CLYDE PARK - In Montana, public access isn't just policy. It's personal.
And while some are fighting to protect historic trails, others are working to defend family land passed down for generations.
Watch the debate over public land in the Crazies:
For locals such as Dale Sexton, a member of the Crazy Mountain Working Group, the fight isn't about conflict. It's about connection.
As part of our continuing series on the East Crazy Mountain Land Exchange, we’re hearing from the many voices at the center of this complicated debate. The proposed deal has sparked deep divisions over questions of public access, private property rights, and the future of the Crazy Mountain range itself. Through these stories, we aim to give you a fuller picture of the stakes and the passions surrounding the Crazies.
Across miles of lush greenery, Sexton's memories run deep.
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of memories… that date back to my youth when I was a young boy,” he says, standing near the foot of the Crazy Mountains. “We used to tramp all over these woods…”
Now, he's passing those memories on to his daughters.
“That’s about as powerful as it gets for me.”
It’s one of the reasons he joined the Crazy Mountain Working Group, a grassroots coalition of ranchers, conservationists, hunters, and landowners who’ve been working behind the scenes for years to resolve land disputes in the Crazies, not through lawsuits, but through consensus.
“Being able to have public lands is one thing, but being able to access them is a whole other entity,” Sexton says.
Collaboration Over Confrontation
The working group found its first major success on the west side of the Crazy Mountains, where it helped unlock access through quiet negotiations.
And now, its approach has helped shape the more controversial land exchange on the east side, finalized in 2024.
“The Crazies are a complicated landscape,” says Erica Lighthiser, with the Park County Environmental Council and another member of the working group.
“There are trails that are on a Forest Service map, but maybe they didn’t have the proper recorded easement… or the public access doesn’t actually exist,” she said about the controversy in the Crazies.
Sexton says that is where tensions often begin.
“Anytime you’ve got public access through private property, you have potential for conflict,” he says.
Rather than fight those battles in court, the group focused on compromise. In their view, the recent East Crazy Inspiration Divide land exchange is a product of years of quiet negotiation, not coercion.
“There are a lot of changes happening in these parts of Montana and a lot of us are feeling that change,” says Lighthiser. “But I think a lot of the stories around the Crazies can be very exaggerated.”
“Those of us who have been in those meetings and trying to find solutions, that is a good thing,” she said. “But that doesn’t usually align with clicks and sensational headlines.”
Access, Legacy, and What Comes Next
For Sexton, this isn't just about maps and property lines. It's about the legacy of public land and the responsibility to protect it.
“Montana has a tremendous resource in public lands. In my opinion, it’s the most valuable resource that we have, and it’s very important that we maintain it.”
He believes the newly finalized land exchange does just that.
“There isn’t going to be a landowner that, on a whim, is going to decide that they want to close access. That’s not going to happen because of the agreement on the east side.”
For him, ensuring future generations can experience this place is what matters most.
“We have all this grandeur before our very eyes,” he says. “It gives me relief that that access will exist long after I am gone, long after my daughters are gone.”
A Defining Issue in Montana
In a state where nearly everyone has a stake in the land, whether as ranchers, sportsmen, conservationists, or hikers, the issue of access is far from settled.
Many Montanans expect their elected officials to fight for public land access.
In the Crazy Mountains, some say the recent land exchange secures that access, while others argue it's a step back from what Montanans are owed.
One thing remains certain: public lands and the ability to reach them will continue to define debates across the state for years to come.
Editor’s note: This is part three of our Crazy Mountain Land Exchange series.
