Helena weighs trail changes, DeFord parking safety sparks debate

Helena’s city commission moved a four-part trail package toward a Monday, June 1 vote after a split hearing that put DeFord parking safety at the center of the debate. If the plan passes, Helena Open Lands would relocate the Oakes Street Park trail to link with the Virginia Dale sidewalk, improve the Nob Hill park trail system, install crushed rock and benches on pedestrian-made paths near North Benton Avenue, and rebuild the DeFord trailhead and parking area for better access and circulation.

Brad Langsather, Helena’s open lands manager, presented the proposal at an administrative meeting Wednesday night. City staff said the three less controversial projects are meant to improve trail conditions, accessibility and the experience for people hiking, biking and walking in Helena’s open spaces. The Oakes Street Park change would formalize a social trail that city materials say has been used continuously for more than 40 years, connecting Virginia Dale to Oakes Street. The Nob Hill work would address about 685 feet of developed trail built on private property in the 29-acre open space at Saddle Drive and Sonoma Drive. The North Benton project would upgrade dirt paths used by pedestrians and bikers, improve access for Sunhaven subdivision residents to the Custer Avenue path, and set up a future Montana Department of Transportation connection over the railroad tracks to the Centennial Trail.

The DeFord trailhead drew the most attention because it would do more than tidy up a path. City materials say the DeFord Trail and parking area were built in spring 2001 with the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest as a safer alternative to traveling in the main lane of Davis Street and Dry Gulch Road, which lacks traversable shoulders for most of its length. The city now says traffic on South Davis Street has grown substantially and that numerous near-miss collisions have involved pedestrians and vehicles leaving the DeFord Trailhead parking area. The current plan would make the site ADA accessible, reorganize parking to fit more visitors, and improve sight lines where drivers back out and other vehicles move quickly nearby.

Residents who spoke during public comment split sharply. Some said the work looked excessive and would move too much dirt for too little gain. Others said the current lot already feels unsafe, especially for parents with small children and for people trying to enter or leave while traffic moves past the trailhead.

Commissioners were divided too, with some warning against doing too little if someone gets hurt and others asking for a pause to rethink a design that could alter the site substantially. The full package is budgeted at more than $119,000, and staff hope to cover part of that cost with grants. City officials said the 2026 projects were selected because they qualified as major projects with significant public interest and costs above $25,000, and because they were weighed against Chapter 7 goals, public feedback and Open Lands needs.