Parks and Trails

Parks have been an important part of the Great Falls landscape since the very beginning. When Paris Gibson platted the new city he included ample open spaces for parks. Today the Park and Recreation Department maintains 57 parks. The City Park system has many beautiful locations that can be rented for weddings and other special occasions. See our online reservations page for details. The parks have varying amenities from simple open space to tennis courts, picnic shelters, the water park and the skate park.

Park and Recreation also maintains recreational trails. Some parks, like Gibson and Elk's Riverside, have walking paths which connect into the City's renowned River's Edge Trail.

 

Summer Trails Day June 1, 2024

Kick-start your summer outdoor activities by celebrating National Trails Day starting Saturday, June 1, 2024. Choose from a variety of hikes planned around Great Falls.  This year, Get Fit Great Falls, a not-for-profit organization advocating healthy, active lifestyles will have a weekend-long opportunity for you to go on self-guided hikes and log your trips to receive prizes.

On-line pre- registration is only required for the Guided Tower Rock State Park ranger led hike or the Baldy Peak hike which will be guided options through the Island Range chapter of Wild Montana. To register and view those hikes go to https://wildmontana.org/where/north-central-montana/. The hikes are free, but space is limited and the number of participants varies for those guided hikes. 

Hikes range from kid-friendly to strenuous depending on miles hiked and/or elevation gained. Hikers are asked to read the hike descriptions carefully before selecting a trail to fit their physical conditioning. Get Fit Great Falls reminds registrants selecting a hike to “Understand your skill level about hiking and your physical fitness level. A difficult five-mile hike in mountainous terrain is much more challenging than walking 5 miles on the flat paved sidewalks of Great Falls.”

 

A QR code that participants can scan to submit their hike attendance is available listed below at a location with each hike, and amount of people who they hiked with, we love dogs, so include those as well. Those who scan and submit their information are eligible for some great swag ranging from a Smokey the Bear Back Pack, People's Buffalo Jump Hat, Tokens to Electric City Water Park and other fun giveaways. Thank you to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, The Peak, US Forest Service and GetFit Great Falls for donating and coordinating this event with the Park and Recreation Department.

Detailed descriptions for each hike are available below

It is advised that participants come prepared with a daypack, lunch, plenty of drinking water, closed-toed shoes, sunscreen and rain gear, as weather can be unpredictable. 

 

Hike descriptions are as follows:

 

Sulphur Springs Trail

Length: 3.6 miles
​Elevation gain: 500 feet
Total Time: ~3 hours
Travel Distance to Trailhead: 17 miles from GF

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Sulphur Springs Trail is part of the Lewis & Clark Trail. It starts at a trailhead next to the Morony Dam (17 mile drive Northeast of Great Falls). Starting from the trailhead, it is a 1.8 mile hike to the Springs site. The terrain crosses through several small coulees. The trail follows the river through a rocky, native prairie landscape.

We recommend you bring hiking boots, a backpack with about 2 liters of water, sunscreen, and high-energy snacks and food. The distance is 3.6 miles round trip, which can be completed in about three hours. This route is quite exposed, with little to no shade—starting early in the day is also recommended.

Hikers can expect great views and possibly wildlife, including rattlesnakes. Insect repellent is suggested as there are ticks and mosquitoes: a true Lewis and Clark experience! If you have questions about this trail or the history of the Springs, you can find out more at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/sulphur-springs-trail

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3795289.pdf

QR Code at 47.582239, -111.064543

First Peoples Buffalo Jump Loop

Length: 3 miles
​Elevation gain: 400 feet
​Total time: ~2 hours
Travel Distance to Trailhead: 13.5 miles to park visitor center

QR Code will be available in the Visitors Center

Difficulty Level: moderate
Note:  Trail is not suitable for strollers

​This hike will take you from the Visitor Center to the top of the jump and back. The loop offers expansive views across the prairie and a chance to see prairie wildflowers in bloom as well as some of the native prairie animals that call this state park home. Stop in the Visitor Center to learn more about how Native peoples used this mile long sandstone cliff as a bison jump site. There are remnants of drive lines on top of the cliff and there are up to 18 ft. of compacted buffalo remains below the cliff!

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/taft-hill-loop

https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/stateparks/maps/first-peoples-trail-maps.pdf

 

Cochrane Dam Crossing- Saturday only

Length: Shortest hike is ~5 miles
​Elevation gain: ~100-400 feet, depending on route
​Total time: ~3 hours+
Travel Distance to Trailhead: 5.7 miles to Lewis and Clark Trailhead; 6.6 miles to Rainbow Trailhead

QR Code available at water station at the Dam 

Difficulty Level: moderate

THIS ROUTE WILL ONLY BE OPEN ON SATURDAY JUNE 1^ST FROM 9AM TO 3PM

Bicyclists and hikers will have a unique chance to access and cross over the Missouri River at Cochrane Dam on Saturday, June 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The dam is normally closed to public access, but NorthWestern Energy and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are working together to provide this special opportunity for hikers and bikers to experience the trails along both sides of the Missouri River near Great Falls.

Normally only available as an out and back hike or ride, opening the dam for public access allows trail users to make a loop and hike or ride on both sides of the river during a single trip.

The River’s Edge Trail from the north shore to the south shore (or vice versa) can be used to reach Cochrane Dam, and once there, visitors may hike or walk their bike across the dam. Park staff and volunteers will be present on the dam during the event, and signage on trails will help direct visitors.

Participants should expect at least a five-mile hike or ride and be prepared with proper footwear and plenty of drinking water. Keep in mind that there is little to no shade anywhere along the trail, and this is rattlesnake country. Participants should arrange a shuttle or park a vehicle at their ending location. Park staff will not provide shuttle service.

Trail users should expect to encounter heavier than normal traffic during this event, and bicyclists should control their speed, yield to all, stay to the right except when passing, and ring a bell or call out before passing. A few areas of the trail are rated as moderately difficult, and riders should plan accordingly.

 

Cochrane Dam can be accessed:

From the Lewis and Clark Trailhead-

A 3.6-mile hike/ride starting on the paved trail going towards the Crooked Falls overlook and then following marked trails to the dam. The trail is moderate in difficulty.

A 3.5-mile hike/ride following the marked trails the entire way. This is a dirt single track trail and features rolling hills and an elevation change of 300-400 feet. The trail is moderate in difficulty.

From the Rainbow Trailhead-

A 2.5-mile hike/ride from Rainbow Trailhead on the gravel service road, with rolling hills and 100-200 feet of elevation change. This road is traveled by NorthWestern Energy vehicles so please travel single file and stay to the right to stay out of their traffic.

A 3.7-mile hike/ride from Rainbow Trailhead onto the River’s Edge Trail, with 300-400 feet of elevation change, rolling hills and some single-track spots.

For more information contact the Giant Springs ranger station at 406-727-1212.

 

https://greatfallsmt.net/recreation/interactive-rivers-edge-trail-map

Tower Rock State Park Hike

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

FREE

NEAREST TOWN: Hardy
MEETING TIME: 8 a.m.
MEETING LOCATION: Town Pump Conoco Station on Gore Hill (I-15 exit 277)
DIFFICULTY: Moderate (view difficulty ratings here)
ROUND-TRIP MILEAGE: 1/2–1 mile
LEADER: Michael Enk, Mike Smith, Gerry Jennings, and Chuck Jennings

QR Code will be on the display board at parking lot/trail head

Option to hike without the guided, the QR code will be posted all day Saturday 

Celebrate National Trails Day with a hike at Tower Rock State Park. The park’s namesake 400-foot igneous tower along the Missouri River has served as a beacon for countless generations. Native American tribes used the rock as a landmark to and from the rich buffalo hunting grounds. The spire was a navigational reference point for fur trappers, traders, and the Corps of Discovery. We’ll hike the short, quarter-mile trail to the saddle’s base to gain splendid views. For the more adventurous, we’ll continue scrambling up the unimproved trail for another quarter-mile for even more fabulous views.