Flathead Guidebooks, LLC

09/02/2026

With slim wild berry crops and drier conditions at a crucial time of the year for bears right now, for your own safety, please stay vigilant on ALL trails in and around the Flathead, carry bear spray [have it accessible & know how to use it], keep the pets leashed & hike with friends. Hope this person recovers quickly.🙏

A woman was injured in a bear attack Monday evening while walking her dog on the Cedar Flats trail complex north of Columbia Falls. State and federal wildlife investigators are investigating the attack and have not yet determined what species of bear was involved in it. According to a Tuesday mornin...

08/20/2026

Fall is coming - our favorite time of year in NW Montana! It is also the best time to head up high for a view and maybe a last fishing session of the year on those beautiful mountain lakes. This year, be extra vigilant about hiking in bear country - make your presence known well, carry and know how to use bear spray, and hike in groups. Be safe and enjoy our great public lands!

08/04/2026

Curious about the natural world that surrounds us all in the beautiful Flathead? Here's a guided hike you may like to try: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FLsxD6jJW/

Join us at Lone Pine State Park for an adults only guided hike! Learn about the wild world around us, including plants, poisons, weird animals and so much more! The hike is a moderate difficulty level. Email [email protected] with any questions.

Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=mEypBw_zu0q9ftY_hyDcAhaKQHKQ6VpKg74ezAGe7zZUOTlXN0g2Vk1XM1IyV0paRjdJQkRES0dVWS4u&route=shorturl

07/20/2026

Ladybugs and butterflies gone wild on top of Tuchuck Mountain! Day Hikes Around the Flathead, 25th Anniversary (www.flatheadguidebooks.com).

The peaks in the foreground are Review Mountain (the big horseshoe one) and then Mount Thompson Seton.

07/02/2026

Feeling a little overwhelmed by tourist traffic in the Valley already? Luckily, quiet experiences during the week are not too hard to find on public trails located within the Flathead Valley. I was able to unwind on Bigfork's Harrell Forest Community Trails (Day Hikes Around the Flathead, pg. 284) where I took a trail run through the diverse forest up to the summit where a well-placed bench pointed directly toward Swan Peak, Swan Lake and the Swan Valley (and, I id'd 12 different bird species via my Merlin app along the way!). I saw 5 people the entire time (a family with their leashed dog).🙂

06/26/2026

UPDATE JULY 18, 2026: The Benny Up Trail is now open again although the Danny On is still being re-routed for the first part.

The beargrass is looking good on the Big Mountain! An FYI that active logging for fire reduction is occurring up there right now, so the Danny On is the only way to hike up & down for the time being. There's a bit of a messy section at the start, but it does rise back up to the normal trail after about the first mile.

05/21/2026

Great advice! https://www.vitalground.org/10-things-you-should-do-to-stay-safe-while-recreating-in-grizzly-country/?fbclid=IwY2xjawR77LdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe1IINaANcIWPLxSH1Zh03l0lWhTVhY49X72qQf6JpBeoKZE9-JopYVZhM7L8_aem_xjP1Cd8aW9KvMbXq4Hd5LQ

Recreating in grizzly country? These bear safety tips can help hikers, hunters, anglers and campers stay safe in bear habitat.

05/13/2026

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” —Walter Hagen

As spring arrives and the days grow longer, remember to take time to enjoy the incredible State Lands located in the Flathead Valley which make great mini-excursions. Spencer Mountain South's trails (Whitefish Legacy Partners - The Whitefish Trail) offer a pleasant solitary hike through tall stands of forest and nice views of the Salish Mountains (Day Hikes Around the Flathead, 25th Anniversary Ed., page 296), particularly on weekdays.

04/20/2026

A big shout out to The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation - THANK YOU! These wonderful people clear trails so the rest of us can enjoy, with relative ease, the beauty of places like Stanton Lake in the Great Bear Wilderness (which is part of the Greater Bob Marshall Ecosystem).

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AwTQNi4XY/