Most Popular Winter Recreation Area
Getting a Variety of Uses
At a winter wonderland south of Livingston, many different
recreationists congregate without problem - it's their pets
that are having trouble coexisting. At the Snowbank parking
lot, about 15 miles up Mill Creek Road, skiers,
snowmobilers, dog sledders, snowshoers and sledders launch
excursions fanning out from the trail head. "It's a
matter of give-and-take up there," said Livingston City
Commission Chair Steve Caldwell, who spends at least one day
a week in the area Nordic skiing with his dogs. With
Mill Creek having the most consistent snowpack and flat
terrain, it has become a very popular road for dog sledders,
according to musher Jason Matthews of Absaroka Dogsled
Treks.
On Friday afternoon, Matthews was unhooking his sled dogs
from the harness that attached the pack together and to the
wooden sled. He lifted each dog from the snow and loaded
them into rows of boxes in the back of his pickup truck.
Matthews had just finished taking a client on a 20-mile
ride.
Matthews said he frequently has to "vocalize" to other
recreationists -mostly skiers - when their dogs approach his
17-dog team. "When we yell at people or their dogs,
it's not because we are mean. I don't want anything to
happen to my dogs or their dogs, and it is tough vocalizing
over 17 dogs," he said. Sled dogs are not like family pets,
and an uncontrolled dog approaching the group can get into
trouble, he said.
Absaroka Dogsled Treks runs trips in Mill Creek seven days a
week from Thanksgiving to April, which can leave a mess of
dog droppings along the trail and in the parking lot.
Matthews said the company has a policy of running up the
trail once a week and removing what their dogs have left
behind, but they are not the only dog sledders that use the
area. "Because there is always snow, and dog sledders
like to go where there are other dog sledders, it is a very
popular spot," he said.
Livingston District Ranger Ron Archuleta said Mill Creek is
probably the most popular area in the district for
recreationists and that the dog issues are a matter of
personal responsibility. "We encourage people to clean
up after their dogs and keep them under control," Archuleta
said. Matthews said it is great to have an area where
all users can coexist, and said they actually benefit from
having snowmobilers use the area because it makes it easier
to run dog sleds. On Friday, Matthews said, it was
tough riding in the newly fallen snow until a a snowmobiler
passed him and he could follow in the tread tracks.
Jeremy Fatouros, of the snowmobile club Big Sky Snowriders,
said his members try to groom the trail frequently, even
though it is not a great place to ride because of a lack of
good play terrain for snowmobiling. "It's mostly
people getting to cabins and families," he said of the
snowmobile traffic. On Friday, a group of young
men and women were planning to snowshoe off the beaten
trail, make a snow cave and spend the night. Steve
Jones, of Livingston, said the group also planed on doing a
little "hooky-bobbing," which is towing an inner tube, sled
or snow board behind a vehicle or snowmobile.
Jones and his friend Ryan Harris said they use the area
because it is close to town. "We know we are going to
run into people, but there are other places to go if we want
to be in the wilderness," Harris said. On any given
day, there might be six to eight vehicles in the parking
lot, but on a weekend day, after a good snow storm, it can
be five times that, Caldwell said. Toward evening
Tuesday, Gardiner resident Brian Ertel was throwing a toy
for his two dogs at the parking lot. He said he has
never had a problem with his dogs getting into a scuffle at
Mill Creek, but he usually keeps them on a leash.
Dale Sexton, of
Timber Trails, said some skiers and dog sledders have been
talking to Forest Service personnel about expanding the
parking area at Snowbank so there can be more separation
between dog owners, including dog sled teams, but nothing is
in the works yet.
January 2008 By Peter Vandergrift
Enterprise Staff Writer
The Livingston Enterprise
P.O. Box 2000
Livingston, MT 59047
Tel.(800) 345-8412
Web:
http://www.livingstonenterprise.com
Click Here to visit the Livingston Outdoors Visitor's Guide
