By Hope Good
Central Montana, with its wide-open spaces, presents outstanding year-round recreation, including scenic drives, creek fishing, horse-back riding, hiking, mountain biking, hunting, and more. The Judith River, a tributary of the Missouri River, flows 127 miles through the mountains past the communities of Utica and Hobson to the Missouri River eighteen miles northwest of Winifred. The Little Belt Mountains lie to the east of the Big Belt Mountains and to the southeast of Great Falls. The mountain range extends west of Belt Creek to the higher ranges on the east. Wildlife is abundant and the picturesque view is a sight to behold.
A great way to begin your journey is with the Charles M. Russell Auto Tour. Information can be picked up at the Judith Ranger Office in Stanford or you can call (406) 566-2292. Follow the path of Charlie Russell’s early years and enjoy landscapes that have retained their natural beauty. These remote settings were captured in many of Russell’s early paintings.
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The road from Utica to Sapphire Village leads to the base of the Little Belt Mountains where the Judith River Backcountry drive will take you on a sixty-mile memorable excursion across the Little Belt Mountains. Along the way, the famous Oxen Yoke Inn at Utica, known for their gigantic burgers, also offer a wide variety of items such as pork chop sandwiches, pizza, shrimp, and handmade chicken fried steak.
The Blue Nugget in Sapphire Village offers a full-service restaurant and bar with great food including their refried beans, signature green chile sauce, enchilada sauce, salsa, and much more made from scratch right in house! They also stock great varieties of real Wisconsin Cheese, have furnished cabins, RV Hookups, a shower house, country store, and gorgeous Yogo Sapphires specific to the Yogo Gulch in a wide variety of stunning jewelry pieces.
The Judith River Game Range, is adjacent to the Middle Fork of the Judith River and provides you an opportunity to stay at an historic ranger station constructed in the early 1900s. This two-story frame building is surrounded by ponderosa pines and featured on the national historic site.
Primitive camping locations along the way include the Fred M. Ellis Memorial Campground, Indian Hill Campground, Hay Canyon Campground, and Dry Pole Campground. Highlights include great views of the narrow and rocky canyons and nearby mountain ranges and valleys, the South Fork and main stem of the Judith River, Jake Hoover’s cabin (reconstructed) where Charlie Russell lived in his early years, and a series of large, rolling meadows called Russian Flat. Several miles past Russian Flat, the road meanders back through the forest and takes you to the other side of the mountain closer to Kings Hill Pass (Showdown).
Showdown Ski Area is located only sixty miles south of Great Falls. The base of the mountain is 6,800 feet and the summit
is 7,200 feet. During the summer, the mountain is open to the public for walking and biking and in the winter it is a popular ski resort. Amenities for lodging and dining can be found on both sides of the mountain. Nearby attractions include the Charles Bair Museum located in Martinsdale, and the only “castle” in the state of Montana, and the Spa Hot Springs both located in White Sulphur Springs.
In order to reach the highest peak in the Little Belt Mountains, follow the road to Dry Wolf for about sixteen miles. It will eventually meet another road at the base of Yogo Peak which is a very rough drive one mile further up to the top. (You’ll want a vehicle with 4WD.)
In Meagher County, ten miles west of Monarch on Logging Creek road, Lick Crick Cave and waterfalls abound. The entrance of the cave is located near the mountain and a well forged trail exists to get there. The entrance is a 2×3 foot opening that leads down to the “Cathedral Room,” one of the largest cave rooms in Montana, measuring 405×465 feet.
Sluice Boxes State Park, established in 1970, consists ofthe northern most eight miles of the Belt Creek canyon. The mining towns of Monarch, Neihart, Hughesville, and Albright have left unique remnants behind in the form of old buildings and mine shafts. Soaring cliffs and precipitous ledges mark the Belt Creek Canyon as it slices out of the Little Belt Mountains and winds toward the town of Belt.