Information on the Corridor of Discovery Trail
A 95-mile Bike/ Pedestrian Trail between Helena and Great Falls, MT

A historic transportation corridor was established and constructed by the Montana Central Railway in 1886-1888 between Helena and Great Falls, Montana. This corridor was operated as a railroad by Montana Central Railway until 1907, by the Great Northern Railway 1907-1970, and by Burlington Northern and BNSF from 1970 until the present.

This railroad corridor has now been out-of-service for over three years and has been identified as an “at risk rail line” in danger of abandonment by the Montana Department of Transportation. Formal abandonment of the railroad line would potentially fragment the transportation corridor into many ownerships that would be difficult if not impossible to re-assemble into a functional railroad should future economic conditions warrant.

A mechanism called “Railbanking” would protect the connective and continuous nature of this historic transportation corridor while allowing other uses beneficial to the public. The 95-mile long railroad corridor between Helena and Great Falls is well suited to become a world-class long distance Rail Trail equal to many of the top trails in the country. Such a Rail Trail, tentatively named the “Corridor of Discovery Trail” would enable the urban bike/pedestrian systems in both Great Falls and Helena to make important new connections with nearby and suburban neighborhoods.

Such a Rail Trail would also provide new bike/pedestrian facilities for residents of the many smaller communities along the corridor. The “Corridor of Discovery Trail” would provide economic development opportunities in Helena and Great Falls, and in the smaller communities in between similar to those generated by the “Trail of the Coeur d’ Alenes” developed in Idaho in 2004, and other well-visited Rail Trails in use around the country.

The “Corridor of Discovery Trail” between Helena and Great Falls, following along the  Missouri River and Little Prickly Pear Creek, would be one of the most scenic and marketable trails in the country and would provide Montana and our region with a new world-class tourism destination. The use of the “Corridor of Discovery Trail” by area residents and visitors from all over the world would create an array of new and expanded businesses and support services and new jobs in both cities and the communities along the trail. 

Your support will help move this exciting project forward.  Show your support for the project by printing the Signatures of Public Support Form, have you and your friends sign it, and return to Corridor of Discovery, 210 S Cooke, Helena, MT  59601.