Bullwhacker Road to open temporarily
The Anchor Ranch/Wilks Ranch Montana is providing temporary roadway access to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.
Texas businessmen and brothers Dan and Farris Wilks, who own the ranch, announced Friday that they will temporarily open Bullwhacker Road, which will provide access to 50,000 acres of public land within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument that is currently inaccessible by vehicle.
The roadway will be open from Sept. 1 through Jan. 1, according to a news release sent out Friday.
In 2009, a judge ruled that the road was private after previous landowners brought the issue to court.
The Wilks brothers later purchased the Anchor Ranch, with the hopes of exchanging the property for a parcel of public land that sits within the N Bar Ranch they own southeast of Lewistown.
That exchange was rejected by the BLM in 2014, but is once again being considered as a feasible way to open public access to a large portion of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.
The Wilkses decided to open Bullwhacker Road while the BLM considers the land swap proposal, according to a news release.
The Bureau of Land Management Central Montana Resource Advisory Council voted in July to support the proposal.
“We are encouraged by the recent BLM RAC recommendation to formally examine the exchange, and as long as BLM is actively considering our land exchange proposal, we’re happy to open the gates for temporary recreational access,” Farris Wilks said in the news release. “If we’re making progress with the exchange, the roadway conditions are suitable for vehicle use, and everyone is respectful of our property and cattle operations, we’ll continue to make this opportunity available.”
All visitors are reminded to remain on the roadway at all times on private ground. BLM travel restrictions also prohibit off-road travel. All hunters must sign in at the gate. Hunters not signed in will be in violation of hunting without permission. Visitors should close all gates unless they have been wired open or signed. Camping is not permitted on private land, and visitors should be careful when parking vehicles in tall vegetation due to the extreme fire danger.