Everybody desires to go to Glacier Nationwide Park…like 3 million individuals a 12 months. However what many park-goers don’t notice is that almost all of Western Montana was carved by the identical glacial exercise, providing gorgeous mountains, lakes, rivers, and forests with a fraction of the vacationers. To assist extra individuals uncover the lesser-known gems and maintain them pristine, we drew on our expertise as off-grid RVers with a inexperienced coronary heart and partnered with Glacier Nation Tourism for a #RecreateResponsibly Montana highway journey.
Over the course of 12 days, we traveled from the Bitterroot Mountains to the far north of Kootenai County, by way of three nationwide forests, dynamic Native American territories, charming small cities, the largest freshwater lake within the West, and a ton extra in between. Listed below are a few of our favourite Western Montana highway journey locations and the methods you’ll be able to go away these locations higher than you discovered them.
Biking the Route of the Hiawatha
Spanning the Idaho and Montana border, the Route of the Hiawatha is among the crown jewels of the US’s rails-to-trails system. When constructing the railroad line from Chicago to Tacoma within the early Twentieth century, the crew reached the Bitterroot Mountains, and it was the hardest terrain they’d encountered. To create this 15-mile stretch, they bored 10 tunnels (some over a mile lengthy) and constructed 7 trestle bridges towering over the forest. And all that tough work continues to be paying off with this unbelievable bike path.
To get equipped, we went to Lookout Move Resort for bike leases and a rack, then drove to the Montana aspect to begin the trip. With a delicate downhill pitch and large dust path, it’s all about having fun with the sweeping mountain views and engineering marvels lining the best way. To make it even simpler for all ages, Lookout Move provides a shuttle with a information to entertain you all the best way again to the parking zone. Name us slackers, however the return shuttle allowed us to take our candy time for numerous picture stops, studying the handfuls of interpretive indicators, having fun with a picnic, and climbing up a waterfall. Watch this video from our trip.
🏨 Our advisable lodging close to the Hiawatha Bike Path (principally St. Regis)
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Plan Forward. Carry a raincoat and a headlamp to be prepared for the tunnels.
Catching a County Honest
From summer time to fall, there are gala’s throughout Montana, and we have been simply in time for one of many greatest occasions in Ravalli County. Amusement rides, cornhole tournaments, bake-offs, livestock demonstrations, classic automotive reveals, and a full-blown rodeo…this was a cultural affair decked in cowboy boots. And we could also be metropolis folks, however we received in with the most effective of them, chowing down on huckleberry pie and cheering on the wagon races. Along with the rodeo clown, who was our favourite character on the truthful? Smokey Bear. He was representing the Bitterroot Nationwide Forest sales space, providing information on tenting and hearth security for locals and guests alike. Thanks, Smokey!
🏨 Our advisable lodging close to Hamilton
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Know Earlier than You Go. Wildfire season is a really actual factor within the West Test MTFireInfo.org for the most recent hearth standing and restrictions.
Kettlehouse Amphitheater
Swinging the cultural pendulum, we went from a county truthful to an indie rock live performance at Montana’s premier music venue. The state-of-the-art Kettlehouse Amphitheater is tucked in a notch of the mountains on the foot of the Blackfoot River (yeah, the one Brad Pitt was fishing in A River Runs Via It), incomes it a spot as one of many Prime 10 Amphitheaters within the World, based on Pollstar.
Including to the cool issue, it’s adjoining to the Kettlehouse Brewery, and recent craft beer is delivered proper to your live performance seat. We noticed Demise Cab for Cutie they usually have been superior, although it barely issues what band is on the town…the venue is so extraordinary, you’re gonna have an important night time.
🏨 Our advisable lodging close to Missoula
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: At all times Recycle. We love that Kettlehouse Amphitheater was all about minimizing waste with recycling, compost, and cardboard water bottles, although touring in rural areas could make it trickier to maintain up these good habits. Should you don’t see recycling straight away, stash it in your trunk till you see that service—you’ll discover it will definitely!
Garnet Ghost City
Being the Treasure State, Montana has previous mining cities all all through the mountains, with the best-preserved being Garnet. Taking a flip off the properly paved Route 200 and onto the rugged Garnet Vary Backcountry Byway, we wound by way of the mountains for 11 miles. Following a brief climbing path right into a valley, we received a view over this 130-year-old time capsule. Not your common ramshackle mining city, Garnet had 4 resorts, three livery stables, two barbershops, a union corridor, a college, a sweet store, a health care provider’s workplace, and 13 saloons.
Ultimately, gold shortage and the 1913 hearth drove the city into ghost standing, however when Prohibition and the Despair hit, their hidden saloons and gold claims received a second wind. We cherished wandering by way of the previous buildings, many with their authentic fixtures and relics, and up the hill to the Nineties miners’ cabins. Take a half-hour hike alongside the Sierra Mine Loop Path and also you’ll discover previous gold claims tucked within the pines.
🏨 Our advisable lodging close to Missoula
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Take solely images. Like every historic web site, you could come throughout little artifacts as you wander about city; go away them behind and assist maintain the story of Garnet in context.
Seeley Lake & The Clearwater Canoe Path
Between the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Mission Mountains lies the Seeley-Swan Valley Chain of Lakes and the ever-popular Clearwater River Canoe Path. We rented SUP boards from Tamaracks Resort, they usually dropped us off on the put-in. Paddling this 3.5-mile meandering waterway by way of the willow marsh with mountain views on all sides was superb. After we reached the river’s finish, we have been greeted with a floating backyard of lily pads and a seashore to benefit from the expansive Seeley Lake.
Conveniently, there’s a half-hour climbing path to attach again to the put-in spot; in case you hire from Tamaracks, simply maintain paddling for 20 minutes to succeed in their lakefront property. FYI, this historic resort is a charmer with nice cabins and campsites if you wish to keep awhile and absorb the lake life. One other nice lodging and eating possibility is Double Arrow Lodge. We went to their Thirties log cabin restaurant for dinner and indulged in truffle root-vegetable risotto and Grand Marnier chocolate mousse cake. We earned it with that paddling journey, proper?
Mountain climbing Holland Lake & Falls
On the north aspect of Seeley-Swan Valley is considered one of our favourite hikes in Montana: Holland Falls Nature Path. With only a fast stroll by way of the tamarack and alpine forest, you attain the turquoise Holland Lake surrounded by sheer peaks. It was so beautiful we might have referred to as it there, however as we adopted the shoreline, the views saved getting higher as we steadily climbed to the 40-foot waterfall. Should you’re up for a little bit of rock scrambling (not advisable for youths), a steep path will convey you from the underside of the falls to a panoramic view over the lake.
🏨 Our advisable lodging close to Holland Lake
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Brush it Off. In the beginning of this trailhead, the Forest Service gives a boot brush. Wipe off your sneakers earlier than and after the hike to stop the seeds and spores of invasive species from spreading. Whereas not each path provides this, it’s nonetheless an important apply to brush off your sneakers or clap your sneakers collectively when getting into and leaving new wilderness areas.
Flathead Lake
Do you know Montana’s Flathead Lake is the biggest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi? The 185 miles of shoreline are dotted with cute cities, orchards, state parks, and place of origin. We drove the complete circumference, going counterclockwise, ranging from Massive Fork. This city was cute, with an important little theater, artwork galleries, ice cream outlets, and bars the place you’ll be able to hitch up your horse.
Driving down the east aspect of the lake, the slopes have been coated with fruit bushes. We stopped at Bowman Orchards, a century-old, fifth-generation household farm specializing in Rainier and Lapin cherries. The entire household, from the youngsters to the grandparents, was at work wrapping up an important season. Should you’re an RVer and a Harvest Host Member, each Bowman Orchards and East Shore Smokehouse (a enjoyable restaurant with a giant grassy discipline) will allow you to keep the night time in change for getting a few of their goodies. Win, win!
Flathead’s Wild Horse Island & Camp Kapapa
Cruising up the west aspect of the lake, we had our eyes set on Flathead’s largest island, Wild Horse. This 2,160-acre mountainous expanse is the place the Kootenai individuals traditionally hid their horses from warring tribes and the place their equine ancestors nonetheless roam free. Solely accessible by boat, this state park requires a kayak and climbing journey! We set off from the city of Dayton and, after a scenic hour-long paddle, reached Skeeko Bay and its intensive community of trails.
We hiked up the mountain, preserving a watch out for his or her resident wild horses, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and relics from the early Twentieth-century settlers. We reached the height for panoramic views of the encompassing islands, mountains, and lake, then meandered our means right down to Eagle Cove to complete out this incredible climbing loop. After a giant day of outside journey, we needed to deal with ourselves to an evening at Camp Kapapa, a model new glamping camp on the Flathead Reservation.
This property has been in Keya Birdsbill’s household for generations, and it was at all times her grandmother’s dream to share the land in its pure state and with its Kootenai traditions. This summer time, Keya and her husband, Louie, opened Camp Kapapa (which implies “grandparent” within the Kootenai language) in her honor. Proper alongside the shore, they’ve teepees, a wall tent, deluxe tent websites, and a one-of-a-kind teepee cabin, every adorned with tribal motifs and providing lake views. We completely fell in love with this glamping camp; to see extra of it, take a look at our Camp Kapapa Instagram gallery.
🏨 Our advisable lodging close to Kalispel
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Respect Wildlife. Whether or not on Wild Horse Island or in Glacier Nationwide Park, Montana is chock-full of wildlife. As tempting as it’s to get shut for picture, maintain your distance and don’t disturb them. Be significantly aware of bears and comply with these security ideas.
The Northwest Hall: Eureka
Heading into the Northwest Hall in direction of the Canadian border, the wilderness will get wilder, and the small cities get smaller. Steamboats and railways have been the one methods to succeed in the glacial and gold-rich hills of the Tobacco River Valley till the early 1900s, and it nonetheless feels simply as distant. For a glance into the previous, we went to Eureka’s Tobacco Valley Historic Village to discover its assortment of hand-hewn buildings, from previous cabins to church buildings to schoolhouses.
Although exploring the primary road of modern-day Eureka was a complete lot extra modern than we’d have imagined, with cool boutiques, espresso outlets, a movie show, and even a world-fusion, vegan-friendly cafe, including to the surprising, Montana’s #1 golf course, The Wilderness Membership, is on this city!
🏨 Our advisable lodging in Eureka
Tobacco River & Campground Cleanup
Simply six miles west of Eureka within the Kootenai Nationwide Forest, there’s the unimaginable (and free!) Tobacco River Campground. We noticed a fireplace ring proper alongside the water and shortly arrange camp to benefit from the final moments of sundown, watch the ospreys fish, and cook dinner dinner over the fireplace. (Watch our hearth security TikTok.) Within the morning, the wildlife watching continued like an episode out of the Discovery Channel.
Gliding herons, dive-bombing eagles, wave-riding geese, and spawning Kokanee salmon have been all placing on an incredible present. As we have been breaking down camp, we noticed two Forest Service volunteers making the rounds with their trash luggage, so we requested if we might be a part of their clean-up. They have been so grateful for the assistance that they turned it right into a nature stroll, instructing us concerning the native edible berries, medicinal crops, invasive species, and animal tracks…then gifted us a selfmade jar of huckleberry jam!
💡#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Go away it Higher Than You Discovered It. Everytime you’re at a campsite or on the path, do your half to maintain it clear. We wish to hike with a trash bag and pinchers so we by no means must assume twice about selecting issues up.
Libby & The Chainsaw Carving Championships
Taking the Koocanusa Scenic Byway alongside its namesake lake and into the Cupboard Mountains, we reached the spunky little metropolis of Libby. As a former asbestos mining city, it had a nasty rap for some time, however Libby is reinventing itself as an journey and cultural capital of the Northwest Hall. It frequently hosts occasions just like the Riverfront Blues Pageant, Libby Logger Days, the Irish Honest, and the unbelievable Kootenai Nation Worldwide Chainsaw Carving Championship.
We had the good fortune of seeing the “Conflict of the Carvers” and watching twenty of the world’s greatest, from Zimbabwe, Mongolia, Russia, Canada, the USA, and extra, face off. They get an eight-foot log and 4 days to show it right into a masterpiece, plus the added problem of every day 90-minute fast carves for the continued public sale. Even after simply sooner or later of strolling by way of the open-air workshops, we have been amazed at how a lot the paintings had developed. From sawing to chiseling, sanding, torching, and marking, these works have been shortly refined to perfection. The night time earlier than the finals, the city went wild, and we went with them.
Alongside our new Montana buddy and former carver, Gary, we bar-hopped from the Cupboard Mountain Brewery (aka The Dwelling Room of Libby) to the Mint, the place beers are nonetheless saved chilly in wood ice chests. The subsequent day, all of the masterworks have been lined up and auctioned off amid a storm of bidders, driving costs to effectively over $10,000. Watch the video above to see the sawdust fly and the great instances rip.
🏨 Our advisable lodging in Libby
Kootenai Falls & Swinging Bridge
Seven miles west of Libby, when the cliffs alongside the freeway flip right into a rainbow of colours and the river rages, you’ve reached Kootenai Falls. This cascade is among the largest free-flowing waterfalls within the northwest, however it’s not the peak or width that makes your jaw drop; it’s every part else. 1.5 billion-year-old rocks create a staircase for these falls to swiftly and gracefully step down the Kootenai River, then swoop round islands and down a craggy, slim canyon.
We walked the brief nature path to the water and thought the primary lookout was the view of views, however new waterfalls and islands saved showing all the best way to the primary cascade. No crowding onto a viewing platform, you’ll be able to stroll proper as much as the falls, sit on the edge, and really feel the complete rush. Head downstream and also you’ll attain the swinging bridge for one final have a look at arguably one of many prettiest waterfalls within the States.
Ross Creek Cedars & Giving Again
On our final day in Western Montana, we received up early to discover Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Space. Apparently, we received there even earlier than the rangers, as a result of an enormous fallen tree blocked the highway. Did we flip round? Heck no, Buddy comes packing with 102 horsepower, a hatchet, and a rope! We knew you wouldn’t imagine our 1985 camper might haul 4,000+ kilos of timber, so Anne shot this video of Buddy’s glory second.
We cleared the highway for all and pressed on to the traditional grove of 1,000-year-old bushes. Strolling the mile-long loop, we craned our necks to search for on the lush cover 175 ft above us. On our means out, we observed a field that mentioned this grove is maintained by the Three Rivers Ranger District, with the assistance of customer donations. Having simply hiked, paddled, and camped in so many unimaginable public lands round Montana, we have been moved to slide in a $100 invoice.
#RecreateResponsibly Tip: Pitch In. It takes greater than authorities staff to maintain public lands thriving. Donate, volunteer, and advocate for the outside each time you’ll be able to.
The rugged fantastic thing about Western Montana is what attracts thousands and thousands of individuals right here. We hope you go to, take an epic highway journey, and grow to be a steward of its wild locations. For extra of our
An enormous thanks to Glacier Nation, Montana, for inviting us to share the #RecreateResponsibly message with vacationers for sponsoring our Western Montana highway journey, and for that includes our “How you can Boondock Like a Professional: The Glacier Nation Information to Free Tenting” on GlacierMT.com. As a thank-you to the area and to maintain up our “Bloggers Give Again” dedication, we’re donating $325 from our earnings to the next non-profits: Clark Fork Coalition, The Ross Creek Cedars, and RecreateResponsibly.org.
