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-The Lewis & Clark Jefferson River Canoe Trail-
Sustaining Our Montana Traditions
By Thomas J. Elpel

Floating and Recreation | Following the Canoe Trail | Lewis and Clark | Conservation & Development

     The Jefferson is a great river with great scenery, abundant wildlife, great floating opportunities, and an essential stake in our nation's history. Almost all land along the river is in private hands and development is encroaching everywhere. Yet amazingly, when you get into a canoe and experience the river from the viewpoint of Lewis and Clark, you discover how much the view-shed remains intact from the river. Most of the existing development is far enough back from the river that you only experience the cottonwood ecology along the river, against a backdrop of undeveloped mountains in the distance.
     With the addition of strategically chosen backcountry campsites, floaters will be able to take the Lewis and Clark experience from the water to the land, by camping and recreating in remote sites where the land seems nearly unchanged from 200 years ago.
     This kind of open space and open access has been a critical part of the Montana tradition throughout our history. People who have lived here all their lives are accustomed to hiking, fishing and hunting for miles and miles along the rivers and through the woods, across public and private lands alike. But with increased immigration and development pressure, people find that they no longer have access to places they have always used, especially along the river corridors. Hope is not lost, however.
     It will not take much to transform the Jefferson River corridor into something that people can more fully experience and appreciate. All that is needed is a few good sites that will allow floaters a quality place to get out and stretch their legs, have lunch, or stop and camp. Our solution is to acquire some backcountry campsites along the river that are accessible only by water, or if by land, then only by non-motorized travel. We wish to avoid the maintenance problems and trash associated with roads and vehicles. Individuals who take the time for multi-day backcountry floats generally have a much greater conservation ethic, and are more likely to pick trash up than leave it.
     At present there are no formally designated campsites along the entire length of the Jefferson River. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has closed all of the Fishing Access Sites along the Jefferson River to camping of any kind, apparently to reduce maintenance costs. While camping is allowed at isolated fragments of BLM lands along the Jefferson River, these sites are not marked on existing maps. This lack of designated campsites discourages users from experiencing extended float trips down the river. Basically, users are allowed to float the river and walk or camp on the gravel bars, but freedom ends at the ordinary high water mark.
     The grassy meadows and cottonwood groves are part of the river experience, with the potential for camping, hiking, bird-watching, mushrooming, or fishing from the bank, but floaters have no access to it. Local Montanans, as well as history buffs following the Lewis and Clark trail, are denied the opportunity to fully experience the Jefferson River ecosystem. Those who decide to camp along the river anyway are encouraged to trespass onto neighboring private lands out of sheer necessity to find decent campsites.
     The Lewis and Clark Jefferson River Canoe Trail will provide river users the opportunity for a quality floating and camping experience without the need to trammel across private lands where they are not welcome. Campsites for the Canoe Trail are being chosen such that floaters will have a half or full day float in between each site. Our organization is working to establish campsites on suitable sites on existing state and federal lands, while purchasing land or negotiating recreation easements for additional campsites where necessary. Ownership of the land or easements will be placed with FWP or a nonprofit entity, while the full burden of site maintenance and management will be the responsibility of the JRCT Association.
     Floaters will be able to follow the Canoe Trail with the aid of detailed conservation and recreation maps of the Jefferson River developed by the Jefferson River Canoe Trail Association. Campsites will initially be undeveloped, designated for no-trace backcountry camping, with guidelines for proper use printed on the Canoe Trail Maps. The JRCT Association will monitor use of the trail and evaluate the need over time for specific campsites, metal grills, or backcountry toilets.
     It is the hope of our organization that the Lewis and Clark Jefferson River Canoe Trail project will lead to greater public interest in sustaining not just the access, but also the quality of open space along the Jefferson River. After establishing the Trail, we hope to work with landowners to secure conservation easements along the river in a way that will protect the natural character of the view-shed from the river, while helping to keep family farms intact and free from development.
     Population growth trends in southwest Montana suggest that now is the time to make long-term decisions to sustain our traditions of open space and open access. The Lewis and Clark Jefferson River Trail is a significant step to preserve what we have left and to guarantee recreational access to keep future generations of Montanans connected with the land and its history.
     About the Jefferson River Canoe Trail Association: We are a nonprofit organization formed for the purpose of seeking permanent solutions to sustain our traditions of open space and open access along the Jefferson River corridor. Founded by local author and wilderness survival skills instructor, Thomas J. Elpel, the organization takes a holistic perspective of conservation and recreation along the Jefferson, viewing the entire river system as a unified regional park. The Canoe Trail includes the entire length of the Jefferson along with the associated formal and informal fishing access sites, campsites, hiking trails, conservation easements, state lands and state parks, as well as adjacent BLM and Forest Service lands.
     Thus, the Jefferson River Canoe Trail already exists. The task at hand is simply one of enhancing infrastructure to improve opportunities for traditional activities such as floating, hiking, camping, bird watching, wildlife viewing, hunting, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, canoeing, rafting, and fishing. We seek to link sites on land and on water to better unite these parcels in a way that will sustain our traditions of open space and open access for future generations of Montanans.

Thomas J. Elpel
JeffersonRiver.org
PO Box 681
Silver Star, MT 59751-0681
E-Mail

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