Flathead Forest trails budget sees an increase

The Flathead National Forest will have about $553,000 next season for trail work, which is a little better than previous years.

The budget was slashed to about $363,000 during federal sequestration last year and was about $477,000 in 2012.

According to Becky Smith-Powell, the Forest’s recreation program manager, more than $200,000 of the trails budget will go toward capital expenses, with the remainder going to staff and other items.

There are 2,257 miles of trails in the Flathead Forest, including motorized vehicle and ski trails. By comparison, Glacier National Park has about 700 miles of trails, and its trail budget runs close to or at $1 million annually.

The Forest improved 31 miles of trail and maintained about 806 miles this summer, Smith-Powell said during a breakfast gathering of Forest Service and recreationists at the Back Room Restaurant recently. Lesser-used trails may only see maintenance every few years.

Volunteers and other agencies play a big role in maintaining trails both in and out of the wilderness. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Back Country Horsemen of the Flathead, Swan Rangers, Montana Wilderness Association, Montana Conservation Corps, mountain bike groups and other groups pitched in.

Back Country Horsemen president Andy Breland said his group did a “a big heap of work” this summer, but their exact numbers are usually tallied later in the year.

Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Carol Pike said that overall, the public has been pleased with recreational opportunities on the Flathead Forest.

Opportunities for hiking, biking, snowmobiling and camping have improved, she said, and she appreciated the Forest’s recent work on campgrounds and recreation facilities along the west side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

“In the summertime, that’s where our families go,” she said.

But there were some suggestions for improvement. Chuck Jarecki, of the Recreational Aviation Foundation, said his group recently approached the Swan Lake Ranger District about paying for and implementing improvements on the Condon air strip, but hadn’t heard back from anyone yet. Another representative from the group suggested that the Forest plot out a runway for seaplanes on the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

Forest Service officials didn’t give any opinion on whether that would be a good or bad idea.

House District 3 Rep. Jerry O’Neil, R-Columbia Falls, suggested that the Forest allow for livery services to rafting destinations or trailheads. Tourist businesses have expressed an interest in providing that service for guests, he said.

Flathead Forest officials said they, too, have heard from tourist businesses, and it’s a matter of permitting and how fees would be established. The Forest encourages businesses to partner with established outfitters.