Development of a RAL Trail extension connecting Tammany Lane to Golf Course Road in Hamilton came one step closer to a reality last week.

Ravalli County Commissioners approved the Phase III — Wetzsteon Crossing proposal during their Tuesday, March 24, meeting.  The existing trail starts at Golf Course Road in Hamilton, then runs a mile along the border of the Bitterroot Stock Farm, providing safe passage from Golf Course Road to Big Corral Road. The trail extension approved last week will provide a path eastward along Golf Course Road and then turn north to link Golf Course Road to Tammany Lane. 

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RAL stands for Robert A. Leonardi, a 9-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while crossing Golf Course Road in July of 2019. Robert's parents, Phil and Alyce Leonardi founded the Play Like Robert Foundation and worked to make Golf Course Road safer for pedestrians, creating the RAL Trail in honor of their son. 

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RAL Trail committee member Kyle Barber and Play Like Robert Founder and board member Phil Leonardi, Robert's father, presented the plans for the new section of road to the commissioners, who had previously expressed concern about the expansion's impact on nearby agricultural land and its proximity to the airport.  Phase three will run through a portion of agricultural land on private property, but the trail will be on the least productive part of the land as not interfere with production, according to Barber.

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Barber said they met with the Hamilton Airport Board in November of 2025, and the board found the trail did comply and could move forward with the project where it would run on their property. The portion on the airport property would have a fence running alongside it with barbed wire at the top.

The group also met with the Ravalli County Road Department and did an onsite visit to a problematic curve on Tammany Lane and received recommendations on design to navigate the area. The curve is right across from Canyons Athletic Club and has line of sight and topographical issues. They plan to create a better line of sight through grading as well as a keystone retaining wall to try and make it easier for people to use that segment of the trail safely.

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For more information on the RAL Trail and other projects being done by the Play Like Robert Foundation visit their website at www.playlikerobert.org