 ne of the highest
concentrations of Forest Service campgrounds in the State lies in the country surrounding
the small town of White Sulphur Springs, which lies on US 89 between Livingston and Great
Falls. Surrounded by the Big Belt, Little Belt, Castle, and Crazy Mountains, great
recreational opportunities abound in every direction. Also, with the possible exception of
float trips on the famed Smith River, all of this area is off the main tourist routes and
is refreshingly uncrowded. Particularly during the week, we have often pulled into a campground and found we were
the only ones there, which is always a delight. Complementing the wide choice of camping
alternatives are a wide array of hiking, fishing, and hunting possibilities. For a review
of fishing possibilities, see our article on fishing the White Sulphur and Smith River
area.
You should of course be armed with maps of the area. The Forest Visitors Map of the
Lewis and Clark National Forest (Jefferson Division), and Helena National Forest maps are
available from any area Forest Service office. The Montana Atlas and Gazetteer, available
from Delorme ( http://www.delorme.com), also has
adequate topographical maps of this area, as well as the rest of the state. Hikers
venturing very far into the backcountry will want more detailed topographical maps, and
the standard are the 1:24000 scale USGS maps. These are available at most well-equipped
sporting goods stores, or check http://mapping.usgs.gov/mac/findmaps.html.
One of the closest (and nicest) campgrounds to White Sulphur is the Grasshopper Creek
campground, located in the northwest part of the Castle mountains. Head east from town on
US 89. In just over two miles you will come to an intersection, US 89 departs to the north
and you want to continue east on US 12. After four more miles turn south onto gravel,
Forest Route 211, and in just over four more miles you will come to a delightful
campground tucked into a timbered canyon bottom. There are only 11 sites, but usage is
light and you should easily be able to find a site, in fact if it is during the week
chances are good you will have the place to yourself. There is another campground,
Richardson Creek, a mile further along the road, but it is more primitive and only has
about three sites, which seem to be mostly used during hunting season. There is a small corral
for horse users. A sign warning that there is no turnaround should be taken seriously. You
will have difficulty getting turned around with anything bigger than a pickup camper. If
you are tent camping and Grasshopper Creek campground is too crowded for your taste (most
unlikely) Richardson Creek is an alternative, though. Good hiking trails depart from both
campgrounds, offering possibilities for loop trips ranging from just a couple of miles up
to fifteen miles or so. The surrounding country in the northwest Castles is beautiful,
green and lush, and is closed to vehicle use (with the exception of snowmobiles, which
obviously aren’t a factor during the main camping season). You are likely to find
cattle grazing during the later summer months, but you are also likely to find deer and
elk, especially if you are out early or late in the day. The streams in the vicinity are
quite small and offer questionable fishing at best, but there are several lakes within a
short drive. One very worthwhile side trip in this area would be to visit the ghost town
of Castle, which can be reached via a fifteen mile drive on Forest Route 211 beyond the
campgrounds. If you are in any sort of rush and/or have a vehicle poorly suited to rough
roads you might be better off using State Route 294, a paved road along the south end of
the Castles. At Lennep turn onto Forest Route 581 and you will reach the ghost town in
about seven miles.
Another favorite camping place of ours is the State-owned Smith River Recreation Area
west of White Sulphur. Take State Route 360 west and north out of town. After about
seventeen miles turn north onto the clearly marked Smith River road. After about 2.5 miles
you will see signs for the Smith River Recreation Area. The road into the area splits into
several progressively rougher forks as it descends to the river. If you have a low
clearance vehicle or a larger RV you will want to avoid turning onto forks to the left or
right. Head toward the vicinity of a couple of outhouses visible shortly after you begin
descending toward the river. There are several nice spots just above the river, and a
couple of very nice ones which require a somewhat rough and steep final descent to the
river. The left (south) fork of the access road also leads to some excellent sites. Perhaps our favorite
in the whole area is a secluded site at the end of this road, right where the Smith comes
out of a narrow canyon. This spot is best suited to tent campers, though. The final
descent is quite rough and steep, and the last time we used it there were signs
discouraging vehicle use for the last little way. If you don’t mind packing your
equipment the final hundred yards or so, you will feel like you are in your private
camping and fishing paradise. The right (north) fork of the access road also leads to a
secluded site, although it is also the put-in point for people wanting to float to Camp
Baker. There is also some swampy ground in this area and you will want to be well-supplied
with insect repellant. Fishing is the primary attraction in this area, although there is
plenty of public land for hiking if you desire. Keep an eye out for teepee rings hidden in
the grass above the river, evidence that this has been a favored camping spot for a long
time. History buffs will also probably want to visit Fort Logan, which lies on State Route
360 about a mile past the Smith River Road turnoff. Fort Logan was an Army outpost during
the Indian war days of the late 1800’s. A few buildings remain, and although they are
on private property visitors are welcome.
A few miles further north on the Smith River road lies Camp Baker, the point where
floaters put in for a multi-day float through the famed Smith River canyon. During the
floating season in May and June, this is one of the busiest recreation sites in the area.
Camping space is limited, and unless you have made reservations to float the Smith below
Camp Baker I wouldn’t plan on camping here, at least during May or June.
One interesting possibility is to make a loop trip by continuing north on the Smith
River road and then looping back east along upper Sheep Creek to US 89. You will
definitely want a Forest Service map if you do this, since there are several possibly
confusing intersections in the upper reaches of the Smith River road. There is a
campground where the road rejoins Sheep Creek, but it is little more than an outhouse,
with no developed camp sites. We have camped there though, and the fishing in Sheep Creek
more than made up for any lack of amenities. A more developed campground is available a
few miles north on Forest Route 204 at Moose Creek. If you are interested in fishing,
though, you would probably want to stay at the Sheep Creek site, or at one of several
undeveloped sites along the creek and just off the road (Forest Route 119, Sheep Creek
road) a couple of miles west of US 89. Consult your map, these sites are in section #24.
US 89 makes a ninety degree turn before ascending along Sheep Creek, and another nice
campground where we have often stayed is four miles east at Jumping Creek. Rather than a
destination in itself, though, Jumping Creek as well as Kings Hill and Many Pines
campground further north on US 89 are more places to spend the night when you need a place
to stay while passing through. Please don’t misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong
with them, but they don’t have the fishing or hiking possibilities right from the
campground that the others mentioned do.
West of White Sulphur in the Big Belt mountains another favorite is Gipsy Lake (and no,
that isn’t mispelled). Once again, head straight west out of White Sulphur on State
Route 360, but when the highway makes a ninety degree corner about a mile and a half out
of town, continue straight ahead onto gravel. After passing through farm and ranch country
the road enters the National Forest and you will shortly see signs for the Gipsy Lake
campground. The actual Gipsy Lake lies just south of the road shortly after you enter the
National Forest, but you need to proceed slightly further to reach the spur road to the
campground. This campground has been recently renovated, and is very nice. There is good
fishing in Gipsy Lake, and a trail leading south from the campground leads to several
other lakes in the high country of the Big Belts. Be prepared for some serious calorie
expenditure to reach them, though, and an overnight backpack trip is in order if you want
to do this area justice.
After a few days of camping, a soak in a hot springs pool might sound most attractive,
and I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t mention that White Sulphur Springs has an
excellent one. The town’s namesake has been developed into a very nice spa. It is
part of the appropriately named Spa Hot Springs Motel, but the pool is also open to those
who aren’t staying at the motel. The spring provides an abundant flow of natural hot
water, and the pools are filled fresh daily. They contain no chlorine and are crystal
clear, and I can verify they feel absolutely wonderful after a few days of camping (or any
other time, for that matter).
The White Sulphur Springs area doesn’t have the jaw-dropping alpine scenery of
Glacier Park, or the easily visible wildlife of Yellowstone, but it more than makes up for
it with uncrowded conditions, excellent fishing, and a nice mix of terrain that is very
easy on the eye. This is one area where you have to expend very little effort to feel that
you are in your own private paradise, and I highly recommend it.
|
