{"id":2082096,"date":"2026-08-07T10:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2082096"},"modified":"2026-08-07T10:07:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:07:00","slug":"columbia-falls-montana-will-soon-boast-25-miles-of-singletrack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2082096","title":{"rendered":"Columbia Falls, Montana will soon boast 25 miles of singletrack"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"A<\/a>
Photo: Gateway to Glacier Trails<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When all is said and done, the Cedar Flats Trail System just north of Columbia Falls, Montana, will consist of 25 miles of multi-use singletrack. The massive project was undertaken by Gateway to Glacier Trails<\/a>, the local advocacy group.<\/p>\n

And now that they are done with the more beginner-friendly trails in phases I and II, the group is moving on to a more challenging 13-mile phase III.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Photo: Seth Anderson Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cedar Flats provides more riding opportunities for Columbia Falls<\/h2>\n

Columbia Falls is just north of Kalispell, Montana, on the doorstep of Glacier National Park. And while riding opportunities surround the area, there aren\u2019t any trail systems close to the city itself.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPrior to the construction of Cedar Flats, local residents were packing their bikes up and traveling to nearby towns to ride established trails,\u201d Amanda Minatra, Program Coordinator for Gateway to Glacier Trails, told Singletracks.<\/p>\n

The project first landed on people\u2019s radars in 2017, but shovels didn\u2019t hit the dirt until the fall of 2021. In less than five years, Gateway to Glacier Trails built 12 miles of singletrack, two trailheads, and multiple pullouts where trails crossed access roads.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>
Photos: Gateway to Glacier Trails<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Minatra told us that the goal for the first two phases of the Cedar Flats project was to get beginner and intermediate mileage on the ground. Many of the beginner trails lean toward the flowier side, with elevation gains and losses of anywhere from 100 to 200 feet. The intermediate offerings step things up, being both longer and having more elevation. Cedar Ridge, a popular blue trail, trades 500 feet of elevation depending on the direction it is ridden.<\/p>\n

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These trails are also closer to town, providing easier access to the local community, with the ultimate goal of getting more people out on the trails. As more and more of the community utilized the network, they would be more apt to push even further into the trail system.<\/p>\n

Once \u201ccommunity involvement and momentum\u201d were rolling, Gateway to Glacier Trails would \u201cexecute the larger and more technical Phase III trails.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Photo: Jeremiah Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Phase III adds 13 more miles<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe first four miles of Phase III are in progress this summer,\u201d Minatra told us.<\/p>\n

The highlight of this third phase is a 9-mile loop trail on nearby Kelly Ridge. Staying true to its name, the ridge will provide quite a bit more elevation to the trail system and lean more toward intermediate\/advanced riding. Minatra said that the 9-mile loop will have around 1,500 feet of elevation gain and loss. Gateway to Glacier Trails<\/a> is currently working on \u201cTR08,\u201d which Minatra explained is the primary trail from the ridge summit to the valley floor.<\/p>\n

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The group aims to complete this section of the loop this summer.<\/p>\n

All the trails at Cedar Flats are\/will be multi-use and multi-directional. Bikers can expect to encounter hikers, trail runners, and equestrians using the system, with both Gateway to Glacier Trails and the Flathead National Forest emphasizing proper trail etiquette.<\/p>\n

Gateway to Glacier Trails mentioned that while Cedar Flats is a non-motorized trail system, at its heart the system is intended to be multi-use. No trails in the system are intended only for mountain bikes or are designed to be \u201cmountain bike-specific,\u201d necessarily. However, Minatra said that mountain bikers will still be pleased, and that they are already seeing \u201cheavy mountain bike traffic\u201d on the trails.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Photo: Jeremiah Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOne of our contractors, Pete Costain, owner of Terraflow Trails<\/a> and one of the founders of local Legacy Bike Park, is a well-known, respected, and award-winning trailbuilder with an incredible resume of top-tier bike trails,\u201d she said. \u201cTerraflow is currently working on the upper portion of TR08, and we\u2019re certain mountain bikers will enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Montana Made Trails is also involved in the machine-built portions of the trail.<\/p>\n

Teamwork makes the dream work<\/h2>\n

Gateway to Glacier Trails also partnered with DREAM Adaptive Recreation<\/a> to make part of the Cedar Flats Trail System accessible for adaptive riders. Minatra said that the group conducted an accessibility study and currently utilizes Cedar Flats to host rides and some of their programming.<\/p>\n

She also mentioned working with the Flathead Area Mountain Bikers and the Montana Conservation Corps on a few vital projects. \u201cLike building turnpikes in low-lying flood areas, or turning an old, nearly unridable, motorized connector trail into a flowy multiuse connected trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

To date, Cedar Flats has been fully funded through federal, state, and local grants. Where grant funding didn\u2019t reach, Minatra said private donations covered the need. As long as funding continues to come in, Gateway to Glacier Trails expects to complete all 25 miles within the next five years. But because Phase III is more technical, backcountry-style trails, they expect expenses to be a bit higher than the previous mileage.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re proud of this system,\u201d Minatra concluded. \u201cOnce complete, it will have something for everyone. From beginner-friendly flow trails providing a great introduction to mountain biking, to more technical, backcountry feel with some challenge. This type of accessibility so close to town is something we\u2019re really excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo: Gateway to Glacier Trails When all is said and done, the Cedar Flats Trail System just north of Columbia Falls, Montana, will consist of 25 miles of multi-use singletrack. The massive project was undertaken by Gateway to Glacier Trails, the local advocacy group. And now that they are done with the more beginner-friendly trails […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,274],"class_list":["post-2082096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-singletracks-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2082096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2082096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2082096\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2082096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2082096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2082096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}