Since our stay at Hungry Horse Reservoir didn’t go quite as expected, water therapy seemed like the cure. Is it the sound of water, the reflection within or its dance with the sky that so readily puts a smile on your face?
From Hungry Horse Reservoir, we drove to Kalispell and wound our way through the Easter egg colored homes to its charming downtown, where we stopped for lunch. A juicy burger at Desoto Grill hit the spot.
We dropped south to Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48. It’s fed by both the swan and flathead rivers and has 6 state parks surrounding it. This lake has a sort of coastal beach vibe that is still uniquely Montana. It’s a highly developed community with plenty of lakeside homes, restaurants, pubs, and events throughout the summer, which can also made it tricky to find RV parking.
We parked off the beaten path at the north shore when we saw a deer near a wildlife preserve next to Flathead Lake. We got out for a quick walk. The spring green grasses and fields of cattails gave way to the massive grey lake. As we walked down the bark covered shoreline we noticed a raised reddish colored “road” that we hopped up on and walked to a small island. Much to our surprise we had the island along with its 360 degree views to ourselves and, as usual in Montana, the photos from it explain their slogan, “Big Sky Country”.
As we walked back we realized that the “road” simply stopped / dropped off into never ending cattails. Weirdly delightful!
Back in the RV we continued our drive through Big Fork and past Swan Lake, a beautiful alpine lake popular with locals who come during the summer months for weekends or vacations. It’s seems to get overshadowed by Flathead but similarly has a beach area for swimming and picnics, allows for boating and paddling, has some trails that overlook the lake and nearby campgrounds.
We didn’t spend any time at Swan on this trip but hope to on our next. As we continued down the highway, we cut off at Hwy 89 to “Packer Camp” on Holland Lake. This ended up being one of my favorite Montana camp sites.
Packer Camp used to be a privately owned RV park so full hookups are available at some sites. There are horse stables on site used by outfitters to access the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
There’s a trail (Holland Gordon Tr. No. 35) that leaves directly form the camp site up to Holland Falls, which can be seen in the distance from Holland Lake. The trail is open to horse riding and hikers. The hike starts low in a pretty little forest but gains elevation as it meanders along the ridge overlooking Holland Lake. There are gorgeous views of Holland Lake below as well as a stunning and expansive mountain range. From the direction we hiked, getting to the falls required some off-trail scampering, but it was well worth a few slaps in the face from tree branches. The lower falls are powerful so it’s fun to just watch and listen for a spell. We hiked to the upper falls for lunch and the cool breeze skimming across the water was refreshing. It was a private tour as we didn’t see a single person on the trail, at the lower falls or the upper falls! We were nearly back to camp when we saw 3 horses carrying a guide, a little boy, and his father. This hike didn’t quite beat Mt. Rainer but has a similar feel with it’s great vista views.
Holland Lake is less than a mile from the Packer campsite so we headed over for some afternoon rafting. There were families at the park, people on the small beach watching their kids swim, inner tubes, and boaters out for the day.
The lake was quiet enough that we decided to take Bailey in the raft for the first time. She was actually able to calm herself down fairly quickly which made for a great afternoon on the water. As we were paddling back, a man from the shore started yelling at Doug to put on a life vest. He’d somehow mistaken Doug for one of the kids he was in charge of at a camp. He was pretty embarrassed when we reached the shore, unloaded from our raft, and realized Doug was mature enough to make the life vest decision on his own!
There are so many beautiful lakes in this area but this hidden gem had just as many activities as some of the more well- known lakes and a lovely campground. It is Montana at its best!
