06/01/2026
City Commission meeting tonight! The 2026 Open Lands work plan doesn't include any bike-specific or major singletrack projects, but it does include one item that has generated a lot of conversation recently. Since we imagine most of our constituency shares our broad interest in our public lands, we want to share an update with you and equip you to participate in the conversation should you want.
The Open Lands department is proposing to work on a portion of the DeFord trail below (north of) the archery range. This will realign the trail in a few locations to reduce the slope and resurface the trail. Along with this, they propose to change the parking situation from the current fenced lot to angled parking off to the side of Davis Street. This would look like the current situation on Lime Kiln or at Dump Gulch.
As KTVH reported last week, this has become controversial since the end of the public comment period. The reasons for this are obscure. All the comments in support we heard at this week's commission administrative meeting were grounded in observable issues and the comments in opposition were conceptual or philosophical.
Our view is that improving the DeFord Trail is much needed to accommodate an underserved portion of our community - those with mobility or ability constraints. That is why we supported the Ambrose accessible trail on Mount Helena and participated in the collaborative group that helped reconfigure upper Davis, including the universal access trail. Many of those users will arrive by vehicle. Expecting a young family who lives in Sun Haven to walk or ride to a trailhead is unreasonable. At the same time, we feel the reconfigured parking lot will improve safety by separating the parking lot from Davis Street traffic and rationalizing the current free-for-all situation.
If you want more information on the proposal, the city's 2026 workplan and the comments they received from the public are available at the link below in comments. The DeFord/Davis project is the first one in the plan.
If you share our view that an improved parking lot and DeFord trail would benefit Helena, we encourage you to weigh in on this conversation. You may provide a public comment at the city commission meeting tonight Monday (6/1) at 6:00 in room 330 of the City-County building. You may also submit a written comment from the commission webpage.
