by Elyse Monat, Active Transportation Planner for the City of Billings Bike racks in downtown Billings Billings will more than double the number of bike racks in downtown in the next year thanks to a generous grant from the Montana Office of Tourism & Business Development. The grant funded approximately 30 racks, which will be […]
Billings submitted three grant applications to Recreational Trails Program in January- comments open!
by Elyse Monat, Active Transportation Planner for the City of Billings The Billings community submitted three applications to the Recreational Trails Program Grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The applications include proposals for a double-vault toilet at Shiloh Conservation Area from the City of Billings, single track trails from Pedal United, and a trail […]
Billings Career Center student helps with the Skyline Trail project
Carrie Carpenter and Billings TrailNet’s executive director, Kristi Drake by Tom Howard Carrie Carpenter spends her mornings a West High, her afternoons at the Career Center and many hours after school helping to develop the Billings trail system. Like many career-oriented high school juniors, she has begun visiting college campuses, looking for a program that […]
Billings TrailNet welcomes Kathy James to our Board of Directors!
Kathy James has been a long time supporter and advocate for Billings TrailNet, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Kathy to the team. Kathy has lived in Billings since 1981. She was raised on a farm near Cascade, Montana and attended St. Patrick School of Nursing in Missoula. She and her late husband […]
Overhead Door Company of Southern Montana is a proud corporate member of Billings TrailNet
Overhead Door Company of Southern Montana owner, Steve Madsen, has been biking for years. We laughed at his story of a garage install at The Spoke Shop several years ago, when he couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful bikes in the store. When he finished the job he returned to buy three of them! […]
Thank you Rocky Mountain Bank for being our corporate member!
We interviewed Beth Stephenson, Regional Marketing and Sales Support Director for Rocky Mountain Bank, about why this Montana bank chose to support the trails with a corporate membership. “A vibrant trail system gives our employees a great place to live, work and play,” explained Beth, who noted that many employees at Rocky Mountain Bank enjoy […]
MDT’s Regional Director Stefan Streeter retires
Stefan Streeter, the District 5 Administrator of Montana Department of Transportation, celebrated his retirement last Friday with more than 200 MDT employees, plus guests from City of Billings Planning and Public Works departments, and Billings TrailNet and others. Stefan has become a friend and supporter of Billings TrailNet over the past few years and has […]
Montana Businesses + Outdoor Recreation= a prosperous community
Earlier this month I went to Whitefish to attend the Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit. Two hundred fifty people swarmed the beautiful Grouse Mountain Lodge for this inaugural Summit, which was so popular it sold out within days. One of my biggest takeaways from the Summit was that businesses rely on our outdoor […]
Trail from Zimmerman Trail underpass and Zimmerman Park slated for hard surfacing this summer
The trail between Zimmerman Park parking lot and Zimmerman Trail underpass will be paved with millings this summer, after Riverside Contracting relocates the millings from the roundabout bypass to the trail. Riverside Contracting estimates that June 2019 will be the date of completion. Plan to celebrate with us in late June 2019 with a grand […]
Heart & Sole Run donates $8,500 to trails and the YMCA
On October 24, members of the Heart & Sole Run planning team; plus major sponsors, The Billings Gazette and St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation; and a crowd of children flocked into the gym at the YMCA to present Billings TrailNet and the YMCA with checks for $8,500 each to benefit active and healthy lifestyles. Thank you […]
Enjoy a run before the big feast- and if you don’t run, please volunteer!
Thursday November 22, 2018 Yellowstone RimRunners is hosting the annual Run Turkey Run event- a great time and good exercise before the big feast. They need volunteers to serve as course guards and beer pourers. · Course Guards (need 20+) – time needed 8 -10:30 am · Beer Pourers – 8:30 am -11:30 am Location […]
Thank you Anytime Fitness for your continued support as a corporate member!
Anytime Fitness has been a long time corporate member of Billings TrailNet, and we appreciate their dedication to building a healthy, active community through their support! Donnette Roberts, owner of one Anytime Fitness location in Billings, stays involved because she wants to “Make healthy happen, encourage people to get out on the trails and promote […]
JOIN us for Billings TrailNet’s Membership Appreciation Event
Thursday, Nov. 15 at 5:30, we will be gathering at Yellowstone Cellars to celebrate our members, volunteers and the trails! Billings TrailNet will honor the Heart & Sole Run, corporate members and individuals at its Membership Appreciation Event Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. Members and donors such as these play a vital role in the mission […]
BTN will attend and present at The Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit in Whitefish December 4, 2018
BTN’s Executive Director Kristi Drake was recently invited to be a panelist for, and to attend, The Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit. She was asked to provide her knowledge of communicating the economic value of trails to elected officials. Nearly 250 participants from industry, community, and conservation are expected to attend this summit, along with […]
Billings Chamber of Commerce and Healthy by Design team up to learn more on how to lead healthy communities
The Billings Chamber of Commerce has been selected as one of just 10 Chambers across the nation to participate in an exciting new healthy communities program through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. In early October, Jennifer Reiser, Chief Operating Officer of the Chamber, and Melissa Henderson from the Healthy By Design Coalition, attended […]
Meet Doug Habermann, Bike Walk Montana’s new Executive Director
by contributing editor, Tom Howard Doug Habermann, a long-time trail advocate and friend of Billings TrailNet, is the new executive director of Bike Walk Montana. Habermann moved from Billings to Helena just days after completing more than 30 years of service with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, most recently as regional manager of state parks. […]
Trails are infrastructure, exactly like roads. With no dedicated source of funding, how will we build them?
Billings Public Works Director, Dave Mumford and Billings TrailNet’s Executive Director, Kristi Drake, presented a solution to the trail funding shortfall to City Council on Monday, Oct. 1. They asked City Council to consider asking all households in the Billings community to pay $24 per year to a trail fund, which could generate approximately $1 […]
BTN’s October 1 Presentation will educate City Council on the need for publicly supported trail fund for construction and reconstruction of trails
Residents, employers and the next generation are demanding more and connected trails. Trails provide many benefits to the entire community; transportation benefits – by reduction of vehicular congestion, health benefits – through increased opportunities for physical activity, safety benefits – reducing conflict between pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicular traffic, as well as connectivity to and from […]
Nature is calling! Now you can enjoy the natural beauty of Zimmerman Park and answer “THE CALL” without a mad dash back to the car and home.
Billings is fortunate to have natural parks and trails to walk, hike, run and ride within a few minutes of many neighborhoods. Zimmerman Park is one such area packed with active users every day; and weekends in warm weather see a full parking lot and a myriad of activities there. With a generous donation from […]
Congratulations to BTN board member Kyle Hanson, for envisioning and coordinating a strider bike park for kids!
Wow! Now little kids can have a safe but adventurous ride at a great new strider bike park in Billings, thanks to Billings TrailNet’s awesome board member Kyle Hanson, about 200 volunteers and a grant from People for Bikes. Billings Parks and Recreation Department will continue to develop the strider bike park. Volunteers and supporters […]