Missouri Headwaters State Park


We visited Headwaters State Park between Bozeman and Butte with Jon and Kristin.  This is a featured state park in Montana and should be a gem in their state park system.  This is where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallitin rivers come together to form the Missouri.
It is exciting for anyone who is familiar with either the geography or the history of the US.  The Missouri/Mississippi River drainage is an immense part of our national freshwater system and the Missouri was the highway of Louis and Clark for a majority of their famous journey.

The Jefferson and Madison are the first to join, then the Galletin comes in from the east within a 1/4 mile to create the massive drainage that starts the flow of the Missouri.  Draining mountain ranges all around Yellowstone and south Montana this river is a rich landscape for wildlife and bird migration.

It has been the site of human use and conflict as long as we have a history.  The American Indians were here and left artifacts of their visits long before the tribes were recognized with the names we know now.  Then there were two attempts at creating the great city of Galletin - the hotel still stands and had plenty of fresh air should you be looking for lodging.


I was happy to explore the park, but I was also disappointed by the small area that has been preserved, the amount of electric lines, poles and even a transfer station that detracts from the overall beauty of the landscape.  This location deserves more protection and greater land preservation, but still deserves your visit.


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