The Missoulian has a flattering travel article about Polebridge and the surrounding area . . .
This is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday.
Tucked along the edge of Glacier National Park, this iconic town proved an ideal backdrop for relaxation and reflection as another year passes. Not that you need a reason to visit, however. Polebridge is good for the soul any time and on any occasion – and did just the trick on a recent visit with good friends and great food.
Rachel Potter passed along a link to a rather thorough write-up on the Whitefish Range or, rather, the entire mountain corridor, starting in Montana and running up into Canada. Lightly edited, here are her notes/comments: ‘This is a very interesting site. Lots of hike descriptions in the Whitefish Range. It’s a “peak bagger” site, but lots of walk-ups listed. The intro to the range is okay, but not 100%accurate.’
Link: Whitefish Range(MT/BC) page at summitpost.org.
From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .
Larry Leger and Sharon Knight, of Louisiana, came up Glacier National Park on a tour of the West. With the Going-to-the-Sun Road closed over Logan Pass at the time, they decided to extend their stay, traveling to Canada and then Yellowstone National Park.
“We delayed our departure by three days,” Leger said. “It was worth it. This is impressive.”
Leger was standing next to the Big Drift on the Going-to-the-Sun Road when it opened to vehicles July 13. A hundred feet of snow towered behind him.
Here’s more North Fork coverage from New West. This article by Maggie Neal Doherty concerns her early season hike to Akokala Lake . . .
After 23 miles of dusty potholed road and a stop off at the Polebridge Mercantile for a hot turkey sandwich to add to my lunch, I pulled my camera from my backpack to shoot the stunning expanse of Bowman Lake in the spring – lake blue and mountains draped in white.
The shot didn’t happen.
In my rush must-hike-because-the-sun-is-finally-shining moment, I forgot a few things for my hike to Akokala Lake in the North Fork region of Glacier National Park. My memory card was at home, left in my computer; and as I would come to learn five miles later, so were my much-needed snowshoes.
Yesterday’s Great Falls Tribune had a nice article on rafting the North Fork, including some useful background material . . .
For 59 miles, the North Fork of the Flathead River snakes from the Canadian border to its confluence with the Middle Fork.
It twists and turns along the western boundary of Glacier National Park through rich floodplains teeming with diverse greenery and wildlife.
Floaters on the robust river round each bend to new views of mountains, dappled with snow in early summer and waning to gold by fall.
The Flathead Beacon posted a short “Places” article on Polebridge today . . .
If you’re looking for a quiet place to enjoy just outside Glacier National Park, head up the road to Polebridge for a truly Montana experience.
Located one mile from the northwestern entrance to the park, the Polebridge Mercantile and Northern Lights Saloon is an oasis for the weary traveler. Besides amenities such as gas and groceries, the “Merc” offers world-class pastries and a custom roasted Polebridge blend of coffee. Check out a rustic cabin within walking distance of the old store.
The saloon is the ideal place to grab a bite of pizza or wild game over a cool frosty beverage, which taste even better after a night or two of backcountry camping or a day hike across the park’s border.
From yesterday’s online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .
When the national scenic trails system was created four decades ago, the goal was to build a walking path across the United States.
That goal came closer to reality in March, when President Obama signed a bill creating the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail and two others. They are the first such trails designated in 26 years.
Read the entire article . . .
According to a map posted on the Pacific Northwest Trail Association website, the east end of the trail starts in Glacier Park at Chief Mountain Customs near the south edge of Waterton Lake and passes through Polebridge — and a good part of the North Fork — on its way to Eureka and, eventually, the Pacific Coast at Cape Alava.
The North Fork Hostel and the Polebridge area got a nice write-up in the Helena Independent Record last Thursday . . .
I awoke to a thump-thump-thump sound of fresh spring snow blowing off the trees and landing on the metal roof.
It was morning in North Fork Country.
Situated next to Glacier National Park’s western boundary about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, Polebridge offers visitors a relaxed attitude and sweeping views of the Livingston Range to the east and the Whitefish Range to the west.
Read the entire article . . .
Missoulian reporter Michael Jamison took a trip to explore a cave “north of Polebridge” recently. The write-up appeared in the October 31, 2008 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
Beneath: a bed of soft sand pressing damp and firm against shoulder blades.
Above: a glittering sky, starry pinpoints against unlimited black, deep as time.
All around: the song of the current, a quiet lullaby of water laughing, tumbling, spilling over stone.
Perfectly still. Deceptively peaceful.
Read the entire article . . .
New West photographer Graham Coppes posted a very nice slideshow of an early Fall float down the North Fork. The link turned up in a post to the Wade Rivers Wild Tramps web log, which has been giving the North Fork a lot of digital ink lately.