Elk NetworkGreen Mountain – Public Access Project

Conservation | May 14, 2019

This pass, located along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front east of the Bob Marshall Wilderness is a cross-section of activity both present and past.

It is here where Meriweather Lewis crossed the Continental Divide on his return journey home from the West with fellow explorer William Clark.

It is also here where you find the modern day Continental Divide National Scenic Trail within the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail corridor, where modern day hikers do exploring of their own.

And it is here where the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed up with a private landowner to acquire what was a 620-acre privately-held inholding but since conveyed to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.

The result is not only 620 acres of permanently protected habitat and newly created public access but improved access to more than 2,000 acres of adjacent public land.

The property features vital year-round habitat for elk, mule deer, whitetail deer and other species, plus it lies within the Continental Divide Grizzly Bear Recovery Area.

The transaction is a win for wildlife, a win for hunters and hikers, a win for public access and a win for conservation.