Trails Map here.

Using the Trails In and Above Herron Park:  FTBT’s Existing and Planned Trails

Matt Brake and MCC volunteers work in the Herron Park meadow on National Trails Day

Until recently, the trails on the 220-acre (down from 320 acres, since FTBT bought 100 acres and added it to the park!) Conservation Fund parcel above Herron Park were mostly user-created–a network of trails that have evolved over time as people explore and use the area. The trails served us well over the years, but problems had become apparent with time. Many of the trails did not shed water well and were prone to erosion. In addition, portions of the existing trails were not sustainable and enjoyable because of their steepness. Finally, there are a number of places where old logging roads simply dead-end without connectivity to other trails.

In an effort to address these concerns, and as part of our plan for adding the Conservation Fund parcel to 220-acre Herron Park (formerly 120 acres, until FTBT added 100 acres!), in fall of 2009 FTBT contracted Forestoration Inc., a professional trail design firm based in Whitefish to design a comprehensive trail system. The heart of  this system  is the Family Trail, built in 2010.  As its name implies, this easy trail averages about 5% grade. Children, joggers, casual walkers, cyclists, cross country skiers, and anyone who prefers a gentle trail now have a scenic means to reach the ridge top without overexertion or fear of the descent back down to the meadow.

In addition, the Family Trail  serves as a major connecting trail for those seeking loop opportunities. One of the limitations of the existing trails is that while there are many miles of them, few are actual loops. Therefore, much of the proposed new singletrack trail interconnects with the existing system. In total FTBT is planning for almost 6 miles of new trail, 3 miles of which were built in 2010.  When completed, and combined with the Foy’s Overlook trail (0.4 km) the Chase Family Forest Trail (2.5 miles built in 2007) and the existing doubletrack trails,  we’ll have about 14 miles of trail!  More importantly, the Trails Plan calls for dozens of loop options of varied difficulty.

In designing the trails, planners found some wonderful places on the property and in almost all instances were able to route the trail from one special spot to another. When completed, the trails will provide a far more scenic, safe and enjoyable experience for all users than we originally had.

Foy’s to Blacktail Trails is pleased to announce that it will soon be using TRAFx vehicle counters. These electronic counters gather data that will help us manage our trails and better estimate the number of trail users.  Reliable data on the number of people using our trails is useful in applying for grants and seeking donations for this project. We are grateful to Flathead County Parks for their assistance with the purchase of these devices.

A volunteer is building and posting trail signs

FTBT  hosted a public meeting on January 13, 2010 at the Lone Pine Visitors Center to to obtain public comments on our proposed Trail Plan.   We passed out surveys to gather facts and opinions about current and proposed  Herron Park and Conservation Fund trail usage at the meeting. We also collected survey responses online through April 15, 2010.  We received 87  responses. You can download survey results here.

Trails Extending South Toward Blacktail Mountain
Most of the land extending south from Herron Park to Blacktail Mountain is owned either by Plum Creek Timber, Stoltze Lumber Company, or the U.S. Forest Service (see overview map).  There is more than one way to get from Herron Park to Blacktail Mountain and the routes utilize and intersect various logging roads, the location of which are subject to change or become abandoned without notice. Many of them abruptly dead-end. Eventually FTBT hopes to work with the various landowners to establish a single, designated route extending to Blacktail Mountain. Our current priority, however, is protecting access to the gateway to these lands–without the Conservation Fund property, there can be no access south to Blacktail Mountain! If you are trying to find a route to Blacktail Mountain, you may wish to check a nationally popular website, www.everytrail.com, to see if GPS coordinates showing a route to Blacktail have been posted. Be aware that routes are not signed or maintained and you bear sole responsibility for your safety and comfort.

Project area overview map by Mobile LoGIStics Mapping of Whitefish.

Overview Map of FTBT Project Area From Herron Park to Blacktail Mountain