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2017 Map of Hessler Ridge

Name: 2017 Topographic Map of Hessler Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2017
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2017

About this map

The Missouri River cuts across the northern edge of this Fergus County landscape, bordered by the low-lying McNulty Bottoms, Gardipee Bottoms, and Bell Bottoms. This riverine environment is defined by its deep drainage patterns, where long erosional features like King Coulee and White Coulee carve into the high ground of Hessler Ridge and Galhand Ridge. These ridges form the spine of a remote area managed for wildlife and conservation, evidenced by the presence of the Sand Creek Wildlife Station Airport centrally located in the quadrangle.

Transportation through this difficult terrain is limited to primitive routes such as the Sand Creek Trl and Ridge Rd, which trace the heights to avoid the many gulches and coulees, including Roach Gulch and Musselman Coulee. The boundary between Phillips and Fergus Counties follows the main channel of the Missouri, passing King Island and highlighting the river's role as a primary geographic and political divider in this part of Montana.