2014 Map of Needle Butte Reservoir

About this map

Needle Butte Reservoir and Round Butte Reservoir provide critical water storage in this high-plains landscape of eastern Montana. Straddling the boundary between Rosebud and Garfield counties, the terrain is defined by a series of prominent elevations including Round Butte, The Big Hill, and the tri-peaked Three Buttes. These landmarks serve as navigational anchors in a region etched by drainage features like Jacques Coulee and Caladine Coulee. The map illustrates a remote grazing or ranching landscape where development is limited to gravel routes such as Road 202 and Needle Butte Rd. Water sources are primary focal points for human activity here, with the E Fork Little Porcupine Cr and Cottonwood Cr winding through the coulees to sustain the local ecosystem. The 2014 survey documents the enduring physical character of the Montana backcountry, from the heights of Montgomery Hill to the essential reservoirs that mark the dry basins.