Latest news with #FlatheadLake
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Travel + Leisure
03-08-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Peaceful U.S. Island Is Home to Wild Horses, Bald Eagles, and Bighorn Sheep—and It Neighbors Glacier National Park
South of Glacier National Park, Wild Horse Island State Park is home to incredible wildlife, including five resident horses, the world's largest bighorn sheep, and bald eagles. Visitors can kayak or take a boat across the largest natural freshwater lake in the western U.S. to reach the 2,160-acre island. In addition to wildlife viewing, activities on the island include hiking a scenic three-mile loop and picnicking with beautiful views. The equestrian-themed Flathead Lake Lodge offers a dude ranch experience, horseback riding included. The Sitting Duck highlights local flavors, serving northwest Montana's trademark huckleberries in the form of huckleberry chicken wings to huckleberry pork sliders. In the southwest arm of Montana's Flathead Lake, horses run wild. Just south of Glacier National Park, a herd of five resident horses shares the aptly named Wild Horse Island State Park with countless bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and mule deer. According to folklore, members of the Salish and Kootenai tribes brought the first of these horses to the park to protect them from theft. 'To keep their horses safe, the Salish would swim them across Flathead Lake and stash them right there on that island,' says Justin Flake, owner of kayak company Sea Me Paddle. In the 1970s, the 2,160-acre island became a state park, which now presents a quieter—yet well-maintained—alternative to nearby Glacier. Much like a road trip to the national park, however, a visit to Wild Horse Island transcends the destination itself; how you get there is half the fun. As the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, Flathead Lake extends for about 200 square miles, and visitors to Wild Horse Island must cross some of that clear water by boat. Options therefore abound for your Wild Horse Island pilgrimage, whether you're interested in a guided kayak tour, shuttle pontoon, or boat rental. Once on the island, you'll also have your pick of activities, so you can find both free-roaming wildlife and picnic-perfect views amid the ponderosa pines. Roughly 35 minutes from Kalispell—a popular gateway to both Glacier and Wild Horse Island—Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) operates direct, year-round flights to major cities, including Denver, Seattle, and Las Vegas. For more options, you can fly through Missoula Montana Airport (MSO), which is less than two hours south. From either hub, make sure to reserve a rental car; Uber and shuttle services operate in limited capacity. Aerial View of Wild Horse Island at the Flathead Lake in Montana. In northern Montana, 'If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes' isn't a cliché but a guiding principle. Bring plenty of layers to account for variables in both weather and activities. 'You do have to pack a little bit for [Wild Horse Island] because you're going to want to be in quick-dry material—whatever you dress in when you're on the lake—and then change into hiking shoes,' explains Flake. Unless you're a seasoned paddler or familiar with the lake, Flake also urges kayakers to paddle with an experienced guide—and get a head start on the day. 'The best time of day would be first thing in the morning to get over there before it gets too hot,' he says. 'That's when the animals are most active.' Once on the island, you'll find designated boat docking areas, as well as a bathroom. People tend to stay ashore for about three hours, according to Big Arm Boat Rentals and Rides' Matthew Sisler, though journey times vary. On kayak, each two-mile, one-way trip to Wild Horse Island may take about an hour, while Sisler's thrice-daily shuttles condense the ride to approximately 20 minutes. As for state park fees? 'Out-of-state guests are encouraged to visit the kiosk on the island and deposit the nominal amount in the box when they get off the boat at the main trailhead,' says Sisler. While Wild Horse Island technically stays open year-round, Flake recommends visiting during spring and fall; September prolongs the warm weather, while spring paints the island yellow with blooming arrowleaf balsamroot. If you're looking to swim, however, save your trip for July and August, says Sisler. Note that the lake freezes come winter. A large bighorn sheep ram in the forest of the Wild Horse Island. For a park named after its horses, this shouldn't come as a surprise: 'Wildlife viewing is the number one activity,' says Flake. Currently, five horses—all female—reside on the island and tend to congregate around the southern tip. 'The state park manages those five horses, keeps tabs on them, and they usually live at a place called Driftwood Point,' says Sisler, who recommends visitors keep some distance and avoid petting the animals. If you're up for a walk, head to the island's main hiking trail, which begins at the northwest corner of Skeeko Bay. It leads hikers on a moderate, three-mile loop, with varying viewpoints of the towering Mission Mountains. While the island embraces its reputation for horses, 'the stars are the world's largest bighorn sheep,' says Sisler, emphasizing their record-breaking size. 'It's better to get off the trail and explore the mountaintops where the biggest sheep hang out,' he says. In addition to its four-legged inhabitants, the island attracts woodpeckers, ospreys, falcons, and songbirds. Around the middle of the northern shore, you may even spot a bald eagle nesting ground. 'It's marvelous to watch bald eagles swoop down to the water and pick up fish for their young,' says Sisler. There's nowhere to eat or drink in the park, so if you're hoping to picnic, plan ahead. Flake provides kayakers with a bagged lunch, though you can—and should—stop at Glacier Perks Coffee House to pack a huckleberry scone for the island. Exterior of a guest cabin at Flathead Lake Lodge. Cozy and comfortable, the five-bedroom Sherman Lodge keeps you in the heart of downtown Kalispell. If you're traveling with kids, book the Sherman Loft, which includes a kitchen and four beds. Go all in on the dude ranch experience at the all-inclusive Flathead Lake Lodge. To really run with the island's equine theme, try your hand at horseback riding from the lodge's trails. As a day-use park, Wild Horse Island doesn't allow camping, though camper-friendly state parks encircle Flathead Lake. 'The Big Arm State Park unit … is the most accessible and easiest campground,' says Sisler. 'Typically, if you're not tent camping, you will need to get reservations a little bit in advance because it's very popular.' Two overstuffed bloody marys at The Sitting Duck. On the eastern side of Flathead Lake, The Sitting Duck serves all forms of northwest Montana's trademark huckleberries, from smoked huckleberry chicken wings to huckleberry pork sliders. As a bonus, the drive to the restaurant from Wild Horse Island will lead you through a pastoral wonderland of lavender fields and cherry orchards. Just north of the lake, Big Mountain Ciderworks draws from its apple and pear orchard; the restaurant specializes in ciders, which range from dry to semisweet—and pair best with an apple bacon grilled cheese. As northwest Montana's largest city, Kalispell has developed a robust culinary scene, with both storied institutions, like Wild West Pizzeria, Moose's Saloon, and more modern cafes, like Ceres Bakery. Barbecue joint DeSoto Grill fits somewhere in between, serving up classic Americana dishes with a Montana upgrade. Don't miss the peanut butter and huckleberry pork belly, which came to the restaurant's owner in a dream.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP senator lists Montana estate for over $10 million
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) is selling his Montana mansion on Flathead Lake for $10.25 million. According to the listing agent Connery & Co., the property has 7 acres with 2,400 feet of protected shoreline. It's also comprised of the holy trinity for hosting — a main house, a guest house and a guest cabin. The Sheehys bought the property called Bird Point in 2022. Bryce Connery, the listing agent, told the Wall Street Journal that the Sheehys originally intended to use the house for family reunions, as a retreat for wounded veterans and children with special needs. Sheehy attended the U.S. Naval Academy in 2008. There, he met his wife Carmen, who served as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer. He was then deployed as a Navy SEAL in Iran, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region. He was honorably discharged in 2019. During and after his time in the military, he also ventured into business. In 2014, Sheehy founded Bridger Aerospace which now has become a multi-million-dollar company, a major employer in Montana and is one of the few publicly traded companies in the state. He also founded a sister company Ascent Vision Technologies, which was sold to CACI for $350 million in 2020. He also owns a working cattle ranch and cattle feeder company, called Little Belt Cattle Company and Yellowstone Cattle Feeders. He is also a firefighter pilot and helped combat wildfires in the West. Tim was elected as Senator in November 2024, defeating incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, flipping the state from liberal to conservative. He was endorsed by then-candidate President Trump. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wall Street Journal
27-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Sen. Tim Sheehy Lists Home on Montana's Flathead Lake for $10.25 Million
Sen. Tim Sheehy, the Republican political newcomer who triumphed in a pivotal Montana Senate race last year, is listing his sprawling estate on Flathead Lake for $10.25 million. Sheehy and his wife, Carmen Sheehy, bought the property in 2022, though it is unclear what they paid, as Montana is a nondisclosure state.
Forbes
18-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What Is The Richest City In Montana? Latest Census Data Reveals
Flathead Lake is home to multiple towns that rank among the wealthiest places in Montana. Montana has absolutely transformed over the last 50 years. Its population has increased by 64%, from 694,409 in 1970 to 1,137,233 in 2024. Its economy has dramatically changed and the level of wealth has surged. And a good amount of the growth in wealth occurred since the pandemic as high-income remote workers relocated to Big Sky Country. This study analyzed 497 cities — what the Census Bureau designates as 'places' — in Montana that had complete data from the Census Bureau, in terms of their median household income, mean (average) household income, median home value, and median property taxes paid per year, to come up with a list of the 15 richest cities in the state. Read on to find out what the richest city in Montana is, plus the top 15 wealthiest cities in the state overall. In order to compile this list of the richest cities in Montana, key financial data was sourced from the Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey. Wielding these datasets, a four-factor scoring system was put together to help identify the wealthiest cities in Montana: You should be aware of a few oddities that the Census Bureau does with its data. For a number of factors, the Census figures have upper limits, so there's no exact value for certain factors. For example, for median household income, the Census Bureau has an upper limit of '$250,000+'. For median home value, the upper limit is '$2,000,000+'. For median property taxes paid, the upper limit is '$10,000+'. For these reasons, the mean household income (which is the same as average household income) dataset is crucial because the Census Bureau has exact figures for it. All four of these metrics were scored, added up, and then ranked by the cities' combined scores. Another aspect of the Census to point out, and is particularly relevant to Montana, is the Census-designated place — CDP. The Census, more or less, treats CDPs as cities — their terminology is 'place' — and so will this list of the richest cities in Montana. But if you see cities on this list that you see as, say, neighborhoods, you're not wrong; they just happen to be treated as cities by the Census Bureau. You'll find a table detailing the top 15 richest cities in Montana and their respective dollar figures for each metric, below: The No. 1 richest city in Montana in this ranking is Gallatin River Ranch, an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Gallatin County. This is a rather small place, with only 78 households, the homes of which are quite large. Incomes here are very high. The median household income is over $250,000. And it's actually higher than the average household income, which is $236,505. Well over half of households earn $200,000 or more per year. The median home value is nearly $1.4 million. And median property taxes are the highest in the state, at $7,770 per household. The No. 2 richest place in Montana in this ranking is Rollins, an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lake County, on the western shores of Flathead Lake. Like many towns on lakefronts, it has beautiful homes with plenty of boats. It's a small place with just 45 households in total. Rollins has one of the highest median incomes in the state, at $180,197. The average household income is $229,329. The median home value here is over $1.2 million. The median property taxes paid per household is $5,776, which is much higher than the average for the state. The third richest place in Montana is South Hills, a community of 226 households. The top three industries by employment are Public Administration (22.8% of the workforce), which is fitting because the state capital of Helena is just north; Construction (22.1% of the workforce); and Health care 7 Social Assistance (21.1%). The average household income here, $240,545, is well above the median household income of $160,417. Roughly 70% of households earn $150,000 or more a year. The median home value, though, is lower than the first two cities on this list, at $652,400. Property taxes are still on the high side, the median being $4,723 paid per household.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Montana's Flathead Lake unlikely to reach full pool as snowpack, streamflow forecasts decrease
Flathead Lake is predicted to have low water levels this summer due to warm, dry conditions and a rapid meltout of the region's snowpack. (Photo by the Flathead Lake Biological Station of the University of Montana) Flathead Lake is not expected to reach its full pool this summer and may end up more than a foot lower than normal within a month, due to abnormally hot and dry conditions in the region. That's according to Energy Keepers Inc., the corporation operating the Se̓liš Ksanka Qĺispe̓ (SKQ) Dam on behalf of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. 'Unseasonably warm and dry conditions have significantly decreased water supply in the Flathead River Basin, and spring runoff is quickly receding, bringing river flows to extremely low levels,' according to an Energy Keepers press release. Current forecasts show the lake will reach a maximum of around 2,892.3 feet by June 19, and then begin to slowly recede. Full pool for the lake is 2,893 feet. With expectations of a potentially low water year, SKQ dam operators worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this spring to raise the maximum water level required for flood control in order to capture as much spring runoff in the lake as possible. But despite the change, 'the melted snow remaining will not get Flathead Lake to full pool.' 'Our goal was to coordinate actions to increase the chance of refill as early as possible while balancing needs for flood risk management; however, it's also important to understand how much weather influences refill Pacific Northwest Lakes and reservoirs,' said Leah Hamilton, Northwestern Division Reservoir Control Center water regulator with the U.S. Army Corps. 'Every water year is different, and there is a lot of uncertainty in trying to accurately predict runoff several months into the future.' Dam operators have maintained the minimum flows allowed in the dam's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission operating license since May 26. According to a water supply forecast for Montana published last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Science, warmer than normal temperatures throughout May 'spurred rapid snowmelt across the state,' a drastic shift from what forecasters were predicting earlier this year. 'Fast snowmelt and earlier than normal runoff in the month of May rapidly decreased snowpack statewide. This potentially corresponds to less available water later in the summer,' said Florence Miller, a hydrologist with NRCS. 'Water supply forecasts decreased from 70%-110% of normal streamflow forecasted for most of the state on May 1, to 50%-100% of streamflow forecasted on June 1.' In the Flathead River Basin, snow water equivalent — the measure of how much water is contained in a snowpack — is just 59% of average for the beginning of June, compared to 83% at this time last year. The Kootenai River Basin is at 49%, the Upper Clark Fork at 65%, the Jefferson at 66% and the Upper Yellowstone at 63%. The Bitterroot Basin is at just 27% of normal, also due to a rapidly melting snowpack. 'While much of our winter's snowpack has rapidly melted, a transition to cooler weather could help prolong the remaining snowpack and improve summer streamflow later in the season. Alternatively, a continuation of the hot, dry weather would continue the rapid runoff of this season's snowpack and further reduce summer streamflow outlooks,' the report states. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, conditions have worsened across much of the state over the last month. Compared to 2024, when 56% of the state was classified as experiencing drought, this year 82% of the state is experiencing drought conditions. 'Above normal precipitation during June is needed across the entire state,' the report states. Brian Lipscomb, CEO of Energy Keepers, said the forecasted drought conditions for the remainder of the year, combined with several years of hot and dry weather, will bring cumulative impacts to Flathead Lake and those reliant on it — including Energy Keepers. 'These unprecedented dry conditions are not only taxing on resources, they are also extremely impactful to generation of energy from the SKQ facility,' said Lipscomb in a press release. 'Electricity generation from the SKQ facility will be 10 percent below normal for this year, add that to the two years that we have just experienced, and this will put us at 393 GWh of electricity generation below normal.' That is enough electricity to power a city the size of Missoula for a year, according to Lipscomb. Low water conditions are expected throughout the region. Lake Koocanusa, formed by the Libby Dam on the Kootenai River, is currently forecast to have a water supply around 72% of average this summer, while Hungry Horse Reservoir, south of Glacier National Park, is forecasting a water supply around 75% of normal. 'It's a larger system, it's not just us,' said Rob McDonald, spokesperson for Energy Keepers and the CSKT. 'But (Flathead Lake) is what people care about, which we understand … The lake is the center of the community.' Since severe drought conditions in 2023 led to record-low levels of Flathead Lake, Energy Keepers has worked to provide more frequent communications on weather and water forecasts and how they may impact dam operations and lake levels. 'Our goal is to push out information as quickly as possible so people can respond accordingly and manage what they need to manage,' McDonald said. 'But we are in year three of the warmest, driest three consecutive years on record. Let that sink in. Three driest, warmest years ever recorded.' The 2023 drought led to conversations at the local, state and federal level about management of water resources in Montana. During the 2025 legislative session, Montana Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, who represents a portion of the Flathead Valley, introduced a resolution supporting recreation on Flathead Lake, and encouraging decision makers to consider that aspect of use in management actions. Regier said hearing about drought conditions and the potential lower lake levels early in the year makes a difference. He said many people felt caught off guard in 2023, raising questions of whether mismanagement of the lake was part of the equation. An investigation by FERC found no problems with management of SKQ dam in 2023. 'I get it, if water is scarce, I get that,' Regier told the Daily Montanan. 'If this is a year that's more drought than usual, we have to talk about how do we balance tourism, economics, and recreation of Flathead Lake in the whole conversation.' 'When there's just no water, snowpack's down, it's a drought year, I think more people can understand that,' he said. Daily Montanan, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@
