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Beavertail Hill State Park 1

Beavertail Hill State Park

Beavertail Hill State Park

Beavertail Hill State Park

This park has a one-half mile of Clark Fork River frontage that provides fishing and floating opportunities. Boating is carry-in only. There are 24 developed campsites and 2 tipi rentals.

There is a walking nature trail through a thick canopy of cottonwood trees that takes about an hour from start to finish. The park has an elevation of 3,615 feet and is 65 acres. RV and trailer units have a limit size of 28 feet. 

Beavertail Hill State Park
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Beavertail Hill is one of Montana's busiest state parks based on the number of nights people camped at the park.

During the summer, free interpretive programs are hosted in the amphitheater on Saturday evenings.

Park Rangers and other outdoor professionals use these programs to teach park visitors about the history, geography, geology, and other nature-based topics throughout the summer months.

Did You Know

Curious what other visitors have had to say about the park?

"First time staying here. Great little campground. Well maintained. Hosts were very pleasant and helpful. Will be staying here again in the future."

"Spent one night and enjoyed our stay. Sites were level and very large with tree-privacy. We spotted 17 bird species, elk and ground hogs."

"What a beautiful, secluded camp ground on the river! We just stopped in to have a picnic lunch. It is only a half mile from I-90, but it is so quiet!"

"Tipi rental was very clean, functioning and authentic. Dogs must be on a leash but there are fully functioning bathrooms and readily accessible potable water. Plenty of memories were made and we will definitely do this again."

 

"Nice quiet place to take a hike, or you can go camping or go fishing in the river."

Quick Facts
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    Park

    Summer Season
    Open 5/1 through 10/31
    24 hours/day
     
    Winter Season
    Nov 1 - April 30.
    Closed to all motorized traffic, walk-in only. Day-use only, no overnight camping.

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    Location

    29895 Bonita Station Road
    Clinton, MT 59825

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Beaverhead Rock Hero

Beaverhead Rock State Park

Beaverhead Rock State Park

Beaverhead Rock State Park

Beaverhead Rock can be viewed and photographed from a distance, but cannot be directly accessed.

There are two great locations to best see the rock formation, though. The first is 14 miles south of Twin Bridges on Highway 41 where a pull-off has informational signs and an interesting bird sculpture.

The second location is from another Montana State Park, Clark’s Lookout State Park in Dillon.

Beaverhead Rock, also known as Point of Rocks, is a rock formation overlooking the Beaverhead River and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Beaverhead Rock State Park
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Sacagawea, a young Shoshone Indian guide traveling with the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805, recognized this rock formation and knew that she may be in the vicinity of her relatives. The sighting gave the expedition hope that they may be able to find Native peoples from which to acquire horses for their trip across the mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

Meriwether Lewis, August 8, 1805 wrote: "The Indian woman recognized the point of a high plain to our right which she informed us was not very distant from the summer retreat of her nation on a river beyond the mountains which runs to the west. This hill she says her nation calls the beaver's head from a conceived resemblance of its figure to the head of that animal. She assures us that we shall either find her people on this river or on the river immediately west of its source; which from its present size cannot be very distant."

Did You Know

Curious what other visitors have had to say about the park?

"It is relatively unchanged since Lewis and Clark described it, in spite of attempts to do so"

"Beautiful wetlands and good fishing nearby!"

"So much fun and it's pretty."

"Beautiful!"

 

Quick Facts
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    Park

    Open Year-Round

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    Location

    62 Beaverhead Rock Road Twin Bridges, MT 59754

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Bannack State Park 2

Bannack State Park

Bannack State Park

Bannack State Park

Bannack State Park is the location of Montana's first major gold discovery, founded in 1862 this historic ghost town still has over 50 standing buildings!

Find out more about the history of the park down below.

Bannack State Park
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Tours are conducted from the visitor center, which is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Bannack Days, with historic displays, re-enactors, and activities, are held the 3rd weekend annually in July (Bannack days has been cancelled for 2020).

The campground has 28 sites, including a rental tipi located along Grasshopper Creek, a hike-in/bike-in campsite, with four tent pads, and a group picnic site.

Bannack State Park is a National Historic Landmark and the site of Montana's first major gold discovery on July 28, 1862. This strike set off a massive gold rush that swelled Bannack's population to over 3,000 by 1863.

As the value of gold steadily dwindled, Bannack's bustling population was slowly lost. Over 50 buildings line Main Street; their historic log and frame structures recall Montana's formative years.

Did You Know

Curious what other visitors have had to say about the park?

"This was a great Ghost town. So many buildings to explore and go into. Well worth the drive and a day trip."

"Very interesting!! Crazy these buildings are still standing. Would have paid for a guided tour to explain everything."

"One of the best ghost towns I've been to. Most buildings are open and you can go in them."

"Didn't find any ghosts, but had a great, informative evening tour. Fun, well-preserved town with interesting stories of the wild west and life in a gold boom town. And when it gets dark, the starry sky is mesmerizing."

 

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"Bannack is a beautiful area that holds so much Montana history. I always find it fascinating to see how people lived in that era, how much we take for granted, and just how tough and hardy they had to be back then."

Quick Facts
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    Park

    Open all year.

    Summer Hours:
    Memorial Day - August 10, 2022
    8 am - 9 pm

    Shoulder Season Hours:
    August 11, 2022 - September 30, 2022
    8 a.m. - Sunset

    Winter Hours:
    Oct 1, 2022 - Memorial Day 2023
    8 am - 5 pm
    Closed December 24 & 25

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    Campground

    Open all year.

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    Potable Water

    Available summer season.

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    Visitor Center

    Open Memorial Day - Labor Day
    10 am - 6 pm

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    Location

    721 Bannack Rd Dillon, MT

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Anaconda Smelter Stack State Park 1

Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park

Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park

Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park

Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park is located off of I-90, 24 miles from Butte, MT.

Situated on top on a hillside of the Anaconda Pintler Mountain Range foothills, you can see this state park from miles around.

As a monument to the nation's period of industrialism, particularly when viewed in conjunction with Butte’s Berkely Pit, it immortalizes the scale of the mining that once dominated and influenced this part of Montana.

Anaconda Smelter Stack State Park
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Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the smelter closed in 1980.  In 1983, the stack, the smelter, and the other buildings nearby were listed as a Superfund cleanup site.  Efforts to clean up contaminated soils, structures, and other mine debris began in the 1980s and are ongoing.  In order to protect the public and limit their liability, the Atlantic Richfield Company closed the area around the stack and public visitation is allowed only during officially organized tours or events.

Much like the smelter and other buildings that used to be located on Smelter Hill nearby, the smokestack was likely to be demolished as part of the Superfund cleanup efforts.  A group of longtime Anaconda residents formed the "Anacondans To Preserve The Stack" committee.  Their efforts led to the preservation of the big stack and they continue to work to find ways to preserve the stack and make it accessible to the public.  Today visitors can view and photograph the stack from a distance.

Interpretive signs describing the history of the stack are located in the viewing site near Goodman Park. 

Montana Public Radio produced a great story about the Anaconda Smoke Stack for its 100th anniversary in August of 2018.  You can listen to and read that story here.

The Anaconda Smoke Stack is taller than the Washington Monument by 30 feet. In fact, the Washington Monument would easily fit inside this smokestack.

Did You Know

Curious what other visitors have had to say about the park?

"Cool town to drive through. Tower is visible for miles from Highway..so we had to check it out on drive back through."

"Worth the stop. Very well done."

"Nicely done. Very interesting, worth a look and reading about the stack."

"Great History of Anaconda and Butte when Mining was heavy in this area, Learned a lot more than I knew. Definitely worth visiting Anaconda area."

 

Designation

"The very essence of what the town of Anaconda was and is! Great interpretive signs and a mock circumference of the stack showing you just how big it really is! Must see"

Quick Facts
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    Park

    Open daily all year
    Daylight hours

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    Location

    100 Anaconda Smelter Rd, Anaconda, MT 59711, United States

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Ackley Lake State Park 2

Ackley Lake State Park

Ackley Lake State Park

Ackley Lake State Park

Just southwest of Hobson, you’ll find Ackley Lake State Park. Surrounded by the Little Belt and Snowy Mountains, Ackley Lake is an incredibly beautiful destination.

Ackley Lake is nestled right in the heart of Montana's Big Sky Country. One glimpse and you'll easily understand how the beautiful views of the surrounding Little Belt and Snowy Mountains and rich agricultural land captured the heart of the legendary Western artist, Charlie Russell, a hundred years ago.

Today, the diverse water recreation opportunities at this 290-acre park include fishing, boating, picnicking and camping.

Stocked with rainbow trout, the lake is often good angling for 10 to 15-inch fish. Ackley Lake has 15 first-come-first-served campsites (cannot be reserved), and two boat launches.

On a warm summer day, enjoy the cool waters of Ackley Lake on Montana's open plains!

If you visit Ackley State Park in the winter, you’ll find a small village of ice huts filled with ice fishers!

Ackley Lake State Park
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Looking to camp?

Ackley Lake has 15 sites all of which have fire rings and picnic tables, 12 sites also have shelters covering the picnic tables!

New campsites will be opening very soon!

The Ackley Lake Fishing Club in Lewistown is very active in the park. Check them out on their Facebook page.

Yogo Sapphire mine is nearby in Little Belt Mountains. The Yogo Sapphire is a beautiful blue sapphire that maintains it's brilliance even under artificial light. You can find out more about them on Wikipedia.

Visiting the area? The Oxen Yoke Inn, in nearby Utica serves one of the best burgers in the state. Read more about it here!

The water in Ackley Lake comes from the Judith River and is stockpiled for irrigation use!

Did You Know

Curious what other visitors have had to say about the park?

"Beautiful, spacious, peaceful and fun!"

"It's beautiful here & I heard the fishing is good."

"The only state park in the middle of MT. Nice cottonwoods surround good size lake. Camp spots on the far side are more private and shaded in the afternoon. Beautiful prairie views."

 

"It is a fun place to hang out for the weekend. Great for fishing year-round."

 

Quick Facts
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    Park

    Open Year-Round

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    Campground

    Open Year-Round

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    Potable water

    No potable water available

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    Location

    989 Ackley Lake Road Hobson, MT 59452

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