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Mount Sentinel closing Friday due to fire danger

Mount Sentinel - M Trail
Posted at 3:25 PM, Aug 09, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-10 17:44:38-04

MISSOULA — A popular Missoula hiking destination will be closing for part of the upcoming weekend.

Open space on Mount Sentinel will be closed for 24 hours this Friday and Saturday due to fire danger as well as Stage II fire restrictions.

The Missoula Fire Department and the University of Montana have petitioned the City and State to close public lands on Mount Sentinel from 8 a.m. Friday, August 13 to 8 a.m. Saturday, August 14.

Missoula Assistant Fire Chief Gordy Hughes says officials have instituted the closure in the interest of public safety during a concert scheduled for Friday 13 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Missoula Parks and Recreation notes the closure includes all City and University-owned trails on Mount Sentinel, including the “M” Trail, trails from the Sentinel Fire Road and Pattee Canyon Drive, and trails from the Kim Williams Natural Area.

Hughes says patrols will be in place and trespassers will be removed and ticketed.