Pugsley Bridge
Near Chester
Best time to visit Pugsley Bridge
Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
31° / 8°
3 wet
Feb
37° / 12°
2 wet
Mar
48° / 20°
3 wet
Apr
59° / 30°
5 wet
May
69° / 40°
7 wet
Jun
76° / 48°
8 wet
Jul
85° / 53°
4 wet
Aug
85° / 51°
4 wet
Sep
74° / 42°
5 wet
Oct
60° / 32°
4 wet
Nov
44° / 21°
3 wet
Dec
34° / 12°
3 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tiber Dam, MT, 2.3 mi away at 2,850 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Pugsley Bridge is a river fishing access site on the Marias River in Glacier County, Montana, managed by the Bureau of Land Management's North Central Montana District. It sits about 4.5 miles downstream of Tiber Dam, where the river is impounded to form Lake Elwell. The access is part of the Pugsley Bridge Recreation Area, which lies on the south side of the river across the historic cable suspension bridge. The Marias River flows southeast from its headwaters at the confluence of the Two Medicine River and Cut Bank Creek. About 50 miles downstream of the dam, the Teton River joins the Marias before the river enters the Missouri River at Loma. The river was named in 1804 by Meriwether Lewis for his cousin, Maria Wood. The recreation area has no fees, and there is no need to reserve a spot. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Tiber Dam weather station show July and August highs around 85°F with lows in the low 50s, while winter highs stay near freezing. Other BLM river access sites on the Marias include Sullivan Bridge launch site and Moffat Bridge Recreation Area.
Make it a trip
Roamze builds the days around this water: where to sleep, where to eat after, what to do if it rains. You change anything.
Keep exploring — more waters worth the drive
Coal Banks Landing
~1h 11m drive
Lake Elwell
~19 min drive
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McIntyre Reservoir
~30 min drive
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Berkholder Reservoir
~54 min drive
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Flick Lake
~1h 9m drive
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Chicago Lake
~1h 10m drive
Chicago Lake is a 22-acre lake near Whitlash, Montana, at about 4,151 feet.
Virden Lake
~1h 12m drive
Virden Lake is a 16-acre lake near Shelby, Montana, at about 3,272 feet.
Fitzpatrick Lake
~1h 14m drive
Fitzpatrick Lake is a 20-acre lake near Whitlash, Montana, at about 3,957 feet.
McKinnsey Reservoir
~1h 15m drive
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Benton Lake
~1h 16m drive
Benton Lake is a lake near Power, Montana, at about 3,628 feet. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
