ERVIN RIDGE, MT

Location Overview
Ervin Ridge sits within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in central Montana, on a ridge on the south side of the Missouri River — part of the rugged, deeply eroded "Breaks" country that remains much as it was during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The strip lies inside the Ervin Ridge Wilderness Study Area, one of the smallest WSAs in the monument, located on the south side of the river — a fairly remote area, though it doesn't quite match the scenic drama of some other parts of the Breaks. It's one of the original ten backcountry airstrips scattered across the monument, predating the 2001 monument designation itself.

Camping & Recreation
There's no developed campground at the strip itself — this is dispersed, primitive camping country. Broadly across the monument, camping is allowed in developed campgrounds or at dispersed, undeveloped sites on public land anywhere along the river corridor, first-come, first-served with no reservation system. Pilots flying into strips like this one typically pitch a tent right off the wingtip and enjoy true dark-sky solitude.

The surrounding terrain is prime big-game country: the area is common bighorn sheep habitat, where biologists consistently observe around 900 sheep during annual aerial surveys, and the monument's mule deer and elk hunting success rates are excellent. Hiking is unmarked and rugged — you're largely bushwhacking or following game trails through the breaks — and the nearby river corridor adds fishing and paddling to the mix for those who arrive by other means. Just be mindful of land status: the BLM purchased much private land in creating the monument, but private parcels remain grandfathered in, and camping or hiking on those isn't permitted without landowner easements.

Notes & Warnings
This airstrip is believed to be closed - do not land here without first confirming its status.

History
Ervin Ridge takes its name from the Ervin family, early homesteaders along this stretch of the Missouri — a related Ervin homestead site sits near river mile 122.6, with a small cabin once belonging to John Ervin still findable by hikers willing to bushwhack through the willows. The airstrip itself is one of the original ten backcountry strips built across what's now the monument, used long before the area's 2001 national monument designation by Lewis-and-Clark-era descendants — ranchers, outfitters, and rural residents who relied on small aircraft for access to this isolated stretch of breaks country. It remains, at minimum, a historically significant landing site and a named landmark across the Breaks' wildlife and wilderness-study landscape.