Montana's  Seeley-Swan Valley
     Between Glacier and Missoula

A chipmunk creeps up to the bunch of grapes left on the porch. She grabs one, tugs, and tugs again—no go. Keeping a close eye on the porch’s occupants, she gnaws through the stem. Grape liberated, she hugs her prize to her chest and bolts for safety. Then, the eerie drill-trill made by a night hawk, hunting with its mouth open, muscles into the silence. Venus rises in the east as the sun eases out in the west, throwing its lanky rays through the pines.

The evening’s entertainment is under way in Montana’s Seeley-Swan Valley. This is the Montanan’s Montana. A valley carved by glaciers, notched by oft snow-covered peaks, dappled with cool, green lakes and run through by rivers. The land is covered—where it’s not clear cut—by conifers whose very names recall its history: Douglas fir, ponderosa and lodgepole pine.

The Swan River and then the Clearwater cut through the center of this valley. Its alpine lakes start south of Bigfork, town of tourists, artists and musicals and go down to the loon-nesting lakes of Seeley and Salmon. At the Valley’s foot, the Blackfoot, of A River Runs Through It fame, flows from the continental divide to Missoula, town of students, loggers and arts. Route 83 runs through the valley and is the other way to get from Missoula to Glacier National Park. Not a short cut, more like a cut back in time from the broader, more crowded Flathead Lake Valley to the west where I 93 is the road more traveled.

Pretty nearly all the land east of the valley is part of the Bob. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area (along with two contingent wildernesses) is larger than the state of Delaware and doesn’t have a road in it. Although, there’s trail enough to stretch from here to San Francisco. For many Montanans, the Bob is the "last best place."

The Seeley-Swan has all of Montana’s basic recreations: riding, fishing, canoeing, hiking and hunting. It also hides some classic Montana lodges, down-home guest ranches and alpine lake retreats.

The chipmunk follies happen here every night someone leaves grapes on their porch. The Double Arrow was the first dude ranch around these parts. The fine old larch-log lodge was begun in 1929 by bringing three older log cabins to this spot overlooking mountains, meadow and stream. The builder then merged them together with seventy-foot larch logs—harvested locally. He carved and notched each one for a perfect fit and had no need for nails. A fireplace of river rock climbs towards the ceiling, a bison head, deer antlers and an upright piano finish up this Montana classic.

C. B. Rich who owned the Lodge in the early 60’s said, "I think that all of us were taken with the romance of the old buildings, the mountain setting, the history…I know that was the case for all of our family." But like others before them—and after—they couldn’t keep up with the maintenance waiting for the dude boom that didn’t. Subdivision came in the eighties. Now, the horses are gone, but the old buildings are restored and there are new rooms, condos and a golf course. No one, however, told the deer their meadow is a golf course, so they descend from the hills for their evening feed just about the same time the guests want theirs.

There’s no bunkhouse hash at Seasons Restaurant, although the cuisine does have a western touch—trout and bison head the menu. This rainbow trout, however, comes with Carolina blue crab stuffing and the tenderloin of bison is mesquite-smoked, garlic-chili rubbed and doused with chipotle butter.

Double Arrow’s golf course won’t get the US Open anytime soon, but with fees less than one-tenth of Pebble Beach’s, who cares? There are tennis courts, a volleyball field and you bet, horseshoes.

            The Rich Ranch

C. B. Rich’s family, four generations of them, horses and all ended up on another ranch about twelve miles south of the town of Seeley Lake. The Rich’s Double Arrow Outfitters—the double arrow is the Rich brand—is the oldest outfitting operation in Montana still in the same family. Now they’re residing, ranching and inviting guests to their spread out Cottonwood Lakes Road. The deck of their big ranch house looks over a natural meadow and guests bed down in rooms in the ranch house and nearby cabins—nothing fancy, but nice. Meals are served family style when everyone’s not outside barbecuing.

The essence of the Rich Ranch is their sixty-two head of fine western horses. Paired with a steed that suits and a saddle that fits, dudes don’t have to make the acquaintance of a new horse everyday and convince ‘em just who is holding the reins. Rides go from meanders through meadows to mountain climbs. Cutthroat, rainbows, brookies and browns—trout that is—inhabit the alpine lakes and streams reached only by horseback with a Rich guide.

Pack trips, a longtime Rich specialty, are the way to venture further into the "high, wide and handsome." Trips into the Bob with no more than ten dudes last five to ten days. Travel is by horseback, sleep is in teepee tents and the crew does the cooking. Then there’s fishing, swimming, hiking and just watching.

C. B. says of his life, "I was fortunate enough to see life happening in the wild…Did you ever lie in hiding and watch a female grizzly as she relaxed against a tree and suckled a pair of small cubs? Have you ever seen an elk calf or a fawn deer born, and see them struggle on spindly legs until they master walking? Did you ever watch an otter or a fisher catch a live fish?" The Riches like to help their dudes see this Montana.

       Holland Lake Lodge

Further north on 83, towards Big Fork, there’s a dirt road that leads to an alpine lake with the next gem, Holland Lake Lodge sitting right by it. Flanked by a forest of fir, larch and quaking aspen, the lake sits at the base of saw-tooth mountains washed by a series of waterfalls. The trail to the waterfalls starts right by the lodge. It’s only a couple of miles to the lower falls, but a day-long tramp to the upper falls. Guests put up in nine basic rooms in the lodge and six simple cabins with porches that run along the lakeshore.

Another fine example of a hand-crafted larch log building, this lodge was built in ’47. Its lodgepole pine and leather furniture fits like a well-worn boot. A fireplace blazes when its cool and a bar and restaurant supply libations and vittles. Days are for paddling, swimming, fishing and hiking. Nights are for sitting around the camp fire singing or just listening to the lake lap against the shore and watching the stars frost Montana’s big night sky.

C. B. Rich about says it all: "The only things that might have surpassed [my] life discoveries are the times I have relaxed on the edge of a secluded mountain meadow and watched white fleecy clouds slowly drift across a clear blue sky, or watched a sunset run the spectrum of colors on a high, wild peak as night descended. Maybe even more thrilling is watching the stars come out, and be so clear and low that they seem to hang like tiny lanterns within reach."

Kate Crawford     August  2003

LINKS WITH ATTITUDE

The Double Arrow Resort Web site.

The Rich Ranch web site.

The Holland Lake Lodge web site.

The Montana Travel and Visitors bureau site is both beautiful and filled with information.