Walk Along the Water

Fans of the Missouri Headwaters State Park have more reason than ever to celebrate: there’s a new riverside trail at the park. The Trident-Peregrine trail is a short, easy hike, with benches that provide inspiring views of the white limestone cliffs across the Missouri. The cliffs are one of Montana’s most viewable and successful nesting sites for peregrine falcons, hence the trail’s name. Steve Hoffman, founder of Hawk Watch International and executive director of Montana Audubon from 2006-2016 says, “This new trail provides outstanding ‘watchable wildlife’ opportunities for the general public throughout the year.” Though various birds can be seen year-round, the best time to look for falcons is between April and mid-July.

Trident-Peregrine is the result of a collaborative effort between Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the CRH-Trident Plant, Sacajawea Audubon Society, and Montana State University Landscape Design. Greg Gannon of CRH says, “Trident is excited to be a stakeholder on this trail project; the very ground that the trail is constructed on was gifted in 1966 from Trident to the state for improvement of Missouri Headwaters Park river access.” Funding for the trail came from Northwestern Energy and the Missouri-Madison River Fund Trust. For more details, visit stateparks.mt.gov/missouri-headwaters.