About 80 runners are set to race through the Flathead National Forest at Cedar Flats on Saturday, taking off from a new trailhead that is central to the expanding trail network.  

The inaugural Cedar Flats trail trot on Aug. 15 is a 10k route of fun, flowy trails that showcases what Gateway to Glacier Trails is all about: connecting communities to open spaces and stewarding Columbia Fall's backyard trails.  

"This is special because it's our first trail running event. It feels like it's been a long time coming," said Amanda Minatra, Gateway to Glacier program coordinator. "We're keeping it simple with a 10k loop. We have a special use permit that caps our number of runners at 80 and it's almost full, which is really exciting." 

Minatra said she hopes the event will be seamless, "nothing too crazy," but with lots of biodegradable glitter, food and music to amp up the stoke.  

"It will also be a great introduction to our new trailhead," she said. 

The 10k will take off from the new Cedar Ridge Trailhead, which will be a main access point for the 13-mile, soon to be 25-mile, trail network.  

The Cedar Ridge Trailhead is up the North Fork Road on Cedar Ridge NF Road 1690. 

The cul-de-sac style trailhead still has some work to be completed, but once it's done, it will have a 30-car lot, ADA parking, horse trailer parking, a kiosk and a vault toilet. 

It will also funnel recreation users to a more centralized, public facing point, rather than the Fourth Avenue trailhead, which is tucked into a residential area.  

"It's going to be a great access point," Minatra said. "Cedar Flats is very intertwined with lots of loop opportunities." 

The Cedar Ridge Trailhead will offer central access in future years as Gateway to Glacier works towards completing the third and final phase of Cedar Flats, a project that began in 2019 and broke ground in 2021.  

"Phase one and two were more focused on flowy, accessible trails in the lower elevation area," Minatra said. "We're really proud to have several miles built to adaptive accessible trails, working with DREAM Adaptive Recreation."  

Phase three consists of an additional 13 miles over the more mountainous Kelly Ridge area. It's north of the existing trails and will have bigger ascents and descents and gorgeous views.  

Working with two local contractors, Gateway to Glacier broke ground on a new 4-mile trail section in the phase three area this summer. Pete Costain with Terraflow is working on the upper half of the new section, and Darren Pfeifle with Montana Made Trails is working on the lower part.  

"It's a different level of trail building," Minatra said.  

Minatra said they hope to have the full 13-mile phase three section complete over the next five years, but the timeline is funding dependent.  

Gateway to Glacier has been fully grant-funded thus far, but they'll look to get more support from the community to keep the gnarlier trail building moving along.  

Gateway to Glacier also maintains the Gateway to Glacier Trail, a shared-use path connecting Hungry Horse to West Glacier, and trails in the Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area.  

They are participating in the month-long Great Fish Community Challenge, which kicked off yesterday, Aug. 11. The Challenge is a good opportunity to donate because Whitefish Community Foundation will match a portion of dollars raised.  

Note: The Cedar Flats Trail Trot will be cancelled if the air quality index is unhealthy.  

Editor Kelsey Evans can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.

    A map of Cedar Flats Trails maintained by Glacier to Gateway Trails in the Flathead National Forest.
  

    Cedar Flats trail section no. 8 in the Kelly Ridge area. Construction of trails in the area is underway with phase three of Gateway to Glacier's project. Photo courtesy of Terraflow.
  

    Cedar Flats trail section no. 8 in the Kelly Ridge area. Construction of trails in the area is underway with phase three of Gateway to Glacier's project. Photo courtesy of Terraflow.