Project safety

Effective June 23, 2010, PPL Montana announces temporary trail and public access closures for safety at Great Falls, North Shore areas due to construction.  

For public safety reasons, PPL Montana, in consultation with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Forest Service, has closed the general North Shore Conservation Area between Rainbow Dam and Morony Dam through the end of August, 2010.

The temporary closures are to protect the public from power line construction activities and work associated with the Rainbow redevelopment project.

The following areas are now closed in the North Shore Conservation Area:

• North Shore area from Rainbow boat launch to Morony, including Sulphur Spring trailhead.
• North Shore Trail — entire length.
• Sulphur Spring trailhead and upper Morony parking lot.
• Ryan trailhead and upper Ryan parking lot.

The following Great Falls public recreation areas will remain open and are not affected by North Shore Conservation Area closures:

• Rainbow Boat Launch
• Ryan Island and clubhouse
• All South Shore trails
• Lewis and Clark Overlook
• Rainbow Overlook
• Crooked Falls Overlook   
• Black Eagle Memorial Island

The following river access site is open, but subject to intermittent closures.  Please watch for on-site traffic controls.

• Lower Morony river access

River’s Edge Trail maps showing Great Falls trail and access locations are available at Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 4 Headquarters; Great Falls Parks & Recreation; Great Falls Visitor Center; Knicker Biker; Bighorn Wilderness; kiosks along the River’s Edge Trail; and other locations in the city.

Boaters and fishermen can call Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-454-5840 for information about recreation opportunities in the Great Falls area.

Public safety a priority during construction at Rainbow Dam

To protect public safety during the construction at Rainbow Dam, Cascade County and PPL Montana have closed the Rainbow Trailhead, Rainbow Dam Road past the Rainbow boat launch and the North Shore Trail a mile from the Rainbow Trailhead.

The boat launch will remain open for boating and fishing.

These closures are necessary for public safety and to allow contractors to prepare work sites and move heavy equipment on Rainbow Dam Road and the gravel access road near Rainbow Trailhead. Additional closures may occur as other construction work begins.

Although the boat launch will remain accessible, boaters will have to use trailheads at PPL Montana’s Ryan and Morony dams to access open sections of the North Shore Trail.

River’s Edge Trail maps showing these locations are available at Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 4 Headquarters; City Parks & Recreation; Great Falls Visitor Center; Knicker Biker; Bighorn Wilderness; kiosks along the River’s Edge Trail; and other locations in the city.

The South Shore trails will not be affected by these closures. Boaters and fishermen can call Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-454-5840 for information about recreational issues in the Great Falls area. 

The $230 million redevelopment of PPL Montana’s Rainbow hydroelectric plant, which will increase by 70 percent the amount of clean, renewable energy produced there, is expected to be completed in 2012.

The public will be able to view the construction work from the Rainbow and Lewis & Clark Overlooks located 1.5 miles east of Giant Springs State Park on Giant Springs Road, and from the Crooked Falls Overlook on the River’s Edge Trail east of the other overlooks.