Camping overnight at the Log Gulch Campground in Holter Lake (Montana) will be closed this summer because of staffing shortages, Bureau of Land Management officials announced.
The day-use area at Log Gulch, as well as additional Holter Lake recreation sites, will be accessible.
Situated at 2205 Beartooth Road in Wolf Creek, the 70-site campground on Holter Lake is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It’s located about 45 miles north of Helena and 60 miles south of Great Falls, along the Missouri River.
The BLM also announced that campers who had summer reservations at Log Gulch had been advised of the closure, and their deposits have been refunded.
Katie Stevens, district manager for the western Montana BLM, told a local report that Log Gulch is one of six camping areas at Holter and Hauser lakes, which have a total of 220 campsites, which means the loss of 70 sites is a “meaningful portion.”
She explained that Log Gulch requires around eight staff members and 20 volunteer camp hosts to run the camp. There are currently about eight job vacancies. She added that even if they could hire staff prior to the season, it would be difficult to get them trained in time. She was not sure if they could open the campground by then.
Stevens also stated that there were other issues to consider. For instance, certain people do not pay costs for site use.
“When they do not pay fees, it limits our ability to hire staff,” she said, adding they may institute an electronic system for bookings.
