Missoula County Awarded $800,000 Federal Grant to Transform Base Area

Missoula County recently received a 2026 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant award totaling $838,722.89 for infrastructure improvements at Marshall Mountain Park. The LWCF Program is a federal grant program administered by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The grant rounds out the remaining funds needed for the Marshall Mountain Park Base Area Redevelopment project, which focuses on improvements to the base area that will enhance the visitor experience, public safety and park accessibility.

The project scope covers essential improvements outlined in the Marshall Mountain Park Conceptual Master Plan, adopted in 2023. You can view the plan on this pages under "Documents."

Improvements include providing drinking water and shade, constructing a main trailhead and completing early phase trails, improving site accessibility for all abilities, addressing the poor condition of ski hill era infrastructure and repurposing elements where feasible, renovating the outdoor event and community space, and upgrading utilities and maintenance facilities to support park operations. Construction and renovations are anticipated to start in 2027 while Missoula County staff and partners use this calendar year to focus on remaining design and engineering.

LWCF requires a 50% non-federal match. Friends of Marshall Mountain, a nonprofit that supports the park, has raised more than half of the local match needed for this project through a network of community and private donors. The Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition will put a $40,000 Montana Trail Stewardship grant it secured in 2025 toward the project and will also provide in-kind staff and volunteer contributions. The remaining required match will come from the voter-approved Missoula County Trails Bond and City-County Open Space Bond.

Other project partners and supporters include Friends of Missoula Parks, Missoula Parks & Recreation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Izzy Dog LLC, Five Valleys Land Trust, The Conservation Fund, Run Wild Missoula, Missoula Adaptive Recreation and Sports and many more individual donors and organizations.