Ackley Lake State Park
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| Ackley Lake State Park | |
|---|---|
  Location in Montana | |
| Location | Judith Basin County, Montana, United States |
| Nearest city | Hobson, Montana |
| Coordinates | 46°56′50″N 109°56′13″W / 46.94722°N 109.93694°W[1] |
| Area | 290 acres (120 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 4,337 ft (1,322 m)[1] |
| Designation | Montana state park |
| Established | 1940[3] |
| Visitors | 27,428 (in 2023)[4] |
| Administrator | Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks |
| Website | Ackley Lake State Park |
Ackley Lake State Park is a public recreation area located four miles southwest of Hobson, Montana. The state park covers 290 acres (120 ha) centered around 160-acre (65 ha) Ackley Lake. The Little Belt Mountains and Snowy Mountains are visible on the horizon.[2] The park is operated by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks on land leased from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.[5]
The Ackley Lake was originally a 40-acre natural pond owned by Jean Acley.[6] It became a reservoir in 1938 with the completion of an earthen embankment dam measuring 51 feet high and 3,514 feet long. The reservoir is an off-stream storage project with a supply canal from the Judith River.[7] The site became Ackley State Park in 1940.[3] It was threatened with the loss of its status as a state park after the Montana State Parks and Recreation Board adopted a five-year strategic plan, "Charting a New Tomorrow," that proposed a rebranding of the parks in its system.[5] In 2017, the parks department renewed its lease with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation for a further five years to the end 2021.[8]