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Monarch Area Community Association |
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Recreation
Skiing The Showdown Ski Area, 20 minutes up the road from Monarch, offers 4 ski lifts, many downhill ski trails, and a variety of support services. It has been in operation for the last 65 years. Monarch is a favorite place to stop for dinner on the way home from a day of skiing. The Silvercrest Cross-Country Ski Area on King's Hill has 18 km of groomed trails. There are also many back-country trails in the area. In contrast to more rugged mountains in Montana, the Little Belt Mountains do not expose X-C skiers to the risk of avalanche. Tom Kotynski's blogs give some of the flavor of back-country trips. Snowmobiling With more than 120 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the area, snowmobiling is a very popular winter activity. Camping
The closest Forest Service campgrounds to Monarch that are equipped with tables, toilets, fireplaces, and drinking water are Many Pines and Logging Creek. There are approximately 35 informal campsites along the Dry Fork Road--only equipped with a fire ring. Mountain Bike Trails The Forest Service lists 12 trails in the area that are used for riding mountain bikes. Maps and other information are available at the Belt Creek Ranger Station. Hiking
During the 1930's the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC constructed a network of trails in the Little Belt Mountains. The trail system is maintained by the Forest Service and shown on their map of the forest. During summer 2005 MWA sponsored hikes go to Thunder Mountain, Pilgrim Creek, Sluice Boxes, Big Baldy, Paine Gulch, Balsinger Creek, Lone Tree Park, and Tenderfoot Creek. The Big Baldy Hike follows the skyline in the photo above, coming from left to the summit and then down to Rhoda Lake in the cirque (top center) where the sunlit snowbank was (last June). Fishing Belt Creek and its tributaries are popular sites with the fishermen for rainbow trout, brook trout, and brown trout. This is also habitat for westslope cutthroat trout, but this is a protected species. There is extensive hybridization between cutthroat and rainbow trout, but some pure populations of cutthroat still exist in the Little Belt Mountains. Fishing licenses may be purchased at Belt Valley Grocery in Belt and at Bob's Bar in Neihart. Hunting Deer are so abundant in the Little Belt Mountains that every year there is a large harvest by hunters, motorists, and predators. Mule deer prefer the higher elevations, while whitetail deer are more abundant at lower elevations. There are sizable elk herds and a surprising number of moose. Predators that keep the deer and elk population in check include mountain lion, coyote, and rarely black bear. Hunting licenses may be purchased at Belt Valley Grocery in Belt and at Bob's Bar in Neihart. Summer Homes
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Located just inside the boundary of Lewis & Clark National Forest, Monarch
serves as the gateway to the forest for recreational users. Camping,
hiking, fishing, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling, are some of the many
recreational activities. Summer homes belonging to Great Falls
residents are popular. Monarch has accommodations, restaurants,
convenience store, gasoline pump, and other support services. A
forest map can be purchased from the 
Sometimes recreation means being able to "get away from it all" and just sit in the sun and listen to the
creek.
Some rustic cabins built in the 1890's when the mines were operating and
the area was "booming" are still in use. Now the use is for a
vacation retreat rather than as housing for miners.
New
construction is now for upscale homes that can be used year round.