MONTANA PARK OF THE WEEK: Cooney State Park

Head to Cooney State Park’s reservoir 40 minutes south of Billings to sail, play in the water, camp, and fish. This is the most popular recreation area serving south-central Montana, and it’s always a busy place in the summer!

In 1937 the Montana State Water Conservation Board built the dam along Red Lodge Creek. The reservoir was initially built to store irrigation water during spring snowmelt and runoff from the nearby Beartooth Mountains.

In the decades that followed, the reservoir became an increasingly popular destination for nearby communities, including Billings, Columbus, Red L...