Heading for Lost

Maybe it is just the name, but I have always felt like Lost Creek State Park, north of Anaconda, doesn’t get enough notice. The state park stretches for 502 acres along Lost Creek. Like much of Southwest Montana, the area sits on a limestone formation. The creek courses through a deep canyon beneath towering limestone cliffs. The far northwest corner of the park puts the grand limestone geology onto dramatic display with a fifty-foot waterfall that is the gem of the park. The limestone cliffs are home to the animals that make Montana so famous: mountain goats, big horn sheep, deer, elk, and, according to https://fwp.mt.gov the vagrant shrew. Since the park is off the beaten path, it is an excellent place for picnicking, camping, hiking and fishing. The trail to the falls is handicap accessible, and there is a good deal of paved trails in the park, making it ideal not just for mountain bikers but also for bikers who prefer a slightly smoother ride.

Lost Creek is open from May to  November, which means that this is the perfect time to start planning a trip. The park has a total of 25 campsites, which are accessible to RVs and trailers under 23 feet.  For fee information, as well as park and trail maps, visit the state parks website.