Open Lands & Trails

Beginning Aug. 4, the City of Helena will initiate an extensive two-month long fuel reduction project in the City’s natural parks. Hand crews will thin forested areas located in the in the western portion of Mount Helena City Park and then move on to the north face of Mount Ascension Natural Park.  Trees designated with a blue flag affixed to their trunk will be pruned to a height of 6-8 feet to increase base canopy height.  Crews will reduce tree crown densities by felling trees occurring within pink-flagged treatment units that are not designated with a blue flag.  Felled trees are segmented and assembled into slash piles for eventual burn disposal. 

Tree thinning activities will begin next week at the Tubbs Trailhead. To maintain public safety, the City will temporarily close portions of Ambrose, Road-To-Mars, Diretissima and Prairie Trails. Please refer to the attached map indicating areas of forestry activities and which trail segments are subject to closure during the Mount Helena phase of this project. Information related to the Mount Ascension treatment plan is set to release ahead of that phase.

This project is made possible through a Hazardous Fuels Reduction Grant administered by the Montana Department of Nature Resources and funded through the U.S. Forest Service.

Click to view the Queen City Fuels Project Trail Closures Map - Mt. Helena(JPG, 1MB)   

The City of Helena’s trial maintenance crew continues to maintain a swift pace as it works through the South Hills Trail System:

• In the last two weeks Helena’s trail maintenance crew has completed tread repair and drainage work on the following trails: Andy’s, Bompart, Capital View, Catch Up, Contour, Meatloaf, Pan Handle, Powerline (lower portions) Prickly Pear, Prospect Shafts (lower portions) Reeders, Rocky Road, and Road-to-Mars. The periodic moisture that the Helena area has experienced over the last two weeks has greatly enhanced the efforts of the city’s trail maintenance crew working within the South Hills trail system. Soil needs adequate moisture for shaping and compaction during trail maintenance and construction. The City’s trail maintenance crew will be intently focused on trail tread and drainage repair as it takes advantage of this opportunity that nature has provided.
• Grass mowing and trimming work is nearing completion as Helena prepares to enter into the summer wildfire season. To date, grasslands occurring within 8 intercity open lands tracts and 3 trailheads have been maintained. The entire City trail maintenance crew was deployed on this years Mount Helena, Reeders Village Trailhead mowing and trimming effort, which allowed the crew to reopen the parking area in under three hours. An impressive effort that has raised the bar for next year’s open lands trail maintenance crew!
• An energetic group of volunteers completed the grass seeding of burn piles located along the Aftershock and Archery Range Trails. The Park Department extends our gratitude to all who participated in this critical reclamation effort.

The City’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Lands team wishes all trail users the very best on their trail excursions as we proceed into the heart of Montana’s summer season.  Helena’s trail maintenance crew will be working tirelessly to ensure that the city’s trails and trailheads within the open lands system are in top-notch condition.

If you're interested in hosting an event or commercial activity on the City's Open Lands, there is an application process.  The City will consider requests for races, fundraiser runs, guided tours or hikes, please contact the Parks/Open Lands Administrative Office at 406-447-8463.

*IMPORTANT* These data are NOT the official records and may be inaccurate and incomplete. Original and official copies of deeds, surveys, plats and ownership information are available at the Lewis & Clarke County Clerk and Recorder office. By using this GIS information, the user acknowledges and accepts fully responsibility for verifying the correctness and the completeness of any of the information provided here. The City of Helena and Lewis & Clarke County do not warrant, either explicit or implied, the completeness or accuracy of the information provided. Additionally, the city and county accept no liability of any kind, including but not limited to any losses or damages that may result from the wrongful reliance on this information, and the user also accepts full responsibility for any subsequent use of reuse of the data, and shall be solely responsible for results or any damages which may result from the use of any of these data. This map does not necessarily depict road ownership or maintenance, wither public or private. Nor, does it necessarily depict all roadways in the county. The data shown on this map were derived from various sources at different scales for a variety of purposes, and there is great variability in the spatial accuracy of the different data sets. Therefore, there may be some mis-alignment between data sets and layers.

• Hunting, firing a bow, or firing a gun is prohibited on city open lands. Archery is allowed only at Davis Gulch archery range. To use the facility requires a membership to the local archery association.
• Camp fires or any open fires are prohibited on city open lands.
• Camping is prohibited on any parks unless written permission is given by the Open Lands Manager.
• Dogs must be kept on leash within 100 yards of the trailhead and are expected to remain on leashes at trailheads. Dogs on trails must be either kept on a leash or within site and under voice control. These precautions are to prevent unwanted interactions between people, other dogs and wildlife. To report problems with dogs please call Animal Control at the police non-emergency number (406)442-3233 or if it is an emergency call 911. We also ask that you pick up and dispose of all dog waste.
• Gathering firewood is prohibited unless authorized by the Open Lands Manager. The city donates some of the downed materials from our fuel reduction projects as firewood for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP). This is coordinated with volunteers to split and transport the cut wood to LIEAP, who then disperses the material to those who qualify for the program.
• Horseback riding is prohibited on city property. With the variety of public lands in the area it is important to know the boundaries between city and state or federal ground.
• In order to keep the open lands pristine for wildlife and for continued recreational use, we must pick up after ourselves. If everyone properly disposes of their waste, we can achieve that goal. We follow the motto- Pack it in, Pack it out.
• The use of motor vehicles such as ATVs, 4-wheelers, trucks and motorcycles is prohibited on open lands unless authorized. Authorized use would be for an open land maintenance related project. All other motor vehicle use would require approval by the Open Lands Manager.

Helena Open Lands Management Plan 2004

Helena Open Lands Management Plan 2004(PDF, 13MB)

Chapter 7 Rewrite of the Helena Open Lands Management Plan 2004(PDF, 859KB)

Helena Open Lands Management Plan 2004 - Appendices(PDF, 48MB)

2021 Maintenance Work Plan(PDF, 8MB)

Chapter 7 Open Lands Management Plan(PDF, 859KB)

Helena Open Lands Public Involvement Process for Recreation(PDF, 415KB)

• 2025 Proposed Major Projects(PDF, 11MB)
• 2021 Proposed Major Projects(PDF, 1MB)
• Combined Trails Projects 2020-20201 Initial Review(PDF, 3MB)