North Hills Recreation Area reopens after BLM fuels work concludes

The North Hills Recreation Area reopened to public access June 3 after the Bureau of Land Management finished the first phase of a fuels-reduction project that closed parts of the area for more than two months. Lewis and Clark County residents can now return for general day use and overnight camping, with the temporary restriction lifted after crews wrapped up work tied to wildfire prevention in the hills north of Helena.

The BLM Butte Field Office had imposed the closure April 1 while heavy equipment worked across the site. Under that order, entering or using the area was prohibited, including for day visits and overnight stays, until the agency rescinded the closure. BLM Butte Field Manager Lindsey Babcock thanked the public for its patience while crews completed the fuels work. Questions about access can be directed to the Butte Field Office at 406-533-7661.

The project is designed to lower the risk of catastrophic wildfire in the wildland urban interface around Helena and nearby public lands. BLM said it completed 432 acres of fuel reduction in the first phase, out of about 900 acres of conifer stands planned for treatment. The work is intended to open the forest canopy and remove dead and down material that can feed fast-moving fire.

The reopening comes against the backdrop of the North Hills’ recent fire history. In 2019, more than 3,150 acres of BLM-managed lands burned in the North Hills Fire, and the agency later described that blaze as a 5,000-acre fire sparked by illegally shot exploding targets. BLM said rehabilitation after that fire included seeding 210 acres, building erosion-control structures in up to five drainage areas, repairing roads and fences, and removing hazardous trees.

For people who use the North Hills for hiking, riding, camping and other recreation, the closure came during a period when spring and early-summer access matters most. With the fuels project’s first phase complete, the area is open again, and BLM says the work is part of a broader effort to make future access more secure as wildfire pressure continues around Helena and Lewis and Clark County.