2014 Map of Hellgate Gulch

About this map

The Big Belt Mountains dominate this section of the Helena National Forest, where a complex network of drainages has carved deep into the Montana landscape. Named gulches define the local geography, linked by a system of primitive roads including Magpie Gulch Rd, Hellgate Gulch Rd, and Avalanche Gulch Rd. The sheer density of named topographic features—from the evocative Never Sweat Gulch and Sheriff Gulch to the smaller Little Hellgate Gulch—reflects the history of early mining and prospecting in these high-elevation corridors. Waterways such as Magpie Cr, Grouse Cr, and Avalanche Cr provide the primary drainage for the area. The map illustrates a landscape largely untouched by modern urbanization, preserved as public land where surveyors have recorded local landmarks like Quartz Gulch and Carpenter Gulch alongside township and range boundaries such as t11n r1e and t10n r1e.