Horseback Riding

BYOH (bring your own horse!) and enjoy some of the most accessible and scenic country in the western US.  Make Lewistown your home base and explore the mountains that surround it.  

The Big and Little Snowy Mountains, the Belts, the Judiths and the Moccasins are the closest, but the Castles, Crazies and the Highwoods are also within reach for a day ride.

For a change of scenery, you might want to head north and explore portions of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge or ride the prairies on the extensive public land between Lewistown and the Missouri river.

Useful Resources:

1. Much of the trail riding is done on Forest Service land and the U.S. Forest Service map for the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Jefferson pision, covers most all of the areas accessible from Lewistown.  

Most of the riding from Lewistown would be in the Judith Ranger District, 109 Central Ave., PO Box 484, Stanford, MT 59479 (406-566-2292) or the Musselshell Ranger District, 809 2nd St. NW, PO Box 1906, Harlowton, MT 59036 (406- 632-4391).  

Maps would be available from either and a call before heading out is always a good idea to see if there are any current issues concerning travel in the backcountry.  

2. The BLM has major land management responsibilities in the area, most notably the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.  The BLM Field Office is in Lewistown and they can be reached at 406-538-1900.

Extensive information on the National Monument is available on the State BLM website at blm.gov/mt.  (See information on the Limekiln Trail under Hiking on this website.)

3. The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is also headquartered in Lewistown.  Information and maps are available from them directly at 406-538-8706 or on their website at fws.gov/cmr.

4. The Judith Basin Back Country Horsemen are another potential source of helpful information.  Brad or Laura Fogle can be contacted at 406-366-0508.