Rivers, trails, and history converge at Montana's newest state park! Milltown is a day-use only park Landmark & Historical Place
08/16/2024
We were excited to have our River Rec Intern join Clark Fork Coalition's River Ambassador team with their river cleanup efforts yesterday! Together they picked up trash along the Clark Fork River from Sha-Ron FAS site to Silvers Park. Floaters can participate in LNT (leave no trace) by bringing their own bag for garbage and by not sinking cans into the river. Thank you all who pack out what you pack in! River Ambassador
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
08/12/2024
Help keep our river ecosystems (including our wildlife) happy and healthy by packing out what you bring with you into the park. One pro tip: bring a reusable trash bag with you whenever you recreate! Look for reusable river bags at grocery stores in Missoula, or if you spot a Missoula River Ambassador at a river access site you can ask for a bag! River Ambassador
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
08/10/2024
Come to the next Junior Ranger program at Milltown State Park confluence! Created for kids age 6-12 but all are welcome!
08/08/2024
Recreationists rock when they follow proper etiquette with constructing/destructing rock cairns. Typically, rock cairns are used to mark trails for hikers, however they can cause confusion and disrupt the surrounding landscape (and small creature habitats!) if they are not placed in proper areas. Please don’t build unauthorized rock cairns on beaches or trails at Milltown State Park, as designated walking trails have already been marked. For more guidance on how rock cairn etiquette, please refer to the downloadable guide: https://lnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Cairns_Leave_No_Trace_FINAL.pdf
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
08/02/2024
What’s in the River Rec Intern’s river bag? A few good things to bring on any float are the following:
• Sunscreen
• Plenty of water (no glass please!)
• A trash bag (try to get a reusable one)
• A mini first-aid kit
• A patch repair kit or duct tape
Not familiar with the Clark Fork River? We recommend also including a map of a downtown river float in your dry bag! Try printing and bringing the following map with you in your river bag: destinationmissoula.org/downtown-river-map
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
08/01/2024
Despite closures being lifted on the Clark Fork, please be aware that rivers impacted by last Wednesday's storm may still contain hazardous debris, such as downed trees and tree limbs. Please use caution when recreating in rivers and always scout ahead for potential obstructions. Additionally, water levels continue to drop, so please anticipate longer float times due to lower flow.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
07/28/2024
Closures have been lifted along the Clark Fork River and the Blackfoot. Bitterroot closures remain in place from Chief Looking Glass FAS to the confluence with the Clark Fork.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
07/25/2024
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
EMERGENCY CLOSURES: FWP has closed portions of the Bitterroot and Clark Fork Rivers due to safety concerns resulting from power lines that are in the water after Wednesday’s severe storm.
The Clark Fork River is closed from Milltown State Park, just east of Missoula, to Petty Creek FAS, about 20 miles west of Missoula. The Bitterroot River is closed from Chief Looking Glass FAS near Florence to the confluence with the Clark Fork River near Missoula.
A July 24 severe thunderstorm in the Missoula area caused extensive damage to power lines, trees and property in the west-central Montana area.
Recreationists should use caution and stay at home when at all possible. If you are out, expect that you might encounter power lines on roadways and potentially across waterways that have not yet been identified, as well as downed trees and other debris that could be blocking recreation sites and creating safety hazards.
Come to the ‘Bull Trout and Rivers’ Junior Ranger program! July 22 from 11-12:30 with lots of great activities for kids age 6-12.
07/19/2024
Stage 2 fire restrictions are in effect. Please refer to the posted restrictions.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
07/18/2024
A reminder that mandatory fishing restrictions are in effect on the Clark Fork River. This means no fishing from 2 PM to Midnight.
For questions, please contact FWP region 2 at (406) 542 5500
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 2)
07/18/2024
Looking to use Sha-Ron as a stop on your next float? Boaters, floaters, and recreators, let's unite for a smooth float season! To facilitate that, here's a few parking reminders:
1. For those without trailers: parking space at Sha-Ron's original lot is limited, so cars that are not towing trailers should park in the new lot (located upstream). This helps to reserve much-needed space for trailers at the original lot.
2. For those with trailers: parking at the new Sha-Ron lot is limited to single cars. The original Sha-Ron lot is where cars towing trailers should park.
3. The original and new Sha-Ron lots are connected to each other by a paved pathway.
We appreciate your cooperation throughout this busy summer season!
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Abundant outdoor opportunities and a rich cultural heritage converge at the newly restored confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers at the heart of the Milltown State Park.
The former site of a Superfund river restoration project, Milltown State Park features more than 500 acres of terrain, ranging from restored river bottoms to a pine forested bluff overlooking the confluence. The park affords visitors a place to go hiking, biking, fishing, floating and watching for birds and wildlife. The Milltown State Park Overlook is open and features interpretive displays and picnic tables. There are nearly three miles of hiking trails that lead from the Overlook down to the Clark Fork River and its floodplain trails.
The Confluence area, on the north side of the river, will be having a Grand Opening on June 23rd, 2018. The park developments will include trails, an interpretive shelter and river access. Throughout the park, interpretive displays will explore the natural and human history of the area.
Among the many stories from the deep past are the Glacial Lake Missoula floods that shaped the landscape thousands of years ago. The Salish and Pend d' Oreille know the confluence as the place of bull trout and consider it an ancestral home. In 19th century history, Meriwether Lewis made a Fourth of July passage through the confluence and decades later the Mullan Expedition spent a harsh winter there. Beginning in the 1880s, the rivers were dammed to produce power for the mills and communities but at great consequence.
The hopeful story of the Milltown Dam removal and rivers' return offers an opportunity to explore America's changing relationship to the land as well as the benefits that river restoration yields for Montana's families and communities. For more information, explore the story map, A Confluence of Stories–an interactive, multi-media narrative–chronicling the natural and cultural history at Milltown State Park.
Whether you come to play or to learn, there is a lot to do at Montana's newest state park.
