Public Land on The Bozeman Daily Bee

BEE Investigation: Summer Camping Upgraded to Hard Sides

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

PARK COUNTY - Grizzly activity near Carbella Recreation Site has prompted a hard-sided camping requirement through Dec. 31, clarifying that Montana’s outdoor hospitality sector now prefers visitors arrive with stronger walls, firmer latches and a more realistic understanding of whose valley this still is.

The order bans tents and other soft-sided camping units at the site after recent bear activity. Officials described the move as a safety measure. Campers described it as a useful correction to the industry’s broader messaging, which has lately suggested a person can approach wilderness with a canvas rectangle, a lantern and the confidence of someone who booked three months in advance.

BEE Investigation: Public Trails Add Barbed-Wire Amenities

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

JEFFERSON COUNTY - Reports of barbed wire being strung across public trails in Jefferson County have prompted patrols, warnings and a new round of local reflection on whether Montana recreation has become too frictionless.

Authorities say riders and trail users have found wire placed across routes in the Pipestone area, a maneuver that adds suspense to public-land access while technically preserving the outdoors’ longstanding commitment to consequence. Officials were less philosophical. They called it dangerous, intentional and very much not the kind of obstacle users are expected to clear on instinct.

BEE Investigation: Trails Still Powered by Volunteers

Sun, 31 May 2026 07:20:00 +0000

BOZEMAN - A Bee investigation has found that many of the Gallatin Valley’s beloved trails continue to rely on volunteers with shovels, gloves and suspiciously positive attitudes, despite the area’s broader reputation for monetizing nearly every other available square foot.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust hosted its annual National Trails Day event this weekend, drawing residents out in gray weather to repair tread, clear debris and tend to the public pathways that help make local life feel morally superior. Participants described the work as stewardship. Investigators described it as one of the valley’s last major systems still operating on the premise that enough people might show up out of love.