John H Dover Memorial Park is 600 acres of natural green space at an entryway and growth hub of East Billings. The trailhead, at 2531 Mary Street, provides access to the 120 acres or so that have been open to the public since 2016: miles of trails, bridges, benches, picnic shelters, river views, cottonwood creek bottoms, and sage meadows.
The expansion areas of Dover Park will eventually also be open to the public. They include a former gravel mine in the process of restoration, the historic Dover Ranch headquarters, and cottonwood canopy along the river.
John H. Dover began homesteading on the property in 1882 and grew his short-horned cattle ranch into a successful, multi-generational operation. His grandson and heir, Jim Sindelar, began working with YRPA in the early 1990’s with an eye on long-term conservation and public access. Jim and his wife Virginia (Ginny) began by placing portions of the land under conservation easement. They then made donations of land that would become the “trailhead” section of the park. In 2021, the gravel mine area was donated, more than doubling the size of the property. In that same year, YRPA was able to purchase the homestead property with funding from the Montana Natural
Resource Damage Program, Ducks Unlimited, Phillips 66, Montana FWP, and others. A master planning effort in late 2022 pulled these three sections together and set the vision for this prominent park in the Billings area.
We would love to have your help in this project — we’re looking for feedback, volunteers, donors, and community partners. Contact Dover Park Manager Carolyn Sevier, 406-696-8622, carolyn.sevier@yrpa.org.
Looking for information about in-house and partner programming, including Friday Nature School and Catkins Nature School? Check out our Dover Program Page!