An hour's drive west of Missoula, Fish Creek State Park offers something increasingly rare in Montana: solitude. It's the largest state park in western Montana and the second-largest in the state, yet it recorded fewer than 60,000 visitors in 2025 — a trickle compared with the crowds at Glacier National Park.
The land has an interesting backstory. For decades it was logged, then bought by The Nature Conservancy and later acquired by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in 2010. The state carved a 5,600-acre park out of a larger 41,000-acre wildlife management area, and it remains deliberately rustic. There's no visitor centre, no shops and few amenities — just easy access to fishing, hiking and wildlife watching across a landscape still proving its resilience.
Anglers get the best of it. Fish Creek itself winds through the park with multiple access points, and trout are usually biting — though check regulations carefully, since cutthroat and bull trout are strictly catch-and-release. The Clark Fork River along the park's edge offers fly-fishing in summer and class II and III rapids for paddlers. Missoula-based outfitter Zoo Town Surfers runs day trips through the nearby Alberton Gorge, but only in summer, so time your visit accordingly.
Hikers and off-roaders benefit from another logging legacy: a network of old roads. Around 70 miles are maintained for OHV use, while closed sections double as quiet walking trails. The classic challenge is the climb from the Williams Peak trailhead — roughly a mile and a half to the summit, where a closed lookout tower doesn't spoil the panoramic view over the forest. This landscape was part of some 3 million acres burned in the 1910 Great Burn, much of it in under three days, which makes the regrowth all the more striking.
There's no campground inside the park itself, but the five-site Big Pine Campground sits a few hundred yards outside, with fire rings, picnic tables and a vault toilet — first come, first served, and suitable for smaller RVs up to 23 feet, though there's no hookups or water. While you're there, seek out Montana's tallest ponderosa pine, a 350-year-old giant standing over 200 feet that survived the Great Burn. Prefer a roof? The River Edge Resort & Steakhouse in nearby Alberton gets good marks for value and hearty dinners, with weekend breakfasts of biscuits and gravy. Missoula, with its full range of lodging and winter activities, is the natural base for a longer trip.
For travellers who want Big Sky scenery without the parking-lot crowds, Fish Creek is an easy add-on: about 45 miles from Missoula Airport (MSO), right off Interstate 90, with an $8 entry fee for out-of-state vehicles.
