Crow Creek Falls

Restoring a Montana Mining Site

Visitors to Montana’s Elkhorn Mountains frequently head for Crow Creek Falls, a spectacular 60-foot waterfall on a tributary of the Missouri River in the Helena National Forest. Mining in the 1980s scarred the land, but local residents and the Montana Mining Association wanted to make it right.

ALC purchased 20 acres around the falls, and volunteers cleared the debris and heavy mining equipment, transforming the area. With the land restored and protected from future mining, ALC transferred ownership to the U.S. Forest Service in 2003.This now pristine landscape is a popular destination for backcountry camping, hiking, horseback riding, hunting and fishing.

To read the story about the reclamation of Crow Creek Falls, visit the U.S. Forest Service.