The Belly River Country

The valley of the Belly River is one of the most untamed and beautiful areas left in North America. It is accessible only by trail, and its remoteness makes it a backpacker’s paradise. At the mouth of the valley, Chief Mountain, sacred to the Blackfeet, stands as a lone sentinel over the northern plains, an island of ancient limestone spared by the erosive glaciers that once surrounded it. The rugged peaks of the inner ranges are dominated by the massive pinnacles of Mount Merritt, which sports three glaciers on its flanks.

Place names reflect the importance of this area to Native Americans: Atsina Lake, Mokowanis Creek, Gros Ventre Falls, and the Belly River itself are named after the Gros Ventre, or “Big Belly,” tribe of the northern plains; Kaina Creek was named for a northern band of Blackfeet known colloquially as the Blood tribe that now reside in Canada; and the Stoney Indians of the Canadian Rockies left their name on the pass and peak at the head of Mokowanis Creek.

View of Chief Mountain near the Belly River country Licensed by Shutterstock.com

The streams and lakes draining toward Hudson Bay abound with fish, including rainbow and brook trout, mountain whitefish, and the arctic grayling. The latter is limited to only a few areas in Montana, including Elizabeth Lake and the Belly River. The grassy meadows of the valley floor provide forage for abundant elk, which share the valley with deer, mountain lions, and many other species of wildlife. The surrounding ridges are covered with a mixture of spruce and lodgepole pines on the well-drained sites, with groves of quaking aspen occupying spring and seep areas.

The Belly River Valley can be accessed from the Chief Mountain Highway (MT 17) or over passes from Goat Haunt Ranger Station on Upper Waterton Lake or the Many Glacier area. Trails tend to take their time in getting places, and thus this area offers few opportunities for day hikers. The closest ranger stations from which permits are available are at Many Glacier and St. Mary. In addition, there is a ranger station near the confluence of the Mokowanis and Belly Rivers, which is manned from May through September. Don’t venture into the backcountry planning to stay overnight without a permit already in hand.