Ackley Lake State Park
History
The Ackley Lake was originally a 40-acre natural pond owned by Jean Acley. 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. The site became Ackley State Park in 1940. 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. 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.
Activities and amenities
The park offers stocked trout fishing, boating with two boat ramps, picnicking facilities, and a 26-site campground.
Species | Family | Class | Native to MT |
---|---|---|---|
Brook Trout | Trout | Coldwater | Introduced |
Brown Trout | Trout | Coldwater | Introduced |
Kokanee | Trout | Coldwater | Introduced |
Longnose Sucker | Sucker | Warmwater | Native |
Mountain Whitefish | Trout | Coldwater | Native |
Rainbow Trout | Trout | Coldwater | Introduced |
White Sucker | Sucker | Warmwater | Native |