Light the Trail: Missoula’s Bitterroot Path Gets a Glow-Up

A portion of Missoula’s Bitterroot Trail is getting ready for a visual upgrade. Everyone who uses the trail will have improved visibility. The new lighting system that’s being installed should be completed by the end of this month.  

Lighting Up Missoula’s Bitterroot Trail

The Bitterroot Trail is an almost 50-mile paved path that runs between Missoula and Hamilton and is open for walkers and bicycle riders. This project has been decades in the making, with the help of multiple communities along the Highway 93 corridor.  

Join the Community Parade and Lighting Event

According to a press release from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, the public is invited to a trail lighting event planned for Thursday, October 30, at 6:15 p.m., near the Central Avenue crossing at the northeast corner of Montana Rail Link (MRL) Park. 

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Mayor Andrea Davis will be on hand to host a countdown to “flip the switch” and light up the approximately 182 lights along the 2.7-mile stretch of trail. Mayor Davis will then lead a bicycle parade along the newly lit trail.  

Trail users, walkers, runners, and cyclists are invited to wear their best or most creative lights and join the Mayor for a parade of lights down the newly lit trail. We encourage people to reduce waste by utilizing reusable light sources. 

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The new lights will make that stretch of trail safer for the public, and they comply with the City’s Outdoor Lighting Ordinance to help preserve the night sky.