Black Sandy State Park

Story

Black Sandy State Park, located 15mi 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 3835ft, 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 8x building with a 16x concrete building, with internet access. The new building is projected to cost $40,000.