Sluice Box State Park

A trip to the Sluice Box State Park

This past weekend, I was able to get up a few hours North of Bozeman, into the Sluice Box State Park. I have heard great things about this place, so I had to make my way up there. It started out with a long drive through some flat country abound with bails of hay. It almost felt like I was back in Iowa up until I started my journey through the Little Belt Mountains on Hwy 89. After passing some neat mountain towns, I arrived at the turn for Sluice Box State Park. Steep canyons begin to appear from the gravel road as you work your way back there. I remember thinking that this area doesn’t even seem hike-able. Once at the trailhead, I stuffed all my fly gear into one of Explore’s awesome new Alps Mountaineering packs and headed down the trail. I was glad I also grabbed some of Explore’s new trekking poles as well, as it was some steep and rugged terrain

Huckleberries in the Sluice Box

The cliff face trail I was on didn’t look like it went anywhere close to the river. So, I started looking for my own place to bushwhack down. It took awhile due to the fact that the state park is centered around 100 ft. cliffs, but I eventually found a spot easy enough to sneak down to the river. After finally getting down there, I fished Belt Creek for a couple of hours. It was such a neat fishing hole however, I felt like doing more wandering than fishing. About the time I stumbled onto some wild huckleberries, bad weather moved in and I decided to get the heck out of there before it got worse. I was in such a hurry I misplaced my fly box. So, if you happen to bump into on your trip there, it’s all yours!

It was quite the drive and ended up being a long day, but it was well worth it. I got to test out some awesome new gear and brought home some huckleberries! If you ever get a chance, I would definitely recommend taking a trip there. Just be sure to check the weather beforehand…