A seed at the National Bike Summit

At the May 2011 National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., four Montanans got to talking: why doesn't Montana have a statewide advocacy organization for bicyclists and walkers — and what would it take to build one that lasts?

By August, the Alliance for Biking and Walking had offered to help create the organization, and a diverse statewide Leadership Team began meeting by teleconference to make it real.

The Founding Summit

In April 2012, the first statewide meeting — the Founding Summit — convened in Helena. The mission, vision, guiding principles, and long-term goals were all set there. Officers were elected, the paperwork for tax-exempt status was filed, and Melinda Barnes became the first Executive Director.

A startup grant from the LOR Foundation (followed by three operating grants) helped get the new organization rolling, alongside partners including Alta Planning & Design, Bike Walk Alliance for Missoula, Billings TrailNet, Helena United Cycling, Missoula in Motion, Montana State Parks, and Prickly Pear Land Trust.

Building the movement

The years that followed turned a founding idea into working infrastructure: a formal membership program that has welcomed more than 600 members from across Montana, partnerships with state agencies, campaigns to improve the laws that affect people who bike and walk, and hands-on technical help for communities and trails groups statewide.

A sharper plan

In June 2018, the board and staff updated the strategic plan. The team grew to a full-time Executive Director, a part-time Outreach & Communications Liaison, and an Energy Corps/AmeriCorps education coordinator advancing Bike Rodeos, Walking School Buses, Traffic Gardens, Senior Walks, and other education programs.

Adapting

Bike Walk Montana shifted to a part-time Executive Directorship — staying lean while continuing work on adaptive bicycling, community bike shops, bike camps, and Montana's bicycle-friendly status, in partnership with national groups like the League of American Bicyclists, PeopleForBikes, AARP, and Strong Towns.

Connecting the state

Executive Director Logan Smith pursued grant programs to extend trails and bikeways across Montana — working toward connections with the Hiawatha Trail and Idaho's trail system. Bike Walk Montana also joined hands with the Montana Association of Planners on statewide conferences in Butte (2023) and Lewistown (2024), bringing bike-walk-roll-friendly planning to the people who shape Montana's towns.