On Thursday, July 11th, 2024, Billings TrailNet hosted its Annual Meeting and Trail Summit at Meadowlark Brewing. About 75 people were in attendance to hear about the organization’s financial situation, the status of the Stagecoach Trail and learn how to get more involved.
The Marathon Loop is a work in progress and has taken years to be 85% complete. Plus, many other trails continue to need advocacy and funding. Billings TrailNet hopes that by providing information to its members and the general public about plans to further develop these facilities, it will lead to more involvement and more success.
Aside from the work that has been done to ensure funding of the Stagecoach Trail, Billings TrailNet is setting its sights on five different projects:
- North 27th Street Trail (or Yellowjacket Trail) from the MSUB campus to the airport, connecting with the Skyline Trail
- 5th Avenue Corridor from downtown to the MetraPark
- Dick Johnson Bridge to connect Lockwood to downtown Billings
- Downtown to Coulson Park
- Riverfront Park to Zoo Montana
These projects are important because trails build community, reconnect neighborhoods divided by traffic and promote active transportation and recreation activities for residents and visitors. Now more than ever, people are riding, running and walking outdoors on our network of 55 miles of trails!
While Billings TrailNet focuses on multiuse paved or concrete trails in the urban setting, many residents also enjoy soft surface trails in city parks and in the county. These recreation areas are often within a 10 minute drive from urban neighborhoods.
The Trail Summit brought Billings Parks and Recreation, Pedal United, City County Planning, City Engineering and Yellowstone River Parks Association (YRPA) to the event to share their work.
BTN also answered some frequently asked questions.
Why won’t the campgrounds near the river allow trails through them?
Where is the Stagecoach Trail in the process of being built? Is it fully funded?
There’s a hazard on or relating to a trail I want to report.
When will you have another maintenance event?
What can you do about people who don’t announce themselves when they’re passing slower trail users, and help with trail etiquette?
Do you host trail rides?
Are e-bikes allowed on the trails?
How many miles of trails are there?
When is Ales for Trails?
How do I volunteer?
Do I need TIPS training?
Do you ever work with YRPA or Pedal United?
Do you need more board members?
Why does it cost so much to build a trail?
Can you help me re-home a bike?
This is due to security and privacy concerns for their guests whom they want to have great experiences as paying customers. This is something we hope to revisit in the future!
The Stagecoach Trail matching funds have been approved and the engineering is out for bid. Next up: bid awards and design… which may take several months to a year to complete and be approved by Montana Department of Transporation and the Feds.
Report hazards to the Parks and Recreation Department at (406)-657-8371.
Billings TrailNet helps with trail cleanups a few times per year. Our next cleanup is scheduled Thursday, August 15, 2024 at Riverfront Park at 6:00 pm.
Billings TrailNet recently organized center striping on the Big Ditch Trail to give users a visual reminder to stay right and pass on the left. Often, people in groups scatter to both sides of the trail when a bicyclist announces themselves. Striping encourages groups to move to the right of the center line when someone is passing.
Billings TrailNet is also organizing a messaging campaign on the trail for short, easy rules to follow for all to share the trail.
We are proud to partner with our corporate member, The Spoke Shop, who hosts three rides every week:
- Mondays- road rides
- Wednesdays- trail rides
- Saturdays- multiuse trail rides
Check out their calendar for details here.
Yes, e-bikes are allowed on the trails. According to Montana State Law, (61-8-102, MCA) defines “electrically assisted bicycles” as a bicycle with two operational pedals with a motor attached propels the bicycle and a rider who weighs 170 pounds no faster than 20 miles an hour.
The state does not require license or registration. E-bikes may be ridden on roadways and bicycle paths unless local ordinances prohibit them. Billings currently does not have a policy prohibiting e-bikes from paths.
There are more than 55 miles of multiuse urban trails in Billings.
Ales for Trails is always the first Friday after Labor Day in September. In 2024, this falls on Sept. 6.
You can sign up here to volunteer.
We only require TIPS training for volunteers who are handling alcohol. We have two dates scheduled with the Billings PD: August 8th at 6 pm and August 17th at 10 am. The location of the police department is 4810 Midland Rd. To register for a class, click on the date.
The cost is $15 with cash or checks payable to Billings TrailNet.
Yes, we partner whenever there is a project which could involve river trails or mountain biking trails.
We head up the community-wide trails committee, where all outdoor recreation organizations are invited to share their work and collaborate. Quarterly meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at noon at the Rock 31 (201 N Broadway in downtown Billings) in January, April, July and October.
Together with YRPA, we have written and received a grant from Mountain Dew to install bike repair stations on two trails and in John H. Dover Memorial Park.
We strive to provide multiuse trail access to mountain biking trails. Whenever possible, we promote grants and support each others’ efforts to make Billings less reliant on vehicles to access recreation.
We are community partners with both organizations and are happy to have more collaborative efforts to boost local recreation for our residents and visitors.
We are always taking applications. If you are interested, please email kristi@billingstrailnet.org.
Engineering, Right-of-Way acquisition, trail surface material (concrete lasts longer and is easier to maintain than pavement), width, grade, ADA accessibility, needed structures, signage and amenities all affect total construction cost. This does not include research, design, and planning.
A study by the City of Portland calculated that the city’s entire bicycle network, consisting of over 300 miles of bikeways would cost $60 million to replace (2008 dollars), whereas the same investment would yield just one mile of a four-lane urban freeway.
While Billings TrailNet focuses on our mission of building trails, we do want to help where we can.
We created a discussion forum on our website for members to buy and sell bikes, discuss topics and ask us questions. If you would like to join the forum, contact us for details.
We also created a Facebook Page called The Billings Bike Project to help bikes find homes.
And Nations to Neighbors Montana, is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting refugees who are resettled in our community. They are currently collecting bikes for families who need them. If you have a bike to donate, please reach out to them at 406-534-9318.