If you have ben looing to hike around Flathead Lake you need to get to know Mike. The Go Hike With Mike Trail Guide post just about every trail. Maybe you might stumble upon one not in the guide, but it is unlikely.
The guide is all about camping & hiking around Flathead Lake.
Go Hike With Mike Trail Guide
Mike has been hiking, wandering, hunting and spending time in these woods for more then 20 years. The guide includes trails as far north as Polebridge, and the Hungry Horse recreation area, and east to the Swan Front and Swan Valley. To the north the guide contains trail head and campground information in and around Tally Lake.
Hiking Around Flathead Lake
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. The guide contains most every trail Mike has hiked in the last 20 years or plans to hike in the next 20 years.
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.
If you have ben looing to hike around Flathead Lake you need to get to know Mike. The Go Hike With Mike Trail Guide post just about every trail. Maybe you might stumble upon one not in the guide, but it is unlikely.
The guide is all about camping & hiking around Flathead Lake.
Mike has been hiking, wandering, hunting and spending time in these woods for more then 20 years. The guide includes trails as far north as Polebridge, and the Hungry Horse recreation area, and east to the Swan Front and Swan Valley. To the north the guide contains trail head and campground information in and around Tally Lake.
Go Hike With Mike Trail Guide
Hiking Around Flathead Lake
Go Hike With Mike Trail Guide
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. The guide contains most every trail Mike has hiked in the last 20 years or plans to hike in the next 20 years.
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.
Montana’s Flathead Lake Vacation Guide announced its 10th anniversary of it’s feature packed guide containing most everything about the greater Flathead Lake area. FLVG began as an idea of bringing all of the businesses and activities surrounding Montana’s Flathead Lake into one easy to use resource guide. The creation of the Guide included numerous trips around Flathead Lake photographing trail heads, fishing & camping access as well as boat and vacation rental locations. The Guide includes complete listings of boat rentals and a new logo design in 2020. In addition to Guide updates, the website popularly has grown.
All Around Flathead Lake
Since its inception in 2013, the Flathead Lake Vacation Guide has been providing on the ground information about hiking, camping, and fishing access around all of the Lake.
Download the leader in providing information about fun things to do when visiting Flathead Lake Montana.
“FLVG has experienced exceptional growth and refinements over the past years,” said Hewston. “Moving forward, our focus will remain on offering the best up to date information available. ”
Above all, FLVG has been successful at evolving and changing to stay up to date and relevant. Providing information about northwest Montana.
Let’s take a moment to consider the history that took place to allow you to enjoy all of the recreational and hiking opportunities Flathead Lake has to offer.
Charlo, or Charlot, was the son of Victor, and his successor as chief of the Salish bands. The Treaty of 1855, negotiated by Isaac Stevens, had guaranteed that Victor and his people could stay in the Bitterroot Valley. In 1872, however, President U.S. Grant ordered the Salish, then led by Chief Charlo, to move north to the Flathead Reservation. Two sub-chiefs, Arlee and Joseph Nine Pipes, complied, but Charlo refused, and stayed resolutely, but “illegally,” on his native lands.
In 1876, the government of Montana Territory proposed a tax on Indians’ property. Charlo’s bitter but eloquent response resonates with his deep sadness and disillusionment.
Chief Charlo’s Answer
Since our forefathers first beheld [the white man], more than seven times ten winters have snowed and melted. Most of them like those snows have dissolved away. Their spirits went whither they came; his, they say, go there too. Do they meet and see us here? Can he blush before his Maker, or is he forever dead? Is his prayer his promise—a trust of the wind? Is it a sound without sense? Is it a thing whose life is a foul thing?…
What is he? Who sent him here? We were happy when he first came; since then we often saw him, always heard him and of him. We first thought he came from the light, but he comes like the dusk of the evening now, not like the dawn of the morning. He comes like a day that has passed, and night enters our future with him.…
Had Heaven’s Chief burnt him with some mark to refuse him, we might have refused him. No, we did not refuse him in his weakness; in his poverty we fed, we cherished him—yes, befriended him, and showed the fords and defiles of our lands. Yet we did think his face was concealed with hair, and that he often smiled like a rabbit in his own beard. A long-tailed, skulking thing, fond of flat lands, and soft grass and woods.
To confirm, his purpose; to make the trees and stones and his own people hear him, he whispers soldiers, lock houses and iron chains.…He, the cause of our ruin, is his own snake, which he says stole on his mother in her own country to lie to her. He says his story is that man was rejected and cast off. Why did we not reject him forever? He says one of his virgins had a son nailed to death on two cross sticks to save him. Were all of them dead then when that young man died, we would be all safe now and our country our own. . . .
…His meanness ropes his charity, his avarice wives his envy, his race breeds to extort. Did he speak at all like a friend? . . .
He is cold, and stealth and envy are with him, and fit him as do his hands and feet. We owe him nothing; he owes us more than he will pay, yet he says there is a God.…
His laws never gave us a blade nor a tree, nor a duck, nor a grouse, nor a trout. No; like the wolverine that steals your cache, how often does he come? You know he comes as long as he lives, and takes more and more, and dirties what he leaves.”
In 1891, after 20 more years of impoverishment and near-starvation, Charlo agreed to move his band of 157 people to the Flathead Reservation. They walked the seventy-five miles from their ancestral homeland in the Bitterroot Valley to the Jocko Valley at the southern end of the reservation.
Let’s take a moment to consider the history that took place to allow you to enjoy all of the recreational and hiking opportunities Flathead Lake has to offer.
Charlo, or Charlot, was the son of Victor, and his successor as chief of the Salish bands. The Treaty of 1855, negotiated by Isaac Stevens, had guaranteed that Victor and his people could stay in the Bitterroot Valley. In 1872, however, President U.S. Grant ordered the Salish, then led by Chief Charlo, to move north to the Flathead Reservation. Two sub-chiefs, Arlee and Joseph Nine Pipes, complied, but Charlo refused, and stayed resolutely, but “illegally,” on his native lands.
In 1876, the government of Montana Territory proposed a tax on Indians’ property. Charlo’s bitter but eloquent response resonates with his deep sadness and disillusionment.
Chief Charlo’s Answer
Since our forefathers first beheld [the white man], more than seven times ten winters have snowed and melted. Most of them like those snows have dissolved away. Their spirits went whither they came; his, they say, go there too. Do they meet and see us here? Can he blush before his Maker, or is he forever dead? Is his prayer his promise—a trust of the wind? Is it a sound without sense? Is it a thing whose life is a foul thing?…
What is he? Who sent him here? We were happy when he first came; since then we often saw him, always heard him and of him. We first thought he came from the light, but he comes like the dusk of the evening now, not like the dawn of the morning. He comes like a day that has passed, and night enters our future with him.…
Had Heaven’s Chief burnt him with some mark to refuse him, we might have refused him. No, we did not refuse him in his weakness; in his poverty we fed, we cherished him—yes, befriended him, and showed the fords and defiles of our lands. Yet we did think his face was concealed with hair, and that he often smiled like a rabbit in his own beard. A long-tailed, skulking thing, fond of flat lands, and soft grass and woods.
To confirm, his purpose; to make the trees and stones and his own people hear him, he whispers soldiers, lock houses and iron chains.…He, the cause of our ruin, is his own snake, which he says stole on his mother in her own country to lie to her. He says his story is that man was rejected and cast off. Why did we not reject him forever? He says one of his virgins had a son nailed to death on two cross sticks to save him. Were all of them dead then when that young man died, we would be all safe now and our country our own. . . .
…His meanness ropes his charity, his avarice wives his envy, his race breeds to extort. Did he speak at all like a friend? . . .
He is cold, and stealth and envy are with him, and fit him as do his hands and feet. We owe him nothing; he owes us more than he will pay, yet he says there is a God.…
His laws never gave us a blade nor a tree, nor a duck, nor a grouse, nor a trout. No; like the wolverine that steals your cache, how often does he come? You know he comes as long as he lives, and takes more and more, and dirties what he leaves.”
In 1891, after 20 more years of impoverishment and near-starvation, Charlo agreed to move his band of 157 people to the Flathead Reservation. They walked the seventy-five miles from their ancestral homeland in the Bitterroot Valley to the Jocko Valley at the southern end of the reservation.
Let’s take a moment to consider the history that took place to allow you to enjoy all of the recreational and hiking opportunities Flathead Lake has to offer.
Charlo, or Charlot, was the son of Victor, and his successor as chief of the Salish bands. The Treaty of 1855, negotiated by Isaac Stevens, had guaranteed that Victor and his people could stay in the Bitterroot Valley. In 1872, however, President U.S. Grant ordered the Salish, then led by Chief Charlo, to move north to the Flathead Reservation. Two sub-chiefs, Arlee and Joseph Nine Pipes, complied, but Charlo refused, and stayed resolutely, but “illegally,” on his native lands.
In 1876, the government of Montana Territory proposed a tax on Indians’ property. Charlo’s bitter but eloquent response resonates with his deep sadness and disillusionment.
Chief Charlo’s Answer
Since our forefathers first beheld [the white man], more than seven times ten winters have snowed and melted. Most of them like those snows have dissolved away. Their spirits went whither they came; his, they say, go there too. Do they meet and see us here? Can he blush before his Maker, or is he forever dead? Is his prayer his promise—a trust of the wind? Is it a sound without sense? Is it a thing whose life is a foul thing?…
What is he? Who sent him here? We were happy when he first came; since then we often saw him, always heard him and of him. We first thought he came from the light, but he comes like the dusk of the evening now, not like the dawn of the morning. He comes like a day that has passed, and night enters our future with him.…
Had Heaven’s Chief burnt him with some mark to refuse him, we might have refused him. No, we did not refuse him in his weakness; in his poverty we fed, we cherished him—yes, befriended him, and showed the fords and defiles of our lands. Yet we did think his face was concealed with hair, and that he often smiled like a rabbit in his own beard. A long-tailed, skulking thing, fond of flat lands, and soft grass and woods.
To confirm, his purpose; to make the trees and stones and his own people hear him, he whispers soldiers, lock houses and iron chains.…He, the cause of our ruin, is his own snake, which he says stole on his mother in her own country to lie to her. He says his story is that man was rejected and cast off. Why did we not reject him forever? He says one of his virgins had a son nailed to death on two cross sticks to save him. Were all of them dead then when that young man died, we would be all safe now and our country our own. . . .
…His meanness ropes his charity, his avarice wives his envy, his race breeds to extort. Did he speak at all like a friend? . . .
He is cold, and stealth and envy are with him, and fit him as do his hands and feet. We owe him nothing; he owes us more than he will pay, yet he says there is a God.…
His laws never gave us a blade nor a tree, nor a duck, nor a grouse, nor a trout. No; like the wolverine that steals your cache, how often does he come? You know he comes as long as he lives, and takes more and more, and dirties what he leaves.”
In 1891, after 20 more years of impoverishment and near-starvation, Charlo agreed to move his band of 157 people to the Flathead Reservation. They walked the seventy-five miles from their ancestral homeland in the Bitterroot Valley to the Jocko Valley at the southern end of the reservation.
There are many quality hiking very close to Montana’s Flathead Lake. The views from these hikes around Flathead Lake are both beautiful and vast. Hiking is a great way to explore the area while experiencing nature and wildlife. We have created a list of trails you may enjoy. The list of trails when hiking Flathead Lake can be found below.
Each trail offers an adventure into the vast openness of untouched country and environment.
First things first, when hiking around Flathead lake you should be sure to carry bear spray. Be sure to carry it with your finger in the hole, and your thumb on the safety. Really, be safe, carry bear spray. With that said there are ample hiking opportunities around Flathead Lake.
Of the three trails on this page, this trail is best if you are looking for aerial views of Flathead Lake. The Crane Mountain trail is 2.1 miles long (total of 3.5 miles from trailhead) and climbs about 330 feet. It begins at the junction with the Beardance Trail #76 and ends at the junction with Road #10218 near Crane Mtn Rd. From the Beardance trailhead this is one of three trails that climb up Crane Mountain. This lesser known trail starts winding up a few switchbacks through a larch/pine forest with thick undergrowth. It then straightens out and parallels Crane Creek to an old road bed. Turning left, follow the level road out to the upper trailhead. The trail is open for the following uses: hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking.
From Bigfork, go south on Highway 35 past Woods Bay and turn right after mile marker 23, entering the Beardance trail head parking. The trailhead is on the east side of the highway.
The Noisy Creek trail is 1.9 miles long and climbs 850 feet. It begins at the end of Jewel Basin Road #5392 and ends at the junction with Alpine Trail #7. This is one of many accesses to the Jewel Basin Hiking Area. The trail is open primarily for the following uses: Hiking. Other uses are allowed, but not recommended, up to the Hiking Area boundary.
From Bigfork, go north on Highway 35 for 2.3 miles and turn right onto Hwy 83. Stay on Hwy. 83 for 2.8 miles and turn left onto Echo Lake Road. After 2.2 miles, turn slightly right onto the Foothills Road. After 1.1 miles, turn right onto Rd. # 5392, following the Jewel Basin Road signs. The trailhead is 6.6 miles at the end of the road. Trail #8 starts at parking lot see information boards to make sure you are starting on the right trail as there are several that leave the parking lot.
It doesn’t matter if you are a novice hiker or you love a challenge: Jewel Basin has a hike for you. You’ll discover 15,349 acres of wilderness, 27 lakes and nearly 50 miles of hike-only trails.
The Jewel Basin is located just outside of Bigfork in the Flathead National Forest. To access the trailhead from Bigfork, take Hwy 35 north to Hwy 83. Head east on Hwy 83 to the junction of the Echo Lake Road. Head north on Echo Lake Road about 3 miles to junction with the Jewel Basin Road (No. 5392). Follow this road approx. 7 miles to the trailhead.
The Crater Notch Trail is 3.7 miles long and climbs about 3,000 feet. It begins 1/2 mile up the Echo-Brokenleg Trail #544 and ends at the Alpine Trail #7 leading to In-thlam-keh Lake. The trail is open for the following uses for the first 2.7 miles: hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. After 3.5 miles the trail enters the Jewel Basin Hiking Area where the only allowed use is hiking. Please respect these guidelines.
From Bigfork, go north on Highway 35 for 2.3 miles and turn right onto Hwy. 83. Stay on 83 for 2.8 miles, turning left onto Echo Lake Rd. After 2.2 miles, merge slightly right onto the Foothills Road. After 1.1 miles turn right onto Road #5392 also called Jewel Basin Rd. The trailhead is about two miles up the road on the right.
The Broken Leg Divide trail is 2.8 miles long climbs about 520 feet. It begins at the junction with the Peterson Creek Trail #293 and ends at the junction with Echo-Brokenleg trail #544. The trail is open to: hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking.
Usage is typically light, closest town is Bigfork.
Directions:
From Bigfork, go North on Highway 35 for 2.3 miles and turn right onto Highway 83. Stay on 83 for 2.8 miles and turn left onto Echo Lake Rd. After 2.2 miles, turn slightly right onto Foothill Rd. Continue for 1.1 miles and bear slight right following the Jewel Basin sign on to road 5392.
The trailhead is 1.8 miles up road 5392 on the right.
190 pages packed with trailheads, camping spots, and local information around Flathead Lake.
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.
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. The guide contains most every trail Mike has hiked in the last 20 years or plans to hike in the next 20 years.
Camping in Montana. Wherever you are in Montana, there’s a place where you can pitch a tent, lay out your sleeping bag or park your rolling roost under the stars. You can dive as deep in the backcountry as your boots will take you, grill some grub with a view, or hop your way between unexpected campground luxuries like thermal pools, horseshoe pits, tepee rentals and quirky travelers’ libraries.
Camping around Montana’s Flathead Lake
Conveniences like picnic tables, bathrooms and water pumps make the developed sites in our national forests and state parks handy for spur-of-the-moment overnights. You can look for these amenities ahead of time, right here. If you plan to camp in Northwest Montana or Glacier National Park, be sure to stay in a designated site, or stop by the ranger station to get a backcountry permit when in the National Parks. Camping in National Forest is allowed without permit for up to 14 days.
Keep in mind temperature swings can be quite dramatic here in Big Sky Country, so be sure to bring adequate clothing and shelter so you can fine-tune the luxury of your experience. The stars overhead and that first hot beverage in the morning add the final touches.
If you are camping around Flathead Lake be sure to ensure you have the correct tribal permits to camp on Indian Land.
If you are more into Campgrounds when Camping in Montana.
For those of us who enjoy flushable toilets’ when camping, Montana State Parks are your spot. Be sure to make your reservations online as the campgrounds around Flathead Lake fill very quickly during the summer months.
The Finley Point unit of Flathead Lake State Park is located 12 miles north of Polson on the southeast shore of Flathead Lake. This park sits in an open ponderosa pine forest.
The campground has 18 RV campsites with electricity, including one wheelchair accessible site; 7 tent-only campsites; 4 boat camping slips with electricity; and 14 boat slips. The maximum RV/trailer length is 40 feet. Bear resistant storage lockers are available. For more information about camping or specific campsites, visit montanastateparks.reserveamerica.com or call 855-922-6768.
This park is located within the Flathead Reservation and all recreation on tribal land outside of the park requires a tribal recreation permit and is subject to all tribal rules and regulations. A tribal fishing license is required for fishing on the southern half of Flathead Lake and all other waters within the reservation. For more information regarding the Flathead Reservation, visit csktribes.org.
It begins at Jct. Alpine Trail. #7 In Sec. 32 and ends at Jct. Alpine Trail. #7 In Sec. 5. The trail is open for hiking, no motorized traffic. The Birch Lake Trail is in the Jewel Basin Hiking area. Special regulations are in place.
Directions: From Bigfork, take Hwy 35 north to Hwy 83. Head east on Hwy 83 to the junction of the Echo Lake Road. Head north on Echo Lake Road about 3 miles to junction with the Jewel Basin Road (No. 5392). Follow this road approximalty 7 miles to the trailhead. CAUTION: The last 5 miles are steep. Use headlights for safety. Caution advised for low clearance vehicles. Trailers not recommended.
Hiking the Birch Lake Trail
Jewel Basin Hiking Area Regulations Pursuant to 36 CFR 261
Fires: There are no open fires allowed within 500 feet of the shores of the following lakes: Twin, Picnic, Birch, and Crater Lakes. This is for the purposes of sanitation and resource protection.
Dogs: Dogs must be on a leash and under physical restrictive control at all times while in Jewel Basin and all trails leading into it. This is for wildlife, resource, and visitor protection.
Party Size: Group sizes are limited to 12 persons in order to protect resources and minimize disruption to other visitors.
Food Storage: Jewel Basin is in Bear Country and as such proper storage regulations must be followed including storing attractants in a bear resistant manner when you are not at camp with your food and other attractants.
General Regulations
Camping: Allowed anywhere in Jewel Basin. Campsites are dispersed and we ask that you minimize your impact.
Campfires: Fires are allowed in the Jewel basin where not otherwise restricted. Please minimize fire impact by using a fire blanket or pan and consider not building a fire ring.
Stay Limit: The stay limit is 14 days within any 30 day period. Waste Disposal: Please use one of the outhouses or use the cathole method to bury human waste.
Garbage Service: There is no garbage service. Please pack out anything you bring with you.
Travel Management
The Jewel Basin is a hiker only area. As such, stock, motorized, and mechanized use is prohibited within the Jewel Basin Hiking Area boundary.
The 
