Sweet Grass County Recreation Association

Sweet Grass County Recreation Association The SGCRA promotes safe and healthy year-round motorized and non-motorized recreation and responsible multiple-use of our public lands. What does SGCRA do?

Sweet Grass County Recreation Association
The SGCRA is an organization of individuals and businesses interested in promoting outdoor recreation. It was founded in 1972 to provide a unified voice for Montanans who want to preserve the use of public lands. SGCRA encourages the safe, courteous, lawful and responsible use of public lands. Promotes the proper recreational use of the land in keeping wit

h the protection, preservation and enhancement of all natural resources. Provides representation at every phase of Montana’s public land usage. Keeps members informed of state and national issues. Represents outdoor enthusiasts as an organized group. Provides recreationalists with a way to meet other recreational enthusiasts in an atmosphere of camaraderie and cooperation. Assists state and local law enforcement agencies in search and rescue efforts. Works with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to develop and maintain a quality trail systems and a series of maintained parking lots that can be enjoyed by all outdoor enthusiasts year around. Works with the enforcement division of FWP to provide safety programs and information to its members. The Sweet Grass County Recreation Association promotes safe and healthy year round motorized and non-motorized recreation for its members and residents of Southwest Montana.

OPEN THE TRAIL TO INDEPENDENCE & BLUE LAKE!Join the Sweet Grass County Recreation Association for a volunteer trail work...
08/30/2026

OPEN THE TRAIL TO INDEPENDENCE & BLUE LAKE!

Join the Sweet Grass County Recreation Association for a volunteer trail work weekend on Saturday and Sunday, September 12–13.

Meet at the Fourmile Trailhead between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. Fourmile is approximately 43 miles south of Big Timber via Highway 298 and Main Boulder River Road. From there, we’ll travel about 7 miles to the work site, located roughly 2 miles upstream of Box Canyon.

Bring high-visibility apparel, gloves, a shovel, pry bar, food and drinks, and bug spray. SGCRA will provide a water and snack station, along with first-aid supplies and fire extinguishers.

Volunteers will help scatter limbs and fallen timber back into the forest and roll rocks to clear the trail corridor. SGCRA volunteers will operate all motorized equipment at the work site.

Make a weekend of it! Camp with SGCRA members at Fourmile or stay at one of the nearby campgrounds.

And on Saturday night, stick around for a Bobcat football watch party at Fourmile!

Come lend a hand and help reopen access to Independence and Blue Lake.

If attending, please RSVP [email protected] so we can estimate the snacks and water supplies needed or send a private message via FB messenger.

Weekend of September 12, planning underway to host a work party to make a trail detour around the closed bridge on the M...
08/21/2026

Weekend of September 12, planning underway to host a work party to make a trail detour around the closed bridge on the Main Boulder Trail to Independence from Box Canyon. More details next week! Two years of coordination and many volunteer hours to complete permits and applications for the route around the bridge.

08/14/2026

Park County Commission is moving forward two actions necessary for SGCRA to reopen the road by constructing a detour around the closed bridge 2 miles upstream from Box Canyon.

See the agenda for the upcoming commission meeting starting at 9 am on the 18th.

https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/parkcounty/6b62f58821de732df936f3f1d95b29b10.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

SGCRA is making plans for the weekend of September 12 to reopen the road for wheeled vehicle traffic. More details in the next two weeks about the September 12 weekend work.

Working on a metal piece for the Tin Shack. V3. Just a mock up.
07/31/2026

Working on a metal piece for the Tin Shack. V3. Just a mock up.

SGCRA apparel. Limited quantity. Short sleeve t-shirts, small through 2 xl, $15 each, three colors (high-vis yellow, s...
07/17/2026

SGCRA apparel.

Limited quantity.

Short sleeve t-shirts, small through 2 xl, $15 each, three colors (high-vis yellow, sand, olive (army) green) as shown with front logo and rear multi-use picture with Haystack Peak in the background.

Universal fit hat, as pictured, $25.

Can accept check, Venmo, or PayPal. Will ship. Can arrange deliver in the immediate Big Timber area. For buyers outside of the immediate area, send a private message or email with your address and I will reply with a shipping quote.

Main Boulder Rd Update…Main Boulder rip rap project complete upstream of Hilary Bridge! Awaiting US FS approval of a pe...
07/16/2026

Main Boulder Rd Update…

Main Boulder rip rap project complete upstream of Hilary Bridge!

Awaiting US FS approval of a permit to build 800 foot trail and river crossing around the closed bridge 2 miles upstream of Box Canyon- East Fork Trailhead. The permit application requested a 20 foot wide corridor cleared of trees.

More on this soon!

Engage your creative talents! Design the new logo for the Montana Snowmobile Association.
07/16/2026

Engage your creative talents! Design the new logo for the Montana Snowmobile Association.

Recent Developments on Upper Main Boulder Road...1. Forest Service Permit for the Box Canyon DetourThis week, Park Count...
06/13/2026

Recent Developments on Upper Main Boulder Road...

1. Forest Service Permit for the Box Canyon Detour

This week, Park County applied for a Forest Service special use permit through the Yellowstone Ranger District Office in Livingston to create a detour around the closed bridge located two miles upstream from Box Canyon, about 54 miles south of Big Timber.

We have been working toward this step for nearly three years in an effort to reopen the road to wheeled vehicles. Once the Forest Service approves the permit, we will organize a work party to clear the route.

SGCRA played a key role in moving this effort forward by:

• Drafting a joint permit application for the river crossing as required the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and providing it to Park County for finalization and submission.
• Preparing the draft Forest Service special use permit and forwarding it to Park County for signature and transmittal.

After reviewing the joint application for the river crossing, the USACE Helena office determined that no permit was required because construction of the detour will not involve placing fill material between the ordinary high-water marks.

In both instances, SGCRA’s assistance helped prompt County action that otherwise had not been moving forward.

2. Riprap Project South of Hilary Bridge

Park County Public Works has received the permit needed to place riprap along the eroding section of road south of Hilary Bridge and is now soliciting bids for the project.

Bids are due to the County by June 23, and the contract requires the work to be completed by July 17.

To move materials to the site, Park County previously indicated that needed road improvements above Fourmile (corrected by edit) would also be completed.

Main Boulder Road update and attending another Park County Commission meeting..Park County Commission May 5 Meeting Agen...
05/04/2026

Main Boulder Road update and attending another Park County Commission meeting..

Park County Commission May 5 Meeting Agenda: Bridge Capital Improvement Program

The agenda for the Park County Commission meeting includes a discussion about the County’s bridge capital improvement program. This program establishes priorities for bridge improvements by evaluating factors such as the current condition of each structure but does not necessarily factor in the consequences of doing bridge work later than sooner.

Hilary Bridge Repairs Deferred Again

As part of the capital improvement program, the Hilary Bridge repairs have been rescheduled again, kicking the can down the road into 2027.

Erosion One Mile Upstream of Hilary Bridge

Recent observations and photographs indicate that the Main Boulder River is actively eroding the riverbank approximately one mile upstream of the Hilary Bridge. Since January 18, the riverbank has collapsed by an additional 2 to 3 feet closer to the wheel path along a segment of about 30 feet. In previous meetings of the Commission, the reasons for not repairing Hilary Bridge two years ago and armoring the riverbank upstream of Hilary bridge pointed at weight restrictions for Sweet Grass County's Fleming Bridge. The new Fleming Bridge abutments, beams, and concrete deck and rail were all finished last fall, per Sweet Grass County public commitments, and the new bridge opened to traffic last month.

So what?

The trend suggested in these photos is that the high-water levels anticipated this spring and early summer will further erode the riverbank. There is a significant risk that the road near the affected area could become partially or completely washed out. This riverbank work, per Park County Public Works Department, depended upon the repairs to Hilary Bridge. Park County's bridge capital improvement program needs to fund Hilary Bridge repairs this year to save the Boulder Road from partially or fully washing out.

Speak up at the May 5 Park County Commission meeting if you are concerned about the upper Main Boulder Road and the consequences of continually deferring maintenance and repairs.

04/24/2026

Good news, I just spoke with a staffer in Representative Downing's DC office. Representative Downing did select the Main Boulder Bridge Project (upstream of Box Canyon) for one of his FY 2027 funding requests! If this request makes it into the appropriations, it will supplement the funding that Park County has already received from the State of Montana to rebuild both bridges.

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PO BOX 922
Big Timber, MT
59011

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