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Northwestern Montana Itinerary

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Day one: Fly in to Kalispell, Montana. Rent a car and drive to Bigfork, which is on the northeast corner of Flathead Lake. This is the perfect spot from which to explore the largest natural freshwater lake in the West. If you are arriving early enough in the day, you may be able to get a campsite at Flathead Lake State Park’s Wayfarers site, which is just outside of Bigfork. Flathead Lake State Park is made up of five scenic units with their own campsites on the shores of the lake. The park also includes Wild Horse Island. Since campsites are first-come, first-served, you may need to spend the night in a hotel in Bigfork instead and try again on the morning of day two.

Days two and three: Explore and enjoy Flathead Lake. Fishing, jetskiing, hiking, horseback riding, sailing and canoeing are all available in this area. Bigfork is also a thriving arts community, so be sure to find out what's playing at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse. For hikers, the nearby Jewel Basin has 38 miles of fairly accessible nature trails, connecting numerous pristine alpine lakes.

Day four: Bigfork is just 45 miles southwest of Glacier National Park, to which you'll probably want to devote the rest of your week. See the associated article on hotels and accommodations for more information about lodging in and around Glacier. On your first day in the park, you may want to drive Going-to-the-Sun-Road, to get an idea of what Glacier is like, to enjoy the views, and to narrow down your selection of hiking opportunities for days five and six. This 52-mile road winds its way between West Glacier and the Saint Mary entrance to the park, covering over 3000 feet of elevation as it does so. Since the Saint Mary Campground is one of the few that takes reservations, one possibility would be to reserve a campsite there ahead of time, and then your drive along Going-to-the-Sun-Road from West Glacier (which is where you will arrive from Bigfork) will also lead you to the place where you'll be staying the night. Only the most steely-nerved of motorists would want to drive the length of Going-to-the-Sun-Road twice in the same day! A good short hike for day four will be the one to the Saint Mary Falls. From the Saint Mary Falls pullout, which is about 6.5 miles east of Logan Pass, you will hike 1.2 miles to the Falls. Virginia Falls are an additional three-quarter-mile hike past Saint Mary Falls, and are also well worth seeing.

Days five and six: If you wish to spend these days doing some backcountry hiking, you will need a permit. There are 750 miles of trails in Glacier, so whether you'll be overnighting on the trail or returning to your campsite, you will have plenty of options for hiking within the park. The Apgar Lookout Trail, the Hidden Lake and Hidden Lake Overlook Trails, the Hi-Line Trail, and the Ptarmigan Tunnel Trail have been selected in the Insiders' Guide to Glacier as some of the best. Horse rentals are also available. Many of Glacier's smaller lakes also receive their share of fishermen visitors; call (406) 888-7800 for information about fishing regulations in the park. Go to www.nps.gov/glac for much more information about Glacier, and to make reservations for a campsite.

Day seven: Return to Kalispell -- reluctantly!

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