Old Salt Festival FAQ's
Festival address: 142 S. Nevada Cr. Rd - Helmville MT 59843
*PLEASE NOTE*
ONLY THE SOUTH NEVADA CREEK RD. ENTRANCE TO THE FESTIVAL THROUGH THE TOWN OF HELMVILLE WILL BE OPEN. THE ACCESS DIRECTLY FROM HWY 141 FROM THE EAST WILL BE CLOSED.
COMING FROM HELENA:
Head west on MT HWY 12 for 30 miles until you reach Avon.
Turn right onto MT-141 N for 27.4 miles
Turn Left when you reach the Junction of US HWY 141 & 271
Go 1.4 miles to the Town of Helmville MT
Turn left onto S. Nevada Creek Road ( just after the church)
Head Southeast on S. Nevada Creek Rd for 2.7 miles (stay to the right)
You will run into the parking checkpoint and be directed where to go from there.
COMING FROM MISSOULA
Head East on I-90 for 4.2 miles and take exit 109 for MT-200 E toward Bonner/ Great Falls
Continue onto MT-200 E for 56.2 miles
Turn right onto MT-141 S
Head South on MT 141 for 5.0 miles
Turn right onto MT-271 for 1.4 miles
Turn left onto S. Nevada Creek Road ( just after the church)
Head Southeast on S. Nevada Creek Rd for 2.7 miles (stay to the right)
You will run into the parking checkpoint and be directed where to go from there.
COMING FROM BOZEMAN
Head West on I-90 towards Butte/Helena for 31.8 miles
Take exit 274 for US-287 toward Helena/Ennis
Turn right onto US-287 N
Continue north on US-287 N for 62.2 miles
Continue onto Prospect Ave
Turn right onto US-12 W/N Montana Ave (signs for Missoula)
Continue to follow US-12 W for 31.2 miles until you reach the community of Avon
Turn right onto MT-141 N for 27.4 miles
Turn Left when you reach the Junction of US HWY 141 & 271
Go 1.4 miles to the Town of Helmville MT
Turn left onto S. Nevada Creek Road ( just after the church)
Head Southeast on S. Nevada Creek Rd for 2.7 miles (stay to the right)
You will run into the parking checkpoint and be directed where to go from there.
COMING FROM GREAT FALLS
Head East on US HWY 15 for 9.4 miles
Take exit 290 for US-89 N
Continue onto MT-200 W/US-89 N for 7.9 miles
Continue straight onto MT-200 W for 83.7 miles
Turn left onto MT-141 S (signs for Avon/Helmville)
Head South on MT 141 for 5.0 miles
Turn right onto MT-271 for 1.4 miles
Turn left onto S. Nevada Creek Road ( just after the church)
Head Southeast on S. Nevada Creek Rd for 2.7 miles (stay to the right)
You will run into the parking checkpoint and be directed where to go from there.
Please fuel up as much as you can on your way into the festival. The nearest gas station to the festival is in the town of Ovando, or Lincoln about 20 miles away.
Yes, parking is included in your ticket price. There will be day parking and weekend camping spots that will accommodate vehicles as well. You will be guided to the appropriate parking zone when you check in at the festival. Please contact events@oldsaltco-op.com if you have an oversized vehicle or need special parking accommodations.
- BE BEAR AWARE - We have taken appropriate precautions to make sure that we are safe in grizzly country. Help us to be our eyes and ears. If you see a bear, come find a Festival Official to alert our Bear Mitigation Team. Do NOT leave any food left unsupervised. Store all of your food in a locked car during the day and overnight. DO NOT STORE FOOD IN YOUR SLEEPING AREA. Feeding wildlife is illegal.
- Bear spray - Be mindful that bear spray may cause irreversible eye damage if sprayed in the eye at close range. Contact through touching or rubbing eyes may result in substantial but temporary eye injury. Strongly irritating to nose and skin.
There is no wifi or cell service at the festival. Unplug and enjoy yourself! The nearest wifi will be at the Copper Queen Bar in Helmville about 2 miles down the road.
Yes, camping is available on-site and can be added to a full weekend pass or day passes. Tent camping can be added for $15 per space/night. RV spaces can be added for $30 per space/night. RV spaces are first come first served and extremely limited!
Car & tent campsites are 20ft x 20ft. RV and camper trailer sites are 20ft x 40ft. Please fill your water supply prior to arrival.
Please note if you are a day pass holder you will need to be out of your campsite by 10 am the following morning. (i.e. Friday day passes holder = checkout by 10 am Saturday).
Please reach out to either support@squadup.com orevents@oldsaltco-op.com and we will gladly help you get whatever you need. Please have your confirmation # ready as this will speed up the process.
Below is a list of places all within 30-45 minutes from the festival grounds. The towns of Helena, Missoula and Great Falls are all within 60-90 minutes drive or so and are reasonable for daytripping.
Ovando, MT
The Ovando Inn
406 Pine Street
Ovando, MT 59854
406-793-5555
Lincoln, MT
Lincoln Log Hotel
101 Sleepy Hollow Ln
Lincoln, MT 59639
406-362-4822
Three Bears Motel of Lincoln
203 Main St
Lincoln, MT
406-362-4355
Leeper's Motel
110 1st Ave
Lincoln, MT 59639
406-362-4333
Drummond, MT
Drummond Motel
170 W. Front St.
Drummond, MT 59832
406-288-6000
Philipsburg, MT
The Broadway Hotel
103 West Broadway
Philipsburg, MT
800-877-4436
https://www.broadwaymontana.com/
SEELY LAKE, MT
Double Arrow Lodge
MT-83
Seeley Lake, MT 59868
GREENOUGH, MT
The Resort at Paws Up
40060 Paws Up Rd
Greenough, MT 59823
(877) 580-6343
We love animals but we kindly ask that you leave your animals at home. Thanks for your cooperation!
Yes. Kids under the age of 10 are free. We will still require a ticket to be selected for each child during checkout online to help us prepare for infrastructure and accommodations. Limit of 3 free kid passes per adult ticket holder. All kids over the age of 10 will require a purchased ticket.
Please click HERE for the general programming layout by day. We will have more specific times as we get closer to the festival. Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page to get notifications and festival updates.
It’s Montana. We are a snow, rain, or shine event so please prepare for cold, wet, and hot conditions. Typically daytime temps are in the high 50s to low 60s and evenings are in the mid-40s to low 50s. Again please bring a variety of layers. There will be fires to warm up by.
Please email support@squadup.com
You are welcome to come and go from the festival grounds as needed but please keep your wristband on at all times. We are very limited in being able to get you a replacement wristband.
Yes, there will be several areas for free water refills. There will also be spring water for sale. Please refer to your festival map for where water stations are located.
We also recommend bringing your own water supply for your campsite. If you're bringing an RV or camper, please fill your water tanks prior to arrival. Additionally, there will not be any electrical plug-ins or charging stations available.
Outside food and drinks(including alcoholic beverages) are restricted to parking and camping areas. 1 main complimentary meal each evening will be provided. There will also be food available for purchase inside the festival grounds from various food trucks and adult beverages and N/A beverage vendors on site.
Please contactevents@oldsaltco-op.com
Yes, merch is available on our website here. We will also have exclusive Old Salt Festival merch will be available at the general store at the festival.
We have all the volunteers we need for this year!
You can be added to the waitlist or be put on our list for future festivals by filling out the volunteer sign-up form here.
All events, prices, personalities, performances, venues, dates and times are subject to change without notice.
All sales are final. We are a rain-or-shine event. You recognize that you are not entitled to a refund.
There may be a risk of exposure to COVID-19 at any public gatherings. At Old Salt events, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and hereby release the Festival from liability in connection therewith.
USDA Meat Processing
The following guidelines and fees are applicable when you schedule your animals to be processed with us. These terms are effective August 2023.
Please make sure animals are sorted/corraled when we arrive on site. If it takes more than 10 minutes to begin, a $25 charge will be added.
Slaughter fees are due at the time of scheduling appointment and are non-refundable. Appointments can be re-scheduled 4 weeks or more before slaughter date. Any changes less than 4 weeks from the date will require a $20 rescheduling fee. The deposit will gaurantee your spot and ensures we can run a tight, predictable schedule.
Additional slaughter fees to haul the guts/hide/head from the kill site: $15 per beef, $10 per pig, $10 per sheep/goat.
Depending on location, extra charge may apply if longer travel time is required from Helena, Montana (determined when scheduling).
BEEF
Beef carcasses are granted a 10 to 14 day hang time. We may be able to hang longer depending on our rail space and the time of year. An added fee of $3 per day after 14 days will apply.
PORK
Pigs do not require a set amount of hang time. They will be processed as soon as we are able to get to them. Additional options such as ham, bacon, and fresh sausage are available on cut sheets.
SHEEP/GOAT
Sheep/goat carcasses granted a 7 day hang time. We may be able to hang longer depending on our rail space and the time of year. An added fee of $2 per day after 7 days will apply.
All packaged meat goes directly into freezer upon completion. Customer is contacted and has 10 business days to pickup. Every additional day after 10 requires a $5 per day charge. If a customer does not pickup their meat within 3 months after order is complete, product will be discarded. We have very limited freezer storage space!
Final invoice due at the time of meat pickup (no exceptions). All meat will be frozen, packed in boxes, and labeled for pickup.
The following guidelines and fees are applicable when you drop your animals to be processed with us. These terms are effective August 2022.
A non-refundable deposit of $150 is due at the time of drop-off and applies toward final invoice (if any additional charges are added). Please see cut sheets for skinning, hide buy-back, and associated fees.
Extra dirty/damaged game will require a $50 cleaning fee due to the additional time needed to clean, prepare, and process. Frozen game will require a $20 thawing fee for the added time.
All packaged meat goes directly into freezer upon completion. Customer is contacted and has 3 business days to pickup. Every additional day after 3 requires a $5 per day charge. We have very limited freezer storage space!
Final invoice due at the time of meat pickup (no exceptions). All meat will be frozen, packed in boxes, and labeled for pickup. Shipping options available upon request; additional fees for packaging and shipping apply. We are not responsible for meat lost during shipping if carrier is at fault.
PLEASE CALL 406-458-5137
FESTIVAL MAP
