Champs & Chumps: Spring 2026
There’s a foul smell up Skunk Creek.
It used to be so simple. For decades, Skunk Creek Road has been open to the public, providing invaluable access to National Forest land in the Bangtails—invaluable because like the Crazies, the Bangtails are a maddening mix of public and private ground, with precious few access points. This access followed the historic Montana status quo: outdoor recreationists and private landowners operating under a mutual understanding that the public has a right to access public land, even if that access cuts through private land.
Alas, there’s a new type of landowner in Montana these days, the kind who fights tooth & nail for private-property rights, while flouting public-property rights altogether. One of these self-serving newcomers, whose identity is concealed behind a nondescript company name, bought the land at the end of Skunk Creek Road a few years ago—and that’s when the place started to stink.
Chump
Hikers, bikers, hunters, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers have long enjoyed access to Skunk Creek, driving the narrow, pothole-laden road and parking at the Forest Service gate when the road is closed in winter. Until the nameless a-hole behind Incline Ranch, LLC came along, that is. First, he began harassing people and threatening to tow their vehicles. Then, he plowed snow berms to prevent parking at the gate. Finally, he sued the Forest Service, claiming that the agency did not properly disclose the public’s use of the road, and that the gate itself is illegal. Take a drive around Montana, tough guy—there are hundreds of public roads passing through private property. How else can we get to the national forest? How else can we access our public land? Maybe do your due diligence before harassing people, or take it up with your realtor, who should’ve explained the rules around here. Better yet, just go back to Texas or wherever it is you came from, chump. In these parts, we share the land, along with the roads and trails leading to it.
Champs
It’s a shame that these conflicts happen at all, but it’s even more shameful when the jerks win, often by intimidating or wearing down the agencies involved. In this case, however, the U.S. Forest Service not only stood up for the people, but prevailed. Last November, Incline Ranch’s lawsuit was dismissed and the case was closed—for now, anyway. (The loser—pun intended—can appeal, of course.) Once again, recreationists may drive the road and park at the gate, knowing they’re well within their rights. Along with the Forest Service, the Public Land & Water Access Association (PLWA) gathered essential documentation and kept the public up to date, as they do with every access conflict in the state. And while we’re at it, let’s thank another champ, the Newhall family, for granting access across the Bridger ridge where it passes through private land. Unlike the aforementioned a-hole, the Newhalls worked with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) to establish a permanent easement, preserving the trail for generations to come. Now that’s the Montana way.
