Marshall Mountain Master Planning Process

The 2018 Open Space Bond Fund Process and Usage:

The Missoula County Commissioners and the Missoula City Council voted to commit $2 million total from open space bond funds towards the acquisition of Marshall Mountain Park at a joint hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The Commissioners and City Council must still approve agreements on ownership and maintenance. Agreements are tentatively scheduled to go before the Council and Commission in late October or early November. Meeting times will be posted on this page when they become available.

On July 13, the County's Open Lands Citizen Advisory Committee and the City's Open Space Advisory Committee each voted in favor of recommending Open Space Bond funds for the acquisition of Marshall Mountain Park. The County Commissioners and Missoula City Council will consider this recommendation at a joint hearing on the one-time use of up to $1 million each (up to $2 million total) of open space bond funds for the purpose of acquiring the 480 acres as part of the Marshall Mountain Park project.

The Open Space Bond funding request is subjected to the standard City and County open space acquisition processes, including an extensive public process with multiple opportunities for citizen engagement beginning Spring of 2023, and culminating with a City Council and County Commissioner vote on Open Space Bond funding on October 4, 2023, as well as a separate County Commissioner hearing on the acquisition and management. The acquisition is time-sensitive, as the current lease on the base area will end this fall, and the risk of losing public access to the site returns.

City of Missoula Open Space Advisory Committee and Missoula County Open Lands Committee

The City of Missoula Open Space Advisory Committee and Missoula County Open Lands Committee serve as Citizen Advisory Committees on Open Space. The purpose of these committee's is to advise on the usage of open space bond funds and if it projects fit the appropriate usage of the 2018 Open Space Bond Funds. If a project is suitable for open space bond funds they will recommend the project to Missoula City Council and County Commissioners. In addition, they do to the best of their abilities to implement open space plans with a major focus on acquisitions and land improvements to parks, trails, and other open space.

Marshall Mountain Draft Design results and Marshall Mountain Resource Inventory are in.

These two new reports have been added. Missoula Parks and Recreation conducted an online public comment survey on the draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park in December 2022. The survey referenced the Shared Community Vision drafted in 2021 and the draft Design Concept. The Marshall Mountain Draft Design Concept Public Comment Summary shows the results of the survey. The Marshall Mountain Resource Inventory Report covers parcel history, natural resources, biological inventories and surveys, cultural resources, built infrastructure, and monitoring efforts. If you are interested in future information updates and surveys, please use the "Stay Informed" and subscribe buttons.

Residents can now enjoy 320 acres of open space at the former Marshall Mountain Ski Area, located at 5250 Marshall Canyon Dr. Thanks to a generous agreement with property owners, the City has a short-term lease with an option to purchase the 160-acre base area parcel and a use agreement with Five Valleys Land Trust for the 160-acre mid-mountain parcel.

Later this year, City and County elected officials will consider whether to preserve Marshall Mountain as public open space for $1.92 million. Funding for the purchase could come from the 2018 Open Space Bond and additional sources like grants, donations, and public-private partnerships. As in all open space acquisitions, the purchase would be subject to an extensive public process with numerous opportunities for citizen engagement. The master park plan and accompanying financial information will help inform the community’s decision.

The City is working with many partners, including but not limited to neighboring communities of East Missoula and Bonner/Milltown, Missoula County, Five Valleys Land Trust and MTB Missoula, to secure this area for future generations. Project partners have launched the park planning process at the request of residents and elected officials to help answer questions about development and maintenance costs should the community acquire the park for public ownership.

Draft Design Concept

Missoula Parks and Recreation conducted an online public comment survey on the draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park in December 2022. The Marshall Mountain Draft Design Concept Public Comment Summary shows the results of the survey.

Master planning process:

The public comment period for the Marshall Mountain Park Conceptual Master Plan has ended.
A master park plan serves as a long-range vision for the future development and programming of the park and its resources. The plan includes estimated construction costs, a feasibility study and an operational business plan to ensure that the proposed program is physically and financially feasible and to determine the best structure for operating and maintaining the park. In addition, a master park plan includes phased development strategies with a development timeline dependent on public process outcomes and available funding.

The project team has undertaken an iterative planning and design process to develop a draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park. The concept identifies scalable programmatic and design elements that can be successful at different levels of investment. The program and design concept were developed using the following framework of prioritized tiers of Marshall Mountain users:

Mountain-based self-initiated recreation (i.e., everyday users)
Mountain-based programmed recreation (Parks and Recreation programs and private/nonprofit recreation programming.)
Public events (open to the public but not necessarily hosted by a public agency.)
Private events (closed to the public, i.e., weddings, private parties, etc.)

Next Steps:

TIMELINE:

May 2023: The final conceptual master plan is available to the public for feedback.
Spring/Summer 2023: City and county open space advisory boards will discuss the use of bond funds for the acquisition of all three parcels and make recommendations to City Council and County Commission.
Summer/Fall 2023: The County Commission, with input from the Missoula County Parks & Trails Advisory Board, will vet the possibility of Missoula County becoming the long-term owner and manager of Marshall Mountain.
Fall 2023: A joint city-county public hearing will be held to vote on the use of open space bond funding to acquire Marshall Mountain Park.
Winter 2023/2024: Pending public hearings related to acquisition funding for the project in the fall, the County Commission will make a final decision on County ownership and management of Marshall Mountain; acquisition of the three parcels could then occur.

City Council Committee and Meetings calendar can be found here.

Fundraising: Ongoing

At the end of the 24-month lease period, the City of Missoula will have the option to purchase the 320-acre Marshall Mountain Base Area Property (Izzy Dog property and 5 Valleys Land Trust parcel) for $1,925,000. Potential funding sources may include but are not limited to grants and donations, public/private partnerships and 2018 City-County Open Space bond funds.

Friends of Marshall Mountain, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is tasked with raising funds for the acquisition and the master plan implementation of Marshall Mountain Park.

Marshall Mountain Park is Open to the Public!

Please review the Marshall Mountain Park rules and trail map before visiting. Public access is permitted by an agreement with the property owner, Izzy Dog, LLC. The site could be closed if users do not follow the posted rules and guidelines. Please use the park safely, responsibly and respectfully to preserve future community access. Thanks for your cooperation and support.

You are recreating on private property; respect property owners and neighbors.
Day use only—no overnight camping or parking.
Dogs are not permitted at this time*.
Watch for trail use and type—some trails are one-way, bikes only.
Stay on trails, and recreate safely.
The park may be reserved for programs and special events. Learn more.

Partnering with the community to preserve public access

Izzy Dog, LLC owns the Marshall Mountain Base Area Property and is offering the Missoula community a unique opportunity to preserve Marshall Mountain and build a mountain-based recreation area that residents can readily access and enjoy.

At the end of the lease period, the City of Missoula will have the option to purchase the 320-acre Marshall Mountain Base Area Property (Izzy Dog property and adjacent 5 Valleys Land Trust parcel) for $1,925,000.

The acquisition will be subject to the standard City open space acquisition processes, including an extensive public process with multiple opportunities for citizen engagement, culminating in a City Council vote. Potential funding sources may include but are not limited to grants, donations, public/private partnerships, and 2018 City-County Open Space bond funds.

During the lease period, the City of Missoula will collaborate with community partners to develop strategies to fund property acquisition, design, planning, and development.

*Due to the anticipated high volume of recreational use and the design of the existing trail system, dogs are not allowed on-site during the lease period. Based on community feedback during the upcoming public planning process, dogs may or may not be permitted later. For now, please enjoy recreating with your pooch pals on the hundreds of miles of shared-use, dog-accessible trails elsewhere within the Missoula Valley.

We have concluded the Community Visioning Process (for now) see below for more information on the process and stay tuned for project updates and more ways to engage. Take a virtual tour of Marshall Mountain Park.

The Draft Shared Community Vision is now available:

Shared Community Vision FINAL DRAFT

Who has been involved?

We kicked off the community visioning process with a series of stakeholder meetings to think broadly about what Marshall Mountain could be. Many people participated including representatives from organizations focused on: equity and inclusion, local communities, outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and local land management agencies.

Banner Image by Spin Virtual Tours + Photography