Kalispell
A year or so ago, I’d never heard of Kalispell, Montana, much less known how to spell it. It’s in the northwestern part of the state and is the town in which Glacier Park International Airport is located. Their code is FCA (totally unintuitive!)
The airport is small, but recently expanded, rustic in feel, and bustling on a Thursday afternoon, not so much so Monday morning when we departed. Kalispell is about 40 miles from Glacier National Park and hence, a lively place, especially in summertime. In the winter, folks come here to ski. We flew to Kalispell last week to visit friends in nearby Bigfork.
With a population of more than 100,000, Flathead County is the fourth most populated county in Montana. With a varied topography from cherry and other fruit orchards to rolling hills and mountain vistas, it boasts attractive small towns like Kalispell, Bigfork, and Lakeside to name just a few. There’s also Kootenai National Forest and an Indian Reservation.
On our first day we visited the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell followed by lunch nearby at DeSoto Grill. The museum building, brick Richardsonian architecture, was originally a school, the first public building in town opening in 1895. It’s now an impressive museum telling the story of the town and the region, the role of Native Americans and noted citizens, and the local industry. Several exhibits were interactive, and the gift shop was loaded with fiction and nonfiction books about the region and Montana in general. I was pleased to see that the museum also hosts a History Book Club which meets monthly except for July and August.
Named for the car, DeSoto Grill was packed and popular, but we nabbed a table.
Our helpful waitress was all business, but in the nicest way. Several of us ordered the house specialty, smoked brisket in a sandwich or as a salad topper, along with their touted mac and cheese. The brisket was excellent!
Bigfork
Bigfork is named for its location at the juncture where the Swan River flows into a bay of Flathead Lake. It has a short main street with shops, arts center, and summer playhouse theater. It’s charming without being kitschy. Just outside town are comfortable duplexes and lovely homes overlooking a golf course and small lake. Perched high on the granite rock ledges are some seriously stunning mansions. Despite the development, it looks and feels tranquil. And in the distance are the Rocky Mountains, generally visible even on a cloudy day.
The air was dry and sometimes clear, there were expanses of open space, and we knew we were out West. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn’t fully cooperative, and we had some rainy days. The weather cancelled our plans to drive the Road-to-the Sun to the Continental Divide. Instead, we went on a jaunt from Bigfork down the east side of Flathead Lake, then around the bottom and along the west side and up to Lakeside.
Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. It has 185 miles of shoreline, and the southern half of the lake is within the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Flathead Reservation. With many access points along the lake, there are opportunities for camping, swimming, picnicking, and boat launching. We enjoyed the views and the changing topography, but rain kept us inside the car.
We had lunch at Tamarack Alehouse and Grill situated at the base of Blacktail Mountain. With lots of glass and a brick fireplace, this casual open space was welcoming with great views outside toward the lake and in the courtyard of the brew works. Pub food choices ranged from chicken quesadillas and enchiladas to pizza, burgers, and fish and chips to the meatball sandwich of the day. Of course, the guys sampled a pint of Tamarack’s Rye Sally Rye IPA.
Just Relaxing
Despite the weather, we managed to take a brisk walk every day but one, had delicious dinners prepared by our hosts (grilled salmon, chicken marbella, romaine and shrimp salad) and enjoyed several afternoons just chatting, reading, and sometimes napping. Evening entertainment was usually reading or a TV movie. The Chief Penguin and I rectified a serious omission in our cultural life by seeing a performance of Grease at the summer playhouse, thanks to our friends!
On our last day, after an especially vigorous walk up and down in the neighborhood, we had lunch at A Bar, Montana, another favorite of our friends. Sandwiches, salads, burgers, and nachos are the fare on this Bigfork menu. One of us had chicken wings, and I had the best tuna melt ever! Another friendly place with very good comfort food.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo taken at north shore of Flathead Lake.
