Our Confluence Gateway Initiative is picking up steam. At September’s Confluence Open House, we debuted the newly renovated Confluence Gateway Trail. Five Valleys, partner Summit Independent Living, and contractor Wild Rockies Landscaping widened and re-graded this .3-mile trail to bring it up to universal design standards.
Branching off from the Gateway Trail, work is underway on the new Wetland Discovery Loop Trail. This half-mile route encircles the Confluence’s restored wetland. To the north of the wetland, there’s an exciting new addition: the Ron Clausen Viewing Pavilion. When complete, this beautiful structure will offer a place to rest in the shade and observe wildlife. Near the pavilion, we will install new interpretive signs and audio. In partnership with the Séliš-Ql̓ispé Culture Committe, tribal elders recorded the Séliš (Salish) story of the Confluence, which will be uploaded onto solar audio posts for everyone to enjoy.
These improvements were made possible by many generous community donors, supporter and Rock Creek resident Ron Clausen, Paradigm 3 Architecture, Hone Architecture and Build, and grants from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Recreation Trails Program and Trail Stewardship Program and the Missoula County Community Parks & Recreation Grant Program. Thank you to these partners!
Work is also underway to improve access to Rock Creek. Thanks to a grant from Athletic Brewing Company, the .3-mile Rock Creek Progressive Access Trail will be improved to offer safer and more sustainable access to world-famous Rock Creek.
Once it warms up, the Friends of the Upper Rock Creek Historic District will return to finish their work on Pete’s Cabin, which includes widening the door and leveling the floor so that visitors can explore the inside of this original homesteader's cabin.
Amid construction, the Confluence still hosted 2,600+ visitors in 2024! But our efforts aren’t all construction. This field season we will plant trees near the wetland and test soil additives to see if they help regeneration of native plants. We’re also excited to host the University of Montana’s Bird Ecology Lab for its 10th season banding birds, as well as our outdoor educational partners for another summer of fun. There are few places as dynamic as the Confluence, and spring is a beautiful time to visit!
Header photo of the 2024 Confluence Open House by Paul Queneau
