State Park

Ackley Lake, named after an early settler and frontiersman, offers diverse water sports opportunities. Stocked with rainbow trout, the lake is often good angling for 10 to 15 inch fish. The elevation of the park is 4,336 feet and is 160 acres in size.

The old Anaconda Copper Company smelter stack, completed on May 5, 1919, is one of the tallest free-standing brick structures in the world at 585 feet, 1.5 inches. The inside diameter at the bottom is 75 feet and at the top, 60 feet.

'Come walk the deserted streets of Bannack and discover for yourself the realities of the 'Old West.' Bannack is the best preserved of all Montana ghost towns. It is unique'preserved rather than restored'protected rather than exploited.'

Sacajawea recognized this huge landmark, resembling the head of a swimming beaver, while traveling with the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The site is 4949 feet in elevation and is 71 acres in size.

This area has one-half mile of Clark Fork frontage that provides fishing and floating opportunities. Boating is carry-in only. There are 28 developed campsites and a one-hour walking nature trail through a thick canopy of cottonwoods.

Flathead is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. Twenty eight miles long and 15 miles wide, Flathead Lake is renowned for its fishing.

One of the few public parks on the shores of Hauser Reservoir, Black Sandy is an extremely popular weekend boating, fishing, and water skiing take-off point. This site is 44 acres in size and has an elevation of 3,669 feet.

Situated within the Crow Reservation in south central Montana, this park was the home of Plenty Coups, last chief of the Crow, Plenty Coups' log home and store remain as evidence of the chief's efforts to lead his people in adopting the lifestyle of the white man.

This outcrop above the Beaverhead River provided the Lewis and Clark Expedition a view of the route ahead. The site is undeveloped and unsigned. It is situated on 7 acres of land at 5,118 feet. A golf course and three museums are located nearby in Dillon.

This irrigation reservoir is the most popular recreation area serving south-central Montana. Attractions include good walleye and rainbow trout fishing. Boating opportunities are abundant and 75 camping spots are available on this large 289 acre site at 3,300 feet in elevation.

This park marks the site of the 1855 council between Isaac Stevens and the Flathead, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreille Indians. Here the Indians signed the Hellgate Treaty and relinquished their ancestral hunting grounds in exchange for a reservation in the Mission Valley.

Backcountry roads settle you into a 19th century mining landscape before you reach historic Fraternity Hall and Gillian Hall nestled within the privately owned town of Elkhorn.

Finley Point is located in a secluded, mature pine forest near the south end of Flathead Lake. Finley Point offers 16 sites with fire ring and grills, campfire wood, utilities, boat slips, boat mooring, boat sewage dump, picnic tables, trash cans, drinking water, and a golf course.

Built of adobe and logs, Fort Owen is the site of the first permanent white settlement in Montana. Father Pierre DeSmet came to the area in 1841 and established St. Mary's Mission among the Flathead Indians. In 1850, Major John Owen established the fort as a regional trade center.

This five-acre, spring-fed lake has a maximum depth of about ten feet. A variety of fish-sunfish, bass and bullhead provide fair catches during the summer. Frenchtown Pond is also a favorite place to practice boardsailing, kayaking, canoeing, and snorkeling.

Discovered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 and one of the largest freshwater springs in the world. This is the site of the Roe River, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest river.

Greycliff Prairie Dog Town State Monument is located in southeast Montana. This historic site is for day use only.

On the Hell Creek Arm of Fort Peck Lake, this park provides facilities for most water sports, as well as, excellent walleye fishing. Hell Creek also serves as a launching point for boat camping in the wild and scenic Missouri Breaks.

This 64-acre reservoir is a popular swimming, boardsailing, boating (nonmotorized), and fishing area. Food, beverage, and watercraft-rental concessions are available during summer months. The maximum depth of the lake is 16' and lifeguards are on duty 6/1 - 8/15.