South of the Border, Column No. 18, "Recreational opportunities in the Sweet Grass Hills"
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This photo, looking south, shows the Liberty County 4-H Campground located on Whitlash Road (gravel road to the right of photo) about two miles south of Whitlash. Whitlash Road/MT 409 leaves US 2 just west of Chester. The campground generally requires no reservations and is open year round. It's roughly 35 miles north from US 2 to the campground. The first six miles north are paved, the rest is gravel.
Columnist's note: In 2006 my wife and I moved from North Dakota to Libby, Montana. Traveling along US 2, to our new place, we saw the official, green signs east of Chester identifying the 'bumps' on the north horizon as the Sweet Grass Hills. I asked in Libby and no one really knew much about the Hills, they had their own mountains at their front door.
We moved back east to Chinook, on the Hi-line. Folks there said, "Oh, the Sweet Grass Hills are all private land, there's nothing to do there." Five years later we're living in the Sweet Grass Hills. Here is some of what we've learned about recreational prospects in the Sweet Grass Hills.
Camping in the Sweet Grass Hills
There is public camping, from tent camping to accommodations for upscale recreational vehicles (RV's). The Liberty County 4-H Campground, on Whitlash Road/MT 409 (about two miles south of Whitlash}, has been a public campground since 1955 when the Meech family made a 99-year lease to the county for $1. The campground has vault toilets and several 20 amp plug-ins for RV's or tent campers to use. Campers need to bring their own water.
The south side of the campground will comfortably fit about 15 RV's and tents. Each year 4-H volunteers and the 4-H Council get the campground in shape in early spring. During the summer the grounds are mowed by the Liberty County Sexton. Breed Creek that runs through the campground and on the north side it's a bit harder to access and not suitable for large RV's.
Jesse Fulbright, the County Extension Agent based in Chester said, "We don't require reservations to camp." Spaces are filled on a first come, first served basis. Fulbright did say bird season and big game season in the fall attracts the most campers to the 4-H Campground. There is no charge but freewill donations are encouraged at donation boxes on-site or with mail-ins to the Liberty County Extension Office in Chester. For big events, like a family reunion, reservations are recommended by calling 406-759-5625.
Jim Racki, from Cut Bank, said he's been camping at the 4-H Campground "since the 1980's." For Racki, "The campground is kind of like home away from home. We can sit around a campfire or hunt, fish, watch wildlife or just enjoy the scenery." He mentioned seeing a lek just east of Whitlash on the Blackjack Road. A lek is a site where in early spring, early in the mornings male sharp-tailed grouse dance to attract a mate.
The Broken Mountains Ranch Campground, about a half mile west of Whitlash on MT Route 217, opened just a few years ago. Owners Dan and Vicki Kultgen said, "In 2013 we were cleaning up the property we had just bought and a couple of bird hunters asked if they could park campers there." From that incident the idea of a campground took shape.
The campground has "about 20 spaces" designed for large RV's with hook-ups for 20, 30 or 50 amps capacity. There is a water spigot on site that campers can use to fill containers. The Kultgens also rent small cabins in the campground and a nearby 'suite' with "full kitchen, bathroom and all the comforts of home." It's a good idea to call 406-406-432-5714 for reservations or make internet contact at: brokenmountainsranch.com.
Dan Kultgen said, "Like the 4-H Campground we get our largest number of campers during bird and big game season in the fall." To help acclimate campers to the Hills, Kultgen added, "Each evening we have a 'meet and greet' as hunters check in. This allows us to give them appropriate maps, discuss any land owner issues or requests and get folks off to a good start."
I caught up with Dave and Bonnie Martin, from Cut Bank, who were preparing to leave for home after a visit to Broken Mountains Campground over the recent Memorial Day weekend. Their adult daughter and two grandkids had already headed back to Helena. The Martins said they'd been coming to the campground for three years. They enjoy the campground because it's "peaceful and quiet" and find it a "fantastically beautiful place." This year they enjoyed watching the beavers "swim laps" in the late afternoon on the pond in the campground. They shared a photo, taken this trip, of the first fish ever caught by grandson Myle.
There is some camping on Bureau of Land Management land in the Hills. The BLM website lists some rules about camping on undeveloped BLM-administered land at http://www.blm.gov/visit/sweet-grass-hills. Or, call the Havre field office at 406-262-2820 for more details about camping and public access in the Hills.
For more information about activities in the Sweet Grass Hills
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department (MT FWP) provides some public fishing access in the Hills. You can call Region 4 MT FWP's office in Great Falls at 406-454-5840 for a list, by county, of fishing areas open to the public. There's public fishing access in both Liberty and Toole Counties.
This photo shows Myle with the first fish he ever caught. Myle and his family were camping at the Broken Mountains Ranch Campground in the Sweet Grass Hills over the recent Memorial Day weekend when Myle caught his first fish.
Information about accessing MT FWP's Block Management Program (BMP) for hunting on private land is available by calling (406) 454-5862 or going to http://www.fwp.mt.gov and looking for Region 4. The landowners in the BMP can change each year so request the most current maps showing participating landowners. All Montana game licensing and permitting requirements still apply. Access is granted only September 1-January 1.
There is limited access through public lands to hike the buttes in the Hills. The BLM has an access point on the north side of East Butte on Black Jack Road. You can find details about that access on the BLM website listed above. Also there are a number of sites on the internet with details by people who have hiked the buttes, like http://www.cowboyhvn.com/sweetgrass.htm.
MT FWP emphasizes the importance of recreationists to "develop good relationships with landowners." Respect for landowners' requests and being good stewards of the areas available will assure continued access for all these great activities.
