Beavertail Hill

Beavertail Hill State Park encompasses 65 acres along the Clark Fork River in Powell County between Missoula and Deer Lodge. The park provides a convenient rest stop and camping area along Interstate 90 with river access and pleasant scenery.

The Clark Fork River corridor supports brown trout and rainbow trout. White-tailed deer frequent the riparian areas, and various songbirds inhabit the cottonwood gallery forest. Ospreys and bald eagles fish the river.

A mature cottonwood forest shades the park along the Clark Fork River. Ponderosa pines grow on the drier hillside. Native grasses and shrubs fill the understory, and wildflowers bloom along the riverbank in spring.

The park sits along the Clark Fork River in a narrow valley between mountain ranges. The river has carved through layers of sedimentary rock, and glacial outwash deposits from the Pleistocene ice ages shaped the valley floor.

The Clark Fork Valley experiences cold winters and warm, dry summers. Annual precipitation averages about 13 inches. The valley can trap cold air during winter inversions.

The Clark Fork corridor has served as a transportation route for millennia. Native peoples traveled the valley, and the Mullan Road, one of Montana's first wagon roads, followed this same corridor in the 1860s.

Beavertail Hill State Park was developed to provide travelers along the Interstate 90 corridor with a scenic rest area and camping option along the Clark Fork River.

River access for fishing is the primary draw. A short nature trail explores the riparian area. The park serves as a pleasant camping stop for travelers between Missoula and Butte.

The park offers 28 campsites, picnic areas, and river access. It is located directly off Interstate 90, about 26 miles east of Missoula at exit 130.

The park protects a stretch of Clark Fork River riparian habitat. Water quality in the Clark Fork has improved significantly through upstream Superfund remediation efforts.