In addition to all of the benefits taking place at businesses in town during Friends Week, people were busy on the trail all week long. Volunteer guided outings, kids on the trail, and a volunteer trail project were all on the agenda!
Thank you to the volunteers who spent National Trails Day giving back to the trails that give you access to your favorite natural spaces around Whitefish. In partnership with Montana Conservation Corps, we completed tread work on a wet section of Swift Creek trail in addition to maintaining and digging drainage features. We will be doing a lot more work with volunteers throughout the summer so keep checking back for more info.
Members of the community also got out on the trail for a six-mile guided hike on the Swift Creek section with WLP board member and HD4 Representative Ed Lieser, and Heidi Van Everen, WLP Executive Director. It was a great way to celebrate National Trails Day while also learning more about the complexities involved in creating this treasured recreational asset. Thanks also to the Whitefish Bike Patrol who led an all level bike ride from the Beaver Lake Trailhead before a tour of the new Whitefish Bike Retreat. Look for more educational opportunities and outings on the trail this summer with our “Evenings on the Whitefish Trail” program.
You may have also run into some larger groups of kids last week on the Whitefish Trail. The entire seventh grade class spent three hours hiking and running after learning about the history of the Whitefish Trail. A group of younger children spent an afternoon with Ravenwood playing games, singing songs, and exploring the trail. Learning how to make rope out of fibers and finding natural clay along the trail were among the highlights. Thank you to Ravenwood for sharing their love of nature with the kids!
It’s ON the Whitefish Trail!