Milltown State Park is located in Missoula Montana which made it the perfect place to visit during our stay at the KOA in Missoula. The first time we were exploring near the park we found a cool foot bridge that crossed the Clark Fork River. It turns out this was not really part of the park. It was Two Rivers Memorial Park.
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There is an Entry Fee
The next time we were in the area we actually found and went into the park. It’s located 4.5 miles off Interstate 90. There is an $8 entry fee for a vehicle and day use pass. $4 if you enter by bicycle. This park features picnicking, bathrooms (vault toilets), hiking trails, bird and wildlife viewing and photography, pets (on a leash), and some ADA accessible trails.
Began as a Superfund Clean Up Site
This park was the site of a federal superfund dam removal project. It was determined that due to heavy mining upstream in Butte and the Clark Fork River flooding a few years after it was built that contaminants such as arsenic, lead, zinc, and copper. The Milltown dam removal and the clean up of contaminated mining sediment that settled at the base of the dam began in 2006. It’s estimated that 3 millions tons of contaminated soil was hauled away.
Once the work was completed the idea of making this once toxic site a state park began. In 2007 the original design/plan for the park was drawn up. It finally became a reality in 2018 when the park officially opened as Milltown State Park.
635 Acres
The park as it sits today now features 635 acres of terrain and several miles of river frontage. You can enter this park from multiple locations. You can enter where we did originally (off I-80) or enter by the scenic overlook. To get to the scenic overlook you would take MT-200 to Tamarack rd. Tamarack Rd turns into Juniper Dr. Take Juniper Dr until you reach New Castle Rd and make a right. New Castle Rd will take you to the scenic overlook parking.
Over 3 Miles of Hiking Trails
This park has 3 miles of hiking trails that will take you from the scenic overlook down to the Clark Fork River and the flood plain trails. On the other side of the river, where we originally entered off MT-200, there is a paved trail that takes you along the river to the bridge and Two Rivers Memorial Park. The bridge is a walking bridge only and provides scenic views of the Clark Fork River.
Tubing/Kayaking Hotspot in the Summer
In the months of July and August there is heavy usage of people using this area as a place to launch their tubes and kayaks to float along the river. While we were there we spoke to a couple of people who were launching tubes. They explained that they enter at the park and have friends pick you up at “exit” points. They also said that sometimes they leave their car at the exit points and get a ride to the park to enter. Either way, sounds like fun to me!!!
To learn more about this park and get the latest updates, you can use the link I provided below.
Milltown State Park Official Website
Check Out My Short Video of this State Park
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