The Lunch Box Journals

“The Ramparts of God” Part of the joy in being retired is freedom of time and as the temperature began to approach the 100’s in Billings I decided to leave town and spend three weeks exploring the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana. The plan is to head northwest from Billings to Glacier National Park, cross over into the Flathead Valley, explore the forests of the northwest corner of Montana, then turn east and tour central Montana before returning south to Billings. Augie the doggie and I packed up and hit the road. Come along!

Libby, MT to Kalispell, MT (Hwy 2)

After skirting around the northern edge of the Flathead Valley it’s now time to focus on the valley. Eons ago massive glaciers carved a giant valley on the western edge of the Continental Divide before they began to retreat to the north. As the glacier left the valley it left a series of low hills and moraines at the southern edge that dammed the Flathead River and created the jewel of the valley, Flathead Lake. Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the United States west of the Mississippi River and covers the lower two-thirds of the valley, roughly 20 miles across and 50 miles long. Visualize and inverted horseshow with elongated arms and you get the picture. Mountains rear above the lake on the east, north and west, creating a micro-climate that usually provides for a much more temperate climate than the rest of Montana. The mountains provide protection from the often brutal winds that howl down from the north, yet it is still cold enough for very snowy winters. The northern part of the valley is a flat plain that stretches from the shores of Flathead Lake north approximately 20 miles to the base of Big Mountain. The entrance to Glacier National Park sits in the northeast corner of the valley. There are four distinct communities in the north valley, each with its own character and reputation. Think of a diamond with the endpoints all about 15 miles apart and you’ll have an idea of how the towns are located. Whitefish is to the north; Kalispell and Columbia Falls are the mid-points; and Bigfork is the southern point. Columbia Falls is the least “touristy” of the towns though it sits at the entrance to Glacier National Park. Nearly 5,000 people call Columbia Falls home and for tourists it is mostly a place to get gas on the way to Glacier National Park. The other three towns are also very different. Whitefish is a four-season resort town on the shores of Whitefish Lake at the base the northern mountains. Bigfork is the “Cannon Beach” of Montana (a reference Oregonians will definitely get!}, a small town of art galleries, restaurants, bars and a live summer theater tucked away on a small bay on the northwest shore of Flathead Lake. Kalispell is the giant in the mix, the financial and commercial center of northwest Montana located about 7 miles north of Flathead Lake. Let’s check them out!

Whitefish, MT (Hwy 93 north of Kalispell, MT)

Whitefish was originally established in 1904 on the southern shore of Whitefish Lake as a stop on the Great Northern Railway and served as an important shipping point for the burgeoning timber industry. The town’s future took a different direction in the late 1940’s with the development of the first ski resort on nearby Big Mountain and fortunately for the town the decline of the timber industry corresponded with the rise of the tourist economy. Today year-round tourism drives the area. The town of Whitefish itself is jammed with restaurants, bars, chic little shops and the newest ubiquitous Montana business, the brew pub. In the winter its’ the snow sports that draw the crowds; in the summer golf and other outdoor activities pull them in. In recent years the area has also seen a significant increase in affluent retirees relocating here (it is not an inexpensive place to live…) This is a picture of Main Street looking north up to the ski resort at Big Mountain. The compact downtown area runs about three blocks by six blocks. Nary an empty storefront to be found, this place was bustling at 10 in the morning! The historic train depot anchors the northern end of downtown. Built by the Great Northern Railway in 1928 in a design meant to complement the architecture of the Glacier National park buildings, the Whitefish train depot is the busiest passenger train stop between Seattle, Washington, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Over 50,000 people a year get off here to enjoy all that the area has to offer. Just across the train tracks northwest of downtown residential neighborhoods surround Whitefish Lake. It was a hot and smoky day in Whitefish and people were already out enjoying the cool waters. As with every view to the north, the ski resort looms above the view. The smoke was really starting to build in the valley. Here is the view looking down across Whitefish Lake and the town of Whitefish towards Kalispell and Flathead Lake to the south. Whitefish is definitely a place to come and stay for a while (hopefully in the short off-season in late spring or early fall – otherwise you’ll be part of the crowd!)

Bigfork, MT (Hwy 35 southwest of Kalispell)

In the opposite direction from Kalispell than Whitefish lies the little town of Bigfork, perched on the shore of the small bay where the Swan River enters Flathead Lake. The eastern shore of the lake is blanketed in dense forests as the mountains rise up sharply from the lake. Coming up over a rise in the road the local outpost of the Flathead Brewing Company marks the turn off to the left to descend down to the bay shore and the little town center. Earlier I noted that Bigfork was the “Cannon Beach” of Montana. Cannon Beach is an upscale beach town a little more than an hour west of Portland, Oregon, and is studiously understated as a collection of art galleries, shops and restaurants meticulously “beachy” front one of Oregon’s magnificent beaches. A summer theater company draws crowds during the summer. Bigfork is the same type of town: a densely packed small downtown area of art galleries, restaurants, pubs and shops perched on a bay at the northwest corner of Flathead Lake. Visitors need to bring a big wallet when they come to visit and be very patient when trying to find parking… I parked the Lunch Box in the back of a building a couple of blocks away from the main street just across the street from the bay. The entrance to the lake is marked by the highway bridge crossing the river. The little downtown area (about three blocks) is just to the left in this picture. Let’s take a walk through Bigfork!