Missoula Parks and Recreation is making steady headway on developing a site master plan. This document includes:
A drawing of the base area with all structures/parking
A Phase-1 trails plan
An economic model for operating the park
Narrative descriptions of each park feature
If you're wondering why a master plan is necessary, recall that the park property remains privately owned. Permanent public access is not finalized and significant funding is needed to transfer ownership to a public agency.
The master plan will serve as the model to gain approval of funds from a number of sources: existing City and County Open Space Bond Funds, grants, and private donors. The fundraising responsibility is shared with The Friends of Marshall Mountain, a small non-profit group whose members are passionate about making Marshall public forever.
As a primary partner on the project, MTB Missoula has been deeply involved over the past several months providing input on the trail plan. To help win broad public support and funding, we're advocating for inclusion of trails that serve as many rider skill levels as possible -- from expert-only to the first-day rider.
Sit tight, we expect a version of the master to plan to be ready for public review within this calendar year.