Hi-Line Living: A day at the park

Though it's open year-round, Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar and park staff are amping up preparations at the park for their biggest holiday and busiest season of the year.

Beaver Creek Park was established in 1916 by an act of Congress and is one of the largest county parks in the United States with 10,000 acres.

"In the 1960s, the park board was started and the park started developing into the park it is today," Edgar said.

Edgar, who is in his 15th season at the park, said a lot has been added in the past couple of decades and many improvements have been made.

"I am proud of what we have accomplished in the last 15 years," he said.

"Beaver Creek Park is open to all individuals for recreation and conservation purposes. Camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife watching, sightseeing, hiking and many other outdoor recreational activities are encouraged," the official website for the park says.

Park use requires a permit, Edgar said, and permits are either by day or year. Annual permits, which run from May 1 to April 30 of the following year, are $55 or $35 for 65 or older.

"It is a pretty good bargain," he added about the annual pass.

A day permit is $10 and does cover overnight camping for the day specified, the Beaver Creek Park official website says.

Day passes can be purchased at Stromberg's Sinclair, Bing 'N' Bob's, North 40 Outfitters, Bear Paw Meats and the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce.

Day permits are also available at the park, Edgar said, at two self-pay boxes; one is located at Upper Lake/Beaver Creek Reservoir information kiosk and the other is at the transfer station dump site.

Buying park permits beforehand, though, is helpful to the park, he added.

"Camping is the number one activity," Edgar said about the what visitors do in the park.

Edgar added that for people wanting to camp there are smaller unreserved camping spots and larger reserved sites which are the same price no matter how many people a camp group has. These reservable sites are $75 a night for residents of Hill, Blaine, Chouteau and Liberty counties, and $100 for all others.

The campsites can be used for RVs and tent camping, Edgar said. It is strictly primitive camping, meaning there are no hookups, but each site includes a garbage can or cumpster and garbage service and a picnic table.

Camp Kiwanis, which is usually used by big groups for events like reunions or weddings,  is a set of 13 individual cabins that sleep 12 people each in bunk beds, he said. There is also a lodge, that includes a kitchen, where people can congregate and a bathhouse. Camp Kiwanis can be reserved from mid-May to Sept. 15 and is $700 a night for one night, $600 a night when reserved for multiple nights, and if used as a youth camp or facility, is $300 a night.

Hiking is another popular activity, Edgar said. There are two developed trails and one trail in process.

The two developed trails are Bear Paw Nature Trail and Mount Otis Trail. Rotary Falls Trail is in the process of being developed through the efforts of Havre Trails, he added.

Another activity that people enjoy doing at the park is fishing at Bear Paw Lake, Edgar said.

Bear Paw Lake is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks which has its own permit system, he added, and day use on that site is free.

Edgar said that though the park is open year-roud, the staff is now preparing for the spring and summer season.

"Now is the busy time. ... We are always getting amped for the next holiday," he said. "Memorial Day is the big holiday."

"We are busy getting ready ... cleaning up litter, and campgrounds are getting scoured," he said. "We are cleaning the pavilions and outhouses."

Staff members are also focusing on spraying the noxious weeds, Edgar said, and they are looking to hire some more summer help.

It is important the park looks nice because it receives a lot of tourists, he said, a lot of Canadians like to come down to camp.

"We have the same people coming down year after year," Edgar added.

Beaver Creek Park was lucky after the severe winter because it stayed a little warmer than Havre, Edgar added, and it also warmed up a little earlier this spring so there was no flooding because the melting of the snow was more spaced out.

"The conditions are perfect; the weather is great," he said, and even the area that the fire went through last summer is really green, Edgar added.

There are also rules and advice that visitors can follow, he said, to help preserve the park environment.

Some of these rules include: keeping your dog on a leash. "It is a Hill County Ordinance," Edgar said.

A group can only be in one camping spot for 14 days. After this, items can be towed or taken. "It is for fairness to other park users," Edgar said. There is also a 48-hours unattended rule for campsites, after that items can be towed or taken.

No littering. People are also asked to secure all garbage and always put a lid on it when away or at night.

People also must extinguish campfires until cold to prevent fires and keep music, noises and dogs quiet. Quiet hours start at midnight.

"We want people to have a good, safe summer," Edgars said, "Please respect other park users."

Locals are the number one users of the park, he added.

"I appreciate everyone's support over the years," he said.