Missoula Parks and Recreation invites residents to tour the new Marshall Mountain Park, enjoy a variety of fun family games and activities, and help plan the park’s future on Sunday, September 12, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Marshall Mountain Park is located at 5250 Marshall Canyon Rd. Parking is limited; carpooling to the event is encouraged.
The free public celebration includes live music, food and beverage vendors, kids and family games, bike races, a moveable bike park, and more. Attendees can learn more about the project and share their ideas for making the new park an inclusive, welcoming environment for all residents. Adults unable to attend are invited to join Parks and Recreation at a free Missoula Movers Coffee Walk at the park on Monday, September 20 at 9 a.m. Coffee Walks include a 90-minute walk or hike followed by coffee and social time.
Thanks to a generous arrangement with current property owners, the City of Missoula has leased the property at the base of Marshall Mountain for the next 18 to 24 months for $10, with an option to purchase the parcel at the end of that term. The City is working with many community partners, including Missoula County, Five Valleys Land Trust and MTB Missoula to secure this area for future generations.
For more information about the project, visit www.engagemissoula.com. Trail guides and more information is posted at www.marshallmountain.com.
Background
- Marshall Mountain Park is a new type of park facility for Missoula – it will function as a cross between a developed park like FMRP and open space like Mount Jumbo.
- Parks and Recreation is on a mission to expose more residents to the endless variety of activities available at Marshall Mountain Park — it’s not just for mountain bikers or skiers. The City is committed to identifying and removing barriers that impede access to parks for all residents, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
- This fall, Parks and Recreation will host an extensive planning process to solicit input from stakeholders, user groups, and residents about how they’d like to see the area managed. Details will be posted at www.engagemissoula.com.
- County residents in East Missoula, Bonner and Milltown are excited about the prospect of having more parkland available to their communities. (Contact Missoula County Parks, Trails and Open Lands Program Manager Juniper Davis at 258-4716 for more information.
- The 160-acre parcel at the foot of Marshall Mountain is critical wildlife habitat and is home to black bears, moose, and many other native species of flora and fauna.
- Demand for summer camps and out-of-school-time care has increased dramatically since 2019. Marshall Mountain Park provides a safe, accessible environment to help kids learn about the wonders of the natural world.
- The City’s goal is to fund the acquisition primarily through public/private partnerships and private donations, and partial funding from the 2018 City/County Open Space remains a possibility. Open Space bond expenditures require an extensive public process and final approval from the City Council and or County Commission.
- Parks and Recreation believes there is a substantial impetus from stakeholders, user groups and the general public to acquire Marshall Mountain for public use. The 2018 county-wide Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Survey found that 71% of households surveyed supported public ownership of the former ski area.
- Since 2002, several public/private collaborations have evolved and failed to purchase the Base Area property as a community recreation area. This sustained community interest in public acquisition of Marshall Mountain, plus the designation of Marshall Mountain as an Open Space Cornerstone in the 2019 City/County Open Space Plan, supports public acquisition of the property.