Sluice Boxes State Park

Belt, Montana

Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park: Sluice Boxes Overlook
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park: Sluice Boxes Overlook
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
Sluice Boxes State Park:
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Physical Address:

38 Evans Riceville Rd., Belt, MT 59412

Mailing Address:

4600 Giant Springs Road, Belt, MT 59405

Contact Info

fwprg42@mt.gov

About Sluice Boxes State Park

When mining was king in Montana, railroad tracks snaked through mountain ranges to reach small boom towns and haul ore to market. One such mining area lay in the Little Belt Mountains south of Great Falls. The mining towns of Monarch, Neihart, Hughesville and Albright thrived briefly while the ore held out. Today, only the small recreational communities of Monarch and Neihart remain. Hughesville and Albright are ghost towns and trains no longer chug through the canyons. One railroad ran up Belt Creek and the abandoned railroad bed is now the main component and access route of Sluice Boxes State Park.

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. Sluice Boxes State Park, established in 1970, consists of the northern most 8 miles of the Belt Creek canyon. The train bridges have been removed and visitors must ford the creek - a difficult proposition during high water flows. Because of these crossings, hiking in the Sluice Boxes is limited to low water season, generally mid-July through September. The spring-fed water is always cold and weather in the Little Belts changes often and quickly. Be prepared. For the intrepid traveler, trout fishing in Belt Creek, spectacular scenery and many wildlife species await.

Length: 7.5 miles -- Township 16N; Range 6E; Section 26

Trail Beginning: Riceville Bridge

Trail End: Logging Creek Bridge (no facilities available at this point)

USGS Map1: Riceville, MT

Sluice Boxes State Park Activities

Backcountry Camping

Bird Watching

Fishing

Hiking

History

Hunting

Photography

Picnicking

Rafting

Stream Fishing

Swimming

Wildlife Viewing

Sluice Boxes State Park Amenities

Pets Allowed

Toilets

Trail

Sluice Boxes State Park Reservations

Season

All Year

Hours

Sunrise to Sunset

About Sluice Boxes State Park

When mining was king in Montana, railroad tracks snaked through mountain ranges to reach small boom towns and haul ore to market. One such mining area lay in the Little Belt Mountains south of Great Falls. The mining towns of Monarch, Neihart, Hughesville and Albright thrived briefly while the ore held out. Today, only the small recreational communities of Monarch and Neihart remain. Hughesville and Albright are ghost towns and trains no longer chug through the canyons. One railroad ran up Belt Creek and the abandoned railroad bed is now the main component and access route of Sluice Boxes State Park.

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. Sluice Boxes State Park, established in 1970, consists of the northern most 8 miles of the Belt Creek canyon. The train bridges have been removed and visitors must ford the creek - a difficult proposition during high water flows. Because of these crossings, hiking in the Sluice Boxes is limited to low water season, generally mid-July through September. The spring-fed water is always cold and weather in the Little Belts changes often and quickly. Be prepared. For the intrepid traveler, trout fishing in Belt Creek, spectacular scenery and many wildlife species await.

Length: 7.5 miles -- Township 16N; Range 6E; Section 26

Trail Beginning: Riceville Bridge

Trail End: Logging Creek Bridge (no facilities available at this point)

USGS Map1: Riceville, MT

Sluice Boxes State Park Activities

Backcountry Camping

Bird Watching

Fishing

Hiking

History

Hunting

Photography

Picnicking

Rafting

Stream Fishing

Swimming

Wildlife Viewing

Sluice Boxes State Park Amenities

Pets Allowed

Toilets

Trail

Sluice Boxes State Park Reservations

Season

All Year

Hours

Sunrise to Sunset

About Belt, Montana

Elevation: 3,599

Population: 526

County: Cascade

Settled as a coal camp by Finnish and Slavic immigrants, today Belt is better known for its beer than its coal. In the heart of Montana's grain country, and kept lush by wells and streams supplying some of the world's finest water, it comes as little surprise that Belt has attracted the attention of... ...

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