Black Sandy State Park

Black Sandy State Park
Moonrise over Hauser Lake near Black Sandy
Location	Lewis and Clark County, Montana
Nearest city	Helena
Coordinates
Area	43 acres (17 ha)
Operated by	Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Open	Year-round

Black Sandy State Park, located 15 miles (24 km) north of Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County, is a Montana state park on the shores of Hauser Lake, which is formed by Hauser Dam. The dam, at an elevation of 3,835 feet (1,169 m), was built in the early 1900s and named after former governor Samuel Thomas Hauser. The park is along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the area in 1805. Prior to 1980, Montana Power Company owned the land and operated the park as a recreation area. In 1980, Montana Power turned over management of the park to Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP). In 1982, it was designated a state recreation area. Later on the land was also turned over to FWP.

Recreational activities available at the park include: hiking, tent camping (four sites), RV camping (29 sites), swimming, picnic areas, fishing for kokanee salmon and trout, boating, and water skiing. Dogs are allowed. The maximum stay allowed is seven days. There are summertime campfire programs. The state park reservation system recently adopted an internet-based reservation system.

In February 2012, a prefabricated concrete office building was proposed to replace a wooden 8 by 12 feet (2.4 m × 3.7 m) building with a 16 by 24 feet (4.9 m × 7.3 m) concrete building, with internet access. The new building is projected to cost $40,000.

Just south of the park is White Sandy, a recreation site operated by the United States Bureau of Land Management which opened on May 25, 2007. It has 32 campsites and other amenities.

External links

• Black Sandy State Park Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Public Lands Information Center
• GPS Base Camp
• New Building Proposal comments