Cailene & Andrew are getting married!
Things To Do
Bigfork
There is lots to do in cutie little Bigfork! Restaurants and Breweries - Echo Lake Cafe (breakfast/lunch) - Flathead Lake Brewing Company (beer and food) - Grateful Bread Restaurant - Split Rock Restaurant - Max's Vegan (breakfast and lunch) - Lake Baked Bakery Hiking - Flathead Lake Trail (easy): a half mile stroll on the beautiful Flathead Lake. If you want a more strenuous hike, just wander across the road to Beardance Trail. - Swan River Trail (easy): a four mile, fairly flat, out and back trail that follows the beautiful Swan River. - Jewel Basin (harder): an amazing wilderness area in the Swan Mountains up a winding Forest Service road. The trails are gorgeous and the beautiful drive ascending over 2,500 vertical feet to the trailhead is reason alone to check it out! Expect some snow. Fishing: Popular spots near Bigfork include the Swan River, Echo Lake, and Flathead Lake. Golfing: Bigfork’s Eagle Bend has three 9-hole options that make up their championship course.
Flathead Lake
Bigfork sits on the northeastern shore of Flathead Lake and has plenty of cafes, taprooms and lakeside activities to have a good time! The view of the Mission Mountains from the west shore of Flathead is hard to beat, so consider a drive down to Polson, at the south end of the lake, or hop on a boat for a shoreline cruise. Drive the entire 180 miles of scenic highway around the lake if you’re feeling zesty!
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is 45 minutes from Bigfork and offers tear-jerkingly beautiful views. Lake McDonald is a must see spot, and Avalanche Lake is a great hiking trail near the base of Going to the Sun Road and the Lake McDonald Lodge. This moderate, family-friendly, out and back trail features a winding path of cedars leading to a gorgeous alpine lake. While the whole park likely won’t be open due to snow, you will still be able to see some of our favorite places in the entire world. In fact, one of the best kept secrets of Glacier is when the Going-to-the-Sun Road is open exclusively to bikers and walkers (no cars) in June, providing a quieter glimpse into the heart of Glacier. This bike-able 50 mile stretch of road from Lake McDonald to Logan Pass is truly out of this world. If you're headed to West Glacier, we recommend stopping at Cowgirl Coffee on the way. Backslope Brewing also has awesome food and bevys.
Whitefish
Whitefish is a charming mountain town near Glacier, that’s got great food, beer, and music. It’s also the basecamp for Whitefish Mountain Resort, where you can ride the chairlift to the summit to get an amazing view of the Flathead valley and the peaks of Glacier National Park. Whitefish Resort also has lift-accessed downhill mountain bike trails, an alpine slide, and zipline park. There is also phenomenal enduro mountain biking near Whitefish, including Spencer Mountain. Some of our favorite spots to eat and drink in Whitefish: - Bonsai Brewing - The Public House - Jalisco Cantina - Black Star - The Last Chair
CSKT Bison Range
The National Bison Range is 30 minutes north of Missoula, on the way to Bigfork. This 18,000 acre refuge is home to a herd of 350 bison and managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). The range is a very special part of the Missoula area and Flathead Valley and the 45-60 min driving loop has crazy views of the lower Flathead Valley and rugged Mission Mountains.
Missoula
We adore where we live! Missoula is filled to the brim with cute shops, great food, and easily accessible, top notch hiking trails in all directions from town. If you’re flying in and out of Missoula, we highly recommend bopping around if you can – it will be peak wildflower season, our favorite time of year! Restaurants - Biga Pizza - Michi Ramen - Tagliare Sandwich Shop - Tandem Bakery (gluten free breakfast and lunch) - Great Harvest Bread Co. (our friend owns it, it's amazing!) - Gild Bars & Breweries - Draughtworks - Western Cider - Plonk (for cocktails) - Bar Plata (also for cocktails) - Highlander Brewing Coffee - Funk It Coffee - Le Petit Cafe Hiking/Biking (for specific recs, call us!) - Waterworks Hill - Lincoln Hills (it will be in peak balsamroot bloom!) - Blue Mountain - Pattee Canyon - The Rattlesnake Other recs - Missoula Makers Collective (Cailene sells her art here!) - Rockin' Rudy's everything store - Good Food Store (best grocery store ever)
Fishing and River Recreation
Western Montana is world renowned for its fishing and river recreation. There is amazing fishing in the Missoula Valley, including the Blackfoot, Clark Fork, and Bitterroot Rivers. Up north closer to the venue, there are the Swan and Flathead Rivers. June is prime time for both fishing and rafting. There is mellow float style rafting and more extreme white water available. There are a number of raft and river guides in the area.
Biking! (Our Favorite!)
Road Biking In early June the iconic Going to the Sun road will be open to bikes only and it's a very special time to visit the park! See Glacier section for more info. Mountain Biking Crane is one of our favorite spots ever to ride - just 15 minutes from Six Mile. We'll be organizing a group ride for folks looking for challenging trails! These trails are not for the faint of heart - expect lots of rocks and roots. Use Trailforks to find the lot. Whitefish Mountain Resort/Bike Park has downhill trails for all skill levels and they’re just a chairlift ride away! Bikes are available to rent up there. Spencer Mountain is a popular trail system 10 minutes west of Whitefish and has a great variety of trails ranging from flow to techy tech. Legacy Bike Park is a SWEET shuttle-access bike park in Lakeside. It's a hot spot so get tickets online ahead of time! June is the best time of year to bike in Missoula! Let us know if you plan to ride in Missoula and we will tell you where to go.