MISSOULA — After the City of Missoula purchased Mountain Water in the mid 2010s, the city had decisions to make about the infrastructure within the purchase.
Some of that infrastructure included dams in the Rattlesnake, and now, after the removal of one in 2024, the city is restoring the area.
On Tuesday, the city made another step towards its Rattlesnake restoration goals, celebrating improvements to a trailhead up the Rattlesnake.
Now, this area has been made into a place for restoring the ecosystem and the enjoyment of the public.
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“Projects like this that bring such significant public benefit to the community today and for future generations is just so incredible,” said Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis.
After the city bought its water utility from The Carlyle Group years ago, that purchase included several dams.
Leaders had to decide what to do with the new city property.
They started removing the McKinley Lake Dam in 2018, and that work was completed in 2024.
“Removing the dam was huge. That was a hundred-year fish barrier that had absolute huge impacts on our bull trout fishery and our Clark Fork fishery. By removing that dam, we've connected 20 miles of the creek to the Clark Fork River that had not been connected before,” said Morgan Valliant, associate director of ecosystems services for the City of Missoula.
The project also opens the area up for public recreation.
City official Morgan Valliant says teamwork made this possible.
The city worked with groups like Trout Unlimited, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and various tribal agencies to open the land.
And for those who recreate on the trail, it’s welcomed.
“It's been a great resource, and now it's even better than ever with the smoother trail for all abilities. It's great when it's hot, and you go along a creek, and you're not worried about your dogs getting overheated. It's been great,” said one trail user.
The trail itself is roughly a mile and a half in length, and it’s mostly shaded.
It takes you down to the former site of the Rattlesnake Dam and Reservoir, where you might be able to take a second to reflect on both where Missoula once was, and where it is now headed.
