Montana marvels
Glacier country lures lovers of the outdoors with a raft of adventures
Sunday, July 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM
One of the best things about ice ages is that, besides getting rid of pesky dinosaurs, they feature a lot of glacier action.
Glaciers, of course, being those huge rivers of ice that carve valleys like a Ginsu through butter, and make for a lot of rugged and beautiful scenery.
The last slashing ice rivers melted about 10,000 years ago, leaving behind the peaks, ridges, valleys and sparkling lakes of Glacier Country in northwest Montana.
To reach Glacier Country, you fly into either Missoula or Kalispell. If you choose the former, you're at the north end of the Bitterroot Valley, an incredible swath of relative flatland flanking the Bitterroot River. Lewis and Clark, America's most intrepid explorers, journeyed here on their way to the Pacific in 1805.
The valley lies north and south, along Route 93, with the Sapphire Mountains rising on the east and the more rugged Bitterroot Range (part of the Rockies) on the west. Grassy canyons run up between the Bitterroot peaks with creeks and hiking trails offering inviting daytrips. If you're energetic enough to hike up one of the trails, chances are you'll be rewarded with your own private Montana - a gorgeous alpine lake with no one around.
Though the Bitterroot Valley is a little less known than other parts of Glacier Country, such as Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park, it has its own attractions.
Foremost is fishing. You can catch trout any number of ways - just wade into almost any creek or river and drop the right fly on top of the water.
But the ultimate fishing experience is a raft trip on the Bitterroot River. Hook up with an experienced guide, like Owen Murphy of Blackfoot River Outfitters, and you'll soon be reeling them in.
Murphy gave my 11-year-old son and me a quick tutorial on casting and soon put us alongside feeding trout - which both of us fly-fishing novices somehow managed to catch. You can float down the main branch of the river or its east or west forks.
However you do it, you're right on top of cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout and their big buddy, the whitefish. There are quite a few reasons Montana is known for fly-fishing - and the Bitterroot is one of them.
HEAD OFF-ROAD FOR ADVENTURE
For land-based thrills and amazing vistas, an ATV ride is the way to go. Book some time with someone like Brent Nelson of Bitterroot Adventures - he'll take you up into the old logging roads and trails in the mountains, where you'll have a hard time keeping your eyes on the path in front of you. That's because of distractions like panoramic views of the valley, towering ponderosa pine, soaring eagles and the odd elk or wild turkey moseying about.
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