Distinctly Montana Magazine

DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE • WINTER 2022-23 18 varied terrain and are popular among mountain bikers. The Riv- er's Edge Trail Foundation maintains an interactive map that gives helpful details about each segment of the trail, including ADA accessibility, amenities, nearby trailheads, and points of scenic or cultural interest. LEWISTOWN TRAIL SYSTEM LEWISTOWN, MT LENGTH: 20 miles ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes, on paved segments HIGHLIGHTS: Frog Ponds, Brewery Flats Lewistown, Montana is fa- mously home to the Yogo Sap- phire, but as a community, it has so much more to offer. High on its unsung gem list is the Lew- istown City Trail System, a multi- use trail that extends from the historic downtown into the end- less prairie sea. The Big Snowies and other ice-blue island ranges are the only interruptions on an otherwise unbroken horizon. Twenty miles in length, much of the Lewistown Trail System sits in what used to be a line on the old Burlington Northern San- ta Fe Railroad. The city acquired the abandoned railroad bed in 2006. The community advocacy group Friends of the Trails formed around this time, and along with the city continues to maintain and develop the growing trail system. The trail is largely paved through town, then turns to crushed gravel once out on the prairie. Brewery Flats Recreation Area is the site of a former brownfield crossed by Big Spring Creek. The city acquired the land, rerouted the previously straightened creek, and replanted riparian species. This all helped to restore vital fish habitat, with the added bonus of the area not looking like a brownfield anymore. Frog Ponds, formerly two ponds built in the mid-twentieth century, were also restored; this peaceful resting area is a favorite for fishing. The city's parks and recre- ation department have conveniently mapped the gravelled and paved sections of trail. LEWISTOWN'S FROG PONDS, FORMERLY TWO PONDS WERE ALSO RESTORED; THIS PEACEFUL RESTING AREA IS A FAVORITE FOR FISHING. LEWISTOWN PHOTO COURTESY OF ENJOYLEWISTOWN.COM PHOTO COURTESY OF GREAT FALLS PARKS AND REC Burlington Northern pulled up the tracks along the river's edge along Great Falls in 1991

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