Visit and experience the nature and solitude of Council Grove State Park and reflect on the park's history.

In 1855, on this site, Isaac Stevens negotiated the Hellgate Treaty between the U. S. government and the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreille Indians to create the Flathead Reservation. The treaty was signed here on July 16, 1855.

Council Grove State Park contains large, old-growth ponderosa pines, grassy fields by the park picnic area, and cottonwoods along the Clark Fork.

This site is composed of 187 acres at an elevation of 3,198 feet.

This is a day-use-only site. Vehicle size is limited to passenger cars.

Council Grove State Park

Abundant outdoor opportunities and a rich cultural heritage converge at the newly restored confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers at the heart of the Milltown State Park.

The former site of a Superfund river restoration project, Milltown State Park features more than 500 acres of terrain, ranging from restored river bottoms to a pine forested bluff overlooking the confluence. The park affords visitors a place to go hiking, biking, fishing, floating and watching for birds and wildlife. The Milltown State Park Overlook is open and features interpretive displays and picnic tables. There are nearly three miles of hiking trails that lead from the Overlook down to the Clark Fork River and its floodplain trails. 

The Confluence and Gateway areas, on the north side of the river, saw construction begin in the summer of 2017. The park development include trails, an interpretive plaza and river access. The grand opening for the Confluence area was June 23, 2018.

Among the many stories from the deep past are the Glacial Lake Missoula floods that shaped the landscape thousands of years ago. The Salish and Kalispel know the confluence as the place of bull trout and consider it part of their ancestral home. In 19th century history, Meriwether Lewis made a Fourth of July passage through the confluence and decades later the Mullan Expedition spent a harsh winter there. Beginning in the 1880s, the rivers were dammed to produce power for the mills and communities but at great consequence.

The hopeful story of the Milltown Dam removal and rivers' return offers an opportunity to explore America's changing relationship to the land as well as the benefits that river restoration yields for Montana's families and communities. For more information, explore the story map, A Confluence of Stories–an interactive, multi-media narrative–chronicling the natural and cultural history at Milltown State Park.

Whether you come to play or to learn, there will be a lot to do at Montana's newest state park.

Hike the trail from the overlook to the flood plain with Mike Kustudia, Park Manager and Olivia Hollis, AmeriCorps member, as they take you on a lively tour of history and park features.

State Parks Tagged With: Missoula