Hiking

Montana’s Flathead Lake.

Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. Lying in the Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana, the lake is more then 300 feet deep and extends north and south some 28 miles and is seven to 15 miles wide.

As you drive and drive on the roads that hug Flathead Lake’s shoreline, (US Highway 93 on the west and Montana Route 35 on the east) it’s hard to believe manmade dams that are so common in the Pacific Northwest didn’t create it. Rather, the lake is a fortuitous product of the activity of ice-age glaciers, and is fed by the Swan and Flathead Rivers.

All manner of water sports are enjoyed upon its 200 square miles of surface. Several state parks and lakeshore communities have boat launches and marinas on the Lake.

You can avail yourself of a boat tour or rent one of the many types of watercraft including canoes, kayaks, windsurfers, hydro bikes, sailing and fishing boats. Serious anglers can arm themselves with heavy-duty equipment and probe the 300-foot deep Flathead Lake for trophy Mackinaw. Lake trout, salmon, perch, pike, bass, and whitefish are found in the Flathead area’s many lakes.

Locals know summer has arrived when a steady stream of traffic starts to build on the secondary roads. So in peak season expect to share your enjoyment of the Flathead Valley with many others, although the mountains still offer room to get-away if you are willing to exert yourself.

Purchase the: Go Hike With Mike Trail Guide, The Flathead Lake Vacation Guide, or the Vacation and Trail Guide Combo Pack

Pablo Wildlife Refuge.

Pablo Wildlife Refuge is located on tribal trust lands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. It is superimposed on the irrigation reservoir managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Flathead Irrigation Project.

Pablo Wildlife Refuge is 2,500 acres of water, marsh, and upland grassland. The refuge provides nesting and resting areas for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Shaped by glacial activity approximately 12,000 years ago, the terrain surrounding Pablo NWR is rolling and interspersed with many pothole wetlands.

Visitor Opportunities

Fishing is permitted on Pablo NWR in accordance with applicable State, Federal, and Tribal regulations. Yellow perch and largemouth bass are caught at Pablo NWR. Ice fishing is permitted after the waterfowl hunting season has ended and the refuge reopens.

Photography and wildlife observation are encouraged. Waterfowl numbers vary throughout the year. There may be as many as 80,000 in October and November, and half that number in late March and through early May. A few ducks and geese may spend the winter. Nesting begins in late March and lasts through July. The most numerous nesting species are Canada geese, mallards, and redheads. Pintail, American widgeon, shoveler, blue and green-winged teal, ruddy duck, gadwall, common merganser, and coot are also present. Other species of water, marsh, and upland birds are abundant from May to October. Common loons are occasionally seen and this is a good area to see Bald Eagles.

Common mammals on these refuges are the field mouse or meadow vole, muskrat, and striped skunk. Mink, badgers, and porcupines have also been observed.

Management Programs

Although water levels are controlled primarily for irrigation and flood control, the Fish and Wildlife Service works closely with the Flathead Irrigation Project to insure that water levels are properly maintained to accommodate nesting waterfowl. A portion of the refuge is closed each spring to minimize disturbance in nesting areas, and the refuge is closed entirely during the hunting season. There is an active Bald Eagle nest on the Refuge which regularly fledge one to two young per year. In 1996, a release of 19 trumpeter swans was conducted by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks and the USFWS with the hope of re-establishing a breeding flock in the valley.

Efforts to improve wildlife habitat over the years have included planting food and cover crops for upland game birds, the construction of nesting islands for waterfowl, and prescribed burning to enhance brooding areas and provide browse for Canada geese. Biological, chemical and mechanical methods are used to control some species of non-native plants which have begun encroaching on the refuge. Aerial surveys are conducted periodically to monitor waterfowl numbers and nesting success.

The refuge is closed to hunting. Adjoining State-owned lands are managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for wildlife cover, food production, and public hunting. These lands are open to hunting on a first-come-first served basis for waterfowl and pheasant shooting. The closure of Pablo NWR enhances the quality of hunting in the Flathead Valley.

Directions

Pablo National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 75 miles north of Missoula and 3 miles south of Polson. Turn west on Reservoir Road 3 miles south of Polson. Traveling west for 1-1/2 miles will bring you to the kiosk for Pablo NWR. The dike road is open for travel during daylight hours through the summer. There are several county roads bordering the Refuge.

The National Bison Range.

The National Bison Range was established in 1908 and is one of the oldest Wildlife Refuges in the nation. The Range is about 25 miles south of Montana’s Flathead Lake.

A large portion of the 18, 500 acre Range consists of native Palouse prairie; forests, wetlands, and streams are also found here providing a wide range of habitats for wildlife. Elk, deer, pronghorn, black bear, coyote and ground squirrels are just some of the mammals that share the area with 350 to 500 bison. Over 200 species of birds also call this home including eagles, hawks, meadowlarks, bluebirds, ducks, and geese.

General Information

Fees are charged during the summer (mid-May to late October). The Range is part of the U.S. Fee System and accepts Golden Passes and Federal Waterfowl Stamps. Pay fees at the Visitor Center.

The Range is closed at night. Check the Contact Us page for current hours.

Camping is not allowed on the Range.

Visitor Center

The best place to start your visit is at the Visitor Center. Here you will find informative displays and handouts, restrooms, videos, a bookstore, and staff to answer your questions. Pay entrance fees here. For more information about the Bison Range and other activities in northwest Montana, consider purchasing a copy of the Flathead Lake Vacation Guide.

Auto Tours

Prairie Drive/West Loop: a 5-mile gravel road that travels through the flats. It is open to trailers and large RVs. It goes by the Bison Display Pasture. Plan for 1/2 hour. Open year round.

Red Sleep Mountain Drive: a 19-mile, one-way, gravel road which gains 2,000feet. There are many switchbacks and 10% grades along the drive. No trailers or vehicles over 32 feet are allowed on this drive. Allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Open mid-May to late October. (Check the Contact Us page for current information.)

Walking Trails: Hiking is limited on the Range to a few short walking trails. A mile-long Nature Trail is located at the Picnic Area and 1/4-mile Grassland Trail is at the Visitor Center. The 1/2-mile Bitterroot Trail and 1-mile High Point trail are both located off the Red Sleep Mountain Drive. Walking away from your vehicle is prohibited except for these designated trails. For a complete listing of trails around Flathead Lake, see the Go Hike With Mike Trail guide.

Picnic Area

The Range has a picnic area near Mission Creek. There are tables, grills, water, and accessible toilets. A covered pavilion is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no garbage cans, so please pack out all trash.

How to get here:

From Missoula: Travel north on US Highway 93 to Ravalli, turn left(to the west) on to State Highway 200, travel approximately 5 miles to the junction of Highways 200 and 212, turn right(to the north) and travel approximately 5 miles to the entrance of the Range at Moiese.

From Kalispell: Travel south on US Highway 93 or State Highway 35 to Polson, then travel Highway 93 through Pablo and Ronan to the junction of Highway 93 and State Highway 212, travel 12 miles (through Charlo) to the entrance of the Range at Moiese.

From the west: Travel Highway 200 through Dixon to the junction of Highways 200 and 212, turn left(to the north) and travel approximately 5 miles to the entrance of the Range at Moiese.

Glacier National Park.

In 1910, Congress established Glacier National Park in Montana. Conservationist George Bird Grinnell played a key role in the creation of this park in order to preserve the land’s natural beauty. Indians have always revered this region. The Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai Indians, who have lived in the area for hundreds of years, consider it a sacred place.

Glacier National Park is named for the glaciers that produced its landscape. A glacier is a moving mass of snow and ice. It forms when more snow falls each winter than melts in the summer. The snow accumulates and presses the layers below it into ice. The bottom layer of ice becomes flexible and therefore allows the glacier to move. As it moves, a glacier picks up rock and gravel. With this mixture of debris, it scours and sculptures the land it moves across. This is how, over thousands of years, Glacier National Park got all its valleys, sharp mountain peaks, and lakes. There are more than 50 glaciers in the park today, though they are smaller than the huge ones that existed 20,000 years ago.

In addition to its glaciers, mountains, and valleys, Glacier National Park covers approximately 1.4 million acres and includes 200 lakes and streams. The park is also home to many different types of wildlife, including black and grizzly bear, moose, golden and bald eagle, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and whitetail and mule deer.

Glacier National Park is a stunningly beautiful ice-carved terrain of serrated ridges, jutting peaks, dramatic hanging valleys, 50 glaciers, more than 200 lakes, waterfalls and thick forests covering some 1.2-million acres. Deer are among the most commonly spotted wildlife but elk, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolves, grizzly and black bears roam its wild vastness and are often seen by visitors.

Goat Lick overlook, for example, is a natural salt lick on cliffs overlooking the southern border of the park. From a viewing platform just off US Highway 2 east of Essex you are sure to see mountain goats or other animals at any time of day enjoying the lick.

Wild flowers, too, are abundant and put on a lengthy show of color as they follow spring up the mountains all summer long.

The park is unique among US parks in its relationship with the Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. The two parks meet at the border shared by the two countries. Though administered by separate countries, the parks are cooperatively managed in recognition that wild plants and animals ignore political boundaries and claim the natural and cultural resources on both sides of the border. In 1932, the parks were designated the first International Peace Park in recognition of the bonds of peace and friendship between the two nations. The two parks jointly share the name The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Then, in 1995, The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was designated for inclusion as a World Heritage Site.

Hiking in Montana

Hiking Trails in Montana

The GoHikeWithMike.com website contains information about camping & hiking around Flathead Lake. Mike has been hiking, wandering, hunting and spending time in these woods for more then 20 years. The Go Hike with Mike Trail Guide contains most every trail head around Flathead Lake. The guide includes trails as far north as Polebridge. It also contains the Hungry Horse recreation area, the Swan Front and Swan Valley to the east. To the north the guide contains trail head and campground information around Tally Lake.

Hiking Around Flathead Lake

Mike receives countless inquires about good trails and camping spots around Flathead Lake. There is clearly a need for more detailed information about hiking around Flathead Lake. This website and trail guide are the trails Mike would like to recommend to you during your visit to northwest Montana.

The trail guide is focused on trails, camping and being in the woods. Mike’s Flathead Lake Trail Guide breaks the area in five easy to use sections. North of Flathead lake, including The Talley Lake area and due north to Polebridge. East of Flathead Lake, including the Swan Front, Swan Valley, and on into the Hungry Horse recreation area. West of Flathead Lake, including Blacktail Mountain and the Kootenai National Forest. The guide contains most every trail Mike has hiked in the last 20 years or plans to hike in the next 20 years.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY.

Don’t need the hiking guide, just some basic trail information, do not fret. Mike has included some beginner to medium hikes on this website. Depending on were you as staying there is most likely a trail head near you. Thanks for visiting, hope to see you on the trail.

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