Ovando, Blackfoot Valley, Montana

Seeley Swan to Welcome

Notes & Highlights on the Ovando-Blackfoot Valley area

Greenough

The Blackfoot Valley ranching community known as Greenough begins at Greenough Hill on Hwy. 200 about 25 miles east of Missoula and extends east to Clearwater Junction.

Garnet Ghost Town

Location: Turn south at Greenough Hill (about 24 miles east on Hwy. 200 from Missoula). Follow the gravel road about 11 miles to the Garnet Access Road. The last mile of road is rough. Facilities: Contact the Bureau of Land Management in Missoula at 1-406-329-3914 for visitor information.

Sunset Hill Road

Location: Just past Greenough Hill on Hwy. 200. This scenic, country road leads east for about 7 miles and joins Hwy. 200 again less than one mile from CLEARWATER JUNCTION.

Clearwater Bridge

Location: This bridge crosses the Blackfoot River on Sunset Hill Road. Facilities: Limited parking area for fishermen. Special management area - specific fishing regulations are posted.

South Sunset Hill

Location: Sunset Hill Road about 3 miles from either access on Hwy. 200. Facilities: Fishing Access Site with limited parking space. Special management area - specific fishing regulations are posted.

Clearwater Junction

Clearwater Junction, located at the junction of Montana Highway 200 and Montana Highway 83 near the Clearwater River, is a little over 32 miles from Missoula. Several businesses are located here.

Clearwater Crossing

Location: Just off Hwy. 200 on the Clearwater River less than a mile west of Clearwater Junction. Facilities: Camping units, toilets

Harper's Lake

Location: About 1 mile north of Clearwater Junction on Montana Highway 83. Take the gravel road west for about 1/2 mile. Popular fishing lake with easy access. Facilities: Toilets near the lake. Camping units located just past the lake area.

Lake Upsata

Location: About five miles east of Clearwater Junction take the gravel road north about five miles. THIS LAKE IS CLOSED TO FISHING.

Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range

Location: Headquarters located about 5 miles east of Clearwater Junction on the Boyd Mountain road. The Game Range encompasses several thousand acres north of Clearwater Junction and is managed by Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel as elk winter range. The area is off-limits to visitors except during the summer months.

Sperry Grade

Location: Two miles east of Clearwater Junction on Hwy. 200. Follow the signs south on the gravel road to the picnic area on the banks of the Blackfoot River. Facilities: Fishing Access Site. No developed camping facilities but plenty of room.

Russ Gates Memorial Park

Location: Five miles west of Clearwater Junction on Hwy. 200. Follow the signs south about 1/4 mile to the camping area on the Blackfoot River. Facilities: Camping units, toilets but no developed water.

Scotty Brown Bridge

Location: Seven miles east of Clearwater Junction (about five miles west of Ovando.) Take the graveled county road south about 1 mile to where the bridge crosses the Blackfoot River. Facilities: Fishing Access Site. **NOTE: THERE ARE SEVERAL FISHING ACCESS SITES LOCATED ALONG THIS GRAVELED ROAD WHICH WINDS THROUGH THE COUNTRY SOUTH OF OVANDO. PLEASE REFER TO THE BLACKFOOT RIVER GUIDE, PUBLISHED BY THE MONTANA DEPT. OF FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS, OR INQUIRE LOCALLY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AREA.

River Junction

Location: On the Blackfoot River via a 9-mile trip along the graveled road to the Scotty Brown Bridge. Facilities; Camping units, toilets and access to both the Blackfoot River and the North Fork of the Blackfoot.

Monture Creek

Location: About 7 miles east of Clearwater Junction on Hwy. 200. Facilities: Fishing access site. Camping space and toilets.

Ovando

The ranching community of Ovando is located in the heart of the Blackfoot Valley about 15 miles east of Clearwater Junction. Several recreation facilities are located nearby.

Brown's Lake

Location: About 10 miles southeast of Ovando accessible via a gravel road that goes through the town of Ovando. Facilities: Camping space, toilet, but no developed water. Popular for fishing, picnicking and wind surfing.

Monture Creek Campground

Location: On Hwy. 200 at Ovando take the graveled forest road north about 9 1/2 miles toward the Forest Service facility known as the Monture Guard Station. This road provides access to trails which lead into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It also connects to Cottonwood Lakes Road which leads to Seeley Lake. Facilities: Camping units, picnic tables, toilets, but no developed water source.

Cooper's Lake (Big Nelson)

Location: Take the Cooper's Lake Road about 10 miles east of Ovando. Follow the gravel road about 9 miles to Cooper's Lake Facilities: Camping units, toilets, but no developed water system

Blackfoot River Road (Ninemile Prairie)

Location: 16-mile loop road that intersects Hwy. 200 just north of the McNamara Bridge 14 miles east of Missoula and also at the Roundup Bridge about 28 miles east of Missoula. Facilities: The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks maintains nearly a dozen fishing access sites (FAS) along this gravel road. Descriptions of the more popular FAS follow.

Johnsrud Park

Location: Turn west at the McNamara Bridge on Hwy. 200 and go 1 mile on the Blackfoot River Road. Facilities: Developed water, boat launch, camping areas and toilets.

Thibodeau

Location: Turn at the McNamara Bridge on Hwy. 200 and go 6 miles west on the Blackfoot River Road. Facilities: No developed water source, but has toilets and some picnic areas. Camping is permitted.

Whitaker Bridge

Location: Turn at the McNamara Bridge on Hwy. 200 and go 7 miles west on the Blackfoot River Road. Facilities: Day Use Only. Picnic area.

Roundup Bridge

Location: This bridge on Hwy. 200 crosses the Blackfoot River about 26 miles east of Missoula in a wide, flat area of the Blackfoot Valley known as the Ninemile Prairie. Facilities: Popular launch site for rafts. Toilets available but camping is limited.

Ninemile Prairie

Location: Easiest access is at mile marker 26 on Hwy. 200 at the Roundup Bridge. Take the Blackfoot River Road (Ninemile Prairie Road) west for about 4 miles. Facilities: Fishing Access Site. Camping units, toilets, but no developed water source.

River Bend

Location: Easiest access is at mile marker 26 on Hwy. 200 at the Roundup Bridge. Take the Blackfoot River Road (Ninemile Prairie Road) west for 6 miles. Facilities: Camping units, toilets, but no developed water.

Belmont Creek

Location: Mid-way point on the Blackfoot River Road. Turn west on the Blackfoot River Road at McNamara Bridge and go about 8 miles OR turn west at the Roundup Bridge on the Blackfoot River Road (Ninemile Prairie Road) and travel about 7 miles. Facilities: Fishing Access Site.