Since I moved to Great Falls, one thing that has amazed me is the residents' reluctance to use parking garages.

I understand that parking in garages can be a pain when you just need to run into a store quickly and know you'll only be there for a few minutes.

I'm referring, more or less, to instances where you know you'll be in downtown Great Falls for an extended period of time.

I really noticed this during the Cruzin The Drag car show a couple of weeks ago.

Obviously, it was incredibly busy downtown, but what amazes me is how far away people were willing to park just to avoid the garages.

We parked in the north garage, and there were hardly any cars in there.

Free Parking In Great Falls, Montana

Great Falls City Commissioners approved 2-hours of free parking in the north garage from June 1st to August 31st this summer.

You'll find the North Garage at 1st Ave., North, and Fourth Street right on the corner.

This pilot program encourages residents and visitors to utilize the north parking garage instead of parking on the street when visiting downtown Great Falls for an extended period.

The North parking garage in Great Falls has 496 stalls and 15 handicapped accessible spaces.

Additional time will be $.50 an hour, not exceeding five dollars daily.

The garage still offers monthly permits, which are $51 a month.

On-street parking in downtown Great Falls is one dollar per hour.

Read Next: Hate The Parking In Great Falls? Here’s The Solution

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