Flathead Lake Lodge
2022 marks the third year we’ve had the privilege of hosting a Week of Hope at Flathead Lake Lodge in partnership with HopeKids. Originally started for our 75th anniversary, Week of Hope has now become an annual event that we look forward to each year as we welcome critically ill children and their families to the ranch to life in Montana and make memories. (To learn more, you can read our posts from 2020 and 2021.) In the middle of the hustle and bustle of life, Week of Hope reminds us to stop, slow down and appreciate every moment. 
For Week of Hope 2022, we welcomed 19 families from across the United States. And we had many of the same feelings we’ve had in the past – during Week of Hope, it’s almost as if nothing else matters or exists except making sure that the kids and their families are welcomed and loved, while being able to relax, bond, have memorable moments and leave the ranch with incredible family memories.
It’s hard to put into eloquent words what a Week of Hope means to us, and what we hope it means to the families. So instead of stumbling along and trying to share our perspective of the kind of feelings and bonds that come from a week like this, we wanted you to hear it from some of our families.
“Evan LOST everything along with Carter and the rest of us. Football was gone. High school was gone. He missed out on every dance, activity and social aspect of his young life while protecting his little brother. He’d do it again a thousand times over, for Carter. This past week, I saw the light come back into his eyes for the first time in a long time. I saw his passion and his spark to start living again, without constant fear. I saw Evan just able to be Evan again. A gift that we received that could never be replaced. My mama heart is melting. Can’t wait to watch this guy’s future soar.” -Kiana
“Being around other families who have similar challenges and being able to share our stories, fears, and hopes with each other has been such an empowering experience during Week of Hope. It was truly beautiful watching the children come together. I will forever cherish the memories made here and the people we met.” -Daisy
Another monumental moment was when a child took his first five steps ever in our lakeside pool. For more moments from the week, you can see photos here or watch the video.
To our Week of Hope families, thank you for trusting us and allowing us to be part of this experience. To our staff and volunteers, thank you for everything you gave to this week (and everything you give to the world every day). And to our donors, thank you for giving the gift of hope and the role you play in bringing this week to life.
It was an honor, a privilege and a blessing to spend a Week of Hope with you.
-Chase and the Flathead Lake Lodge family
Here at Flathead Lake Lodge, we want our guests to feel like family. After all, among our 2,000 acres of Montana you’ll find plenty of room to adventure, breathe, relax, unwind and make memories. While we do our best to share what to expect, what to pack and everything you can do as a guest of Flathead Lake Lodge, sometimes we need to turn over the reins and have other folks do it for us.
Most of the content of this blog post was written for first-time guests by other first-times guests (or as the ladies who wrote this say – written by newbies for newbies), after their inaugural first week at Flathead Lake Lodge, July 10 – 17, 2022.
Without further ado, here are the “Top 12 Things Flathead Lake Lodge Newbies Need to Know.”
1. If you planned out your entire week ahead of time, know that it won’t turn out exactly as you planned. This is okay. You’ll still have fun and get to do everything you want. We promise!
2. On sign-up day (which is Monday), arrive early and have your top priority activities picked out. Give each person in your group an assigned activity to get in line for and sign up, that way you can cover more ground quicker.
3. If you don’t get to sign up for something you wanted, put your name on the waitlist and still show up for that activity. Chances are, at least one of the folks who did sign up won’t show up and you’ll get to do it.
4. At times, sailing lessons can be hit-or-miss activities because there may or may not be wind. Be sure to plan an activity to substitute in case it doesn’t work out. (But if you can take a lesson, do!)
5. Be sure to sign up for horse-related activities, including horseback trail rides. And if you need a lesson, be sure to mark that on the sign-up sheet. (You can also talk to the gals in the office and they can be sure you get squared away for a lesson.) Same goes for the watersports lessons in the morning – be sure you sign up! In the afternoon, all you need to do is write your name down on the whiteboard and you will get to go.
6. The families who have been coming for years are very nice, we promise! Don’t be intimidated. You’ll quickly meet them during the on-ranch activities and before you know it, you’ll have some lovely new friends.
7. For meals, find other newbies to sit with or other families that don’t have a large extended family group staying at the lodge. If you met someone at an activity, ask if you can join them for dinner!
8. When it comes to mouse races, be sure to bring some cold hard cash. Plus, you can combine your funds with other families.
9. Jump on YouTube and look up “How to pen” before team penning. Trust us.
10. Check in with the office for the daily schedule and any changes.
11. Come a day or two early and visit Glacier National Park! It’s 40 minutes from the ranch and is well worth a visit.
12. Take advantage of the laundry service – you can pack less!
*Ladies, it was a joy to have you and your families here at the ranch! Thanks for sharing what you learned and passing along your experiences for future fist-time guests.
Our 2022 summer season is firmly underway and we’ve been welcoming guests to the ranch’s 2,000 acres from near and far. While every week is special at Flathead Lake Lodge, there’s always a little something extra about our Fourth of July week. Our fireworks show combined with the Fourth of July Parade in Bigfork – not to mention the rodeo – always brings the heat. Plus, many of the guests have been coming to the ranch during this week for around 30 years, which means it’s jam-packed with longtime friends, memories, multiple generations and all sorts of fun.
Here’s a look at this year’s Fourth of July festivities…
May freedom always ring. With gratitude,
Chase
For the second year in a row, we’re welcoming the Ladies AllRide Mountain Bike Retreat to Flathead Lake Lodge. Slated for October 3 – 7, 2022, this women’s-only retreat combines the best of both riding worlds – horseback trail rides and mountain biking – on our 2,000 acres. A five-day, four-night retreat, it’s designed to give attendees professional mountain bike skills instruction and plenty of time to hit the ranch’s miles of expertly-designed trails.
Wondering what to expect? Here’s a peek at the retreat.
Off the bikes, guests can participate in other activities offered at the ranch, including morning yoga, guided hikes, beach campfires, kayaking on Flathead Lake and tours of our on-ranch elk preserve. Chef Rob also makes sure to serve up plenty of made-from-scratch meals to keep attendees fueled and satisfied, while also give them opportunities to taste the many flavors of local Montana purveyors.
All guests stay on the ranch in Flathead Lake Lodge’s accommodations, including lodge rooms and cabins.
If you’re ready to treat yourself to fall in Montana, all while strengthening your mountain bike skills, learn more here. You can also call us at 406-837-4391.
See you on the trails,
Chase
While there is plenty of work to be done at Flathead Lake Lodge during the winter months, our staff still manages to fit in some of Montana’s favorite pastimes, which for Liz and Carson means skijoring.
In case you haven’t heard of it, skijoring is an event that marries horseback riding with skiing, with a rider on horseback pulling a skier behind them to navigate jumps and turns on a timed course.
If you’ve been a guest at the ranch in the last several years, chances are you’ve met Liz and Carson, but just in case you haven’t, Liz is our Livestock Manager and Carson is our Barn Manager. As luck would have it, these two are a match made in skijoring heaven and over the weekend of February 19 – 20, they took third place at the World Invitational Skijoring event in Whitefish, Montana.
Here’s a look at the action…
Wondering what’s next for Liz, her paint horse Splash and Carson? They’re heading to the National Finals Skijoring Races in Red Lodge, Montana, March 12 – 13.
And if you want to watch them in action? The Wrangler Network is live streaming both days of the races. Watch it here.
Until next time,
Chase
If you’ve been a guest of the lodge, chances are you’re familiar with our mouse races (and have maybe even made a friendly bet or two). A much-loved tradition during our family season, mouse races have our local ranch mice going head to head in lanes as they race to the finish line to see who will win that week’s race.
To complement our mouse races and help raise money to bring a Week of Hope to life, in 2021 we launched a new contest called “Mouse of the Year,” where our competitors – including Fievel, Mouserella, Boba Feta, Julius Cheeser and Bugsy – competed to raise money through an online voting system, with all funds going to help cover the costs of Week of Hope, where we host critically ill children and their families at the ranch. After weeks of competition, Fievel raised $2,285 and was named Flathead Lake Lodge’s 2021 Mouse of the Year.
And while we love Fievel for lots of reasons, here’s more about him…
Much like his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather in 1885, Fievel came West in search of a place with more room to roam and space to explore. He hitched a ride as a stowaway on the Nor’Easter, one of Flathead Lake Lodge’s 51-foot Q-class racing sloops, and has been here ever since. He lives a quiet life and spends much of his time tidying up the boat barn, helping Chef Rob weed the herb gardens and has even been known to help Captain Scott with boat maintenance. With steady legs on land and sea, Fievel just may be the mouse to beat.
From all of us at Flathead Lake Lodge, congratulations on becoming Mouse of the Year 2021 and thank you all for helping Fievel raise $2,285 for Week of Hope!
Looking ahead to 2022, we’re going to continue our Mouse of the Year contest, with all proceeds going directly to a Week of Hope.
Our 2022 competitors include:
1. Fievel, our returning champion.
2. Julius Cheeser. Don’t confuse him with the mouse who has a salad named after him…that’s his biggest pet peeve and that guy didn’t single-pawedly build the Bigfork Empire. Grab your bowl of white cheddar popcorn because his story is one of tragedy, but he doesn’t know that yet. There are whispers of conspiracy amongst the Bigfork Mouse-ators to end Cheeser’s life. He’s participating in the Mouse Race to bring honor to Bigfork and prove his power over the Empire. Given the magnitude of the race, some believe he is focusing on the wrong things and it will ultimately be his downfall, akin to fiddling while Bigfork burns.
3. Speedy Gonzales. This young mouse hails from south of the border, and has enough speed to run from Guadalajara to Bigfork, Montana in less than 24 hours. This strapping Vaquero loves competition and really loves leaving his fellow contestants in the dust.
4. Anonymouse. We’d tell you his real name, but…we don’t know it. Anonymouse was placed at the lodge as part of the U.S. Federal Witness Protection program. And while we’ll never know his true identity, we do know that his favorite pastime is winning races and taking (other mice’s) names.
5. Chuck E. Cheese. You know this mouse from his world-famous chain of restaurants where families can eat, have a good time and play. When he’s not making pizza, he’s here at the lodge strutting his stuff on the ropes. His business savvy shines through both at work and in the mouse race arena.
You can learn all about them – and get an early start on voting – at HopeKids.org.
Until next time,
Chase
We’ve always been big believers that people need to get away, have time to decompress and soak up moments with the ones they love most. And while family vacations with kids are fantastic, we also know that sometimes grown-ups need getaways that don’t involve the kids.
Meet our 2022 adults-only Montana Adventure package.
This package is available twice this fall: from September 2 – 7, 2022, and September 12 – 15, 2022.
The first package – which takes place over Labor Day – is longer than our previous adults-only getaways, which gives guests even more time to experience all we have to offer at Flathead Lake Lodge. A five-night package, it’s all-inclusive and includes on-property activities like horseback riding, touring the elk preserve, mountain biking on our trails, taking a morning dip in our lakeside pool and heading out to play on the waters of Flathead Lake.
The second package is a tad shorter at three nights and four days, while still giving guests the chance to soak up fall in Montana.
If you’ve stayed with us before, you’ve also tasted the culinary offerings of Chef Rob. And while he whips up great meals all summer long, for our adults-only packages he creates mouth-watering multi-course tasting menus with wine pairings.
If you’re interested in reserving space in our 2022 adults-only getaways, get in touch with us here or call us at 406-837-4391.
Until next time,
Chase
There are certain times in life that change you. Moments in a crazy year that mold, inspire and leave you feeling more grateful that you could have ever imagined. And for us, this year that moment was a Week of Hope.
For the second year in a row – in partnership with HopeKids – we welcomed critically ill children and their families to Flathead Lake Lodge. And as fate would have it, this was done (for the second time in a row) in the middle of a pandemic. And for those few days, it was like nothing else existed. All that mattered was welcoming those families to this place that seemingly has some sort of magic to it.
While I was born and raised on the ranch (and am now raising my own family here), I never tire of seeing guests soak up our Montana way of life, and that’s never truer than when we’re joined by families during a Week of Hope. While Grandpa Les isn’t with us at the ranch anymore, his spirit is still here and the legacy he built – one made up of hard work, ingenuity and his commitment to treating people with kindness – lives on and shines a little brighter during this week.
As always, we could not (and do not) bring this event to life on our own. There are so many people who work behind the scenes to make a Week of Hope happen.
To our families – your determination, dedication and love of life is something that we felt honored to see and be a part of. Thank you for trusting us and allowing us to be part of your memories. To our staff, you’re one of the best parts of this place. As you do week in and week out, I had the pleasure of seeing your commitment not only to your jobs, but to the families you welcomed with open arms as you worked hard to ensure they left feeling better than they came. To each and every volunteer who played a part, you do not go unnoticed and the gratitude we have for you in matchless. And to our donors – a big thank you for the generosity you have in making this event come to fruition.
From the Averill family, we’re humbled, grateful and privileged to be a part of this with all of you and are looking forward to a Week of Hope 2022.
-Chase
While not many things change around here – our hospitality dates back to 1945 when Grandpa Les bought the ranch – every once in a while we like to mix things up around here and add new elements to help enrich the guest experience. Brand new for our 2021 season is an outdoor kitchen.
Now guests can enjoy meals with sweeping views of Flathead Lake in a space that naturally brings the outside in through large screened-in windows. From a food and beverage perspective, the addition of the kitchen adds an element of engagement to the ranch. With a large focus on cooking over live fire, Chef Rob has been using the outdoor kitchen to feed Flathead Lake Lodge’s guests throughout the summer season.
In the words of Chef Rob, “My primary aim with the outdoor kitchen is to develop a richer connection to what we do as chefs and the experience we offer at the lodge. While it’s aesthetically beautiful, it’s also about having a natural connection to the wood, the smoke, the flame and the way it all interacts with the food. Guests get to experience what we do through eating the food, but now they’re experiencing it on a more personal level as they see it, smell it and interact with it.”
These days, the outdoor kitchen is the place where at least half of the ranch’s lunches are cooked and serve, while at least one element of dinner is prepared there as well.
Other elements of this addition included a remodel of the main kitchen, adding an upstairs walk-in, bringing the bakery out into the open and giving the space an overall refresh.
From our family to yours, we look forward to breaking bread with you in this new space.
Until next time,
-Chase
For the second year in a row, Flathead Lake Lodge is working with HopeKids to welcome critically ill children and their families to the ranch to experience what life is like the way its meant to be — soaking up Montana, running free on our 2,000 acres and creating family memories that will last forever. To help bring this year’s Week of Hope event to life, we’re utilizing one of our most-loved ranch traditions: MOUSE RACES.
To support a Week of Hope, vote for Mouse of the Year.
Without further ado, meet the mice.
1. Julius Cheeser. Don’t confuse him with the mouse who has a salad named after him–that’s his biggest pet peeve and that guy didn’t single-pawedly build the Bigfork Empire. Grab your bowl of white cheddar popcorn because his story is one of tragedy, but he doesn’t know that yet. There are whispers of conspiracy amongst the BigFork Mouse-ators to end Cheeser’s life. He’s participating in the Mouse Race to bring honor to BigFork and prove his power over the Empire. Given the magnitude of the race, some believe he is focusing on the wrong things and it will ultimately be his downfall, akin to fiddling while Bigfork burns.
2. Fievel. Much like his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather in 1885, Fievel came West in search of a place with more room to roam and space to explore. He hitched a ride as a stowaway on the Nor’Easter, one of Flathead Lake Lodge’s 51-foot Q-class racing sloops, and has been here ever since. He lives a quiet life and spends much of his time tidying up the boat barn, helping Chef Rob weed the herb gardens and has even been known to help Captain Scott with boat maintenance. With steady legs on land and sea, Fievel just may be the mouse to beat.
3. Mouserella. You know the story, it’s a tail as old as time. Mouserella is always cleaning up after her evil step-mouse-sisters. Her fairy godhamster grants Mouserella’s wish of attending the prince’s ball and transforms her plain hamster ball into a sparkly one fit for a princess mouse! When the clock strikes midnight, Mouserella scurries down the steps leaving behind one tiny glass mouse slipper on the steps to be found by her one true prince. Little does the prince know that he will have to make his way to the beautiful shores of Flathead Lake to find his princess as she trains for the big race! You have seen her speed as she tries to beat the clock, Mouserella is looked upon as the dark-mouse of the race.
4. Bugsy. Found in cabin one, Bugsy was appropriately named for one of the ranch’s first guests, Bugsy Siegel. One of the founders of modern-day Las Vegas, Bugsy (and his girlfriend Virginia Hill) stayed in cabin one in the mid 1940s when he was on the run from the FBI. Living up to his namesake, Bugsy can be found at the barn hustling the horses and placing bets on which lodge guest team will win the team penning activity on Friday nights in the arena. He’s scrappy, smart and handsome, and the odds always seem to be in his favor.
5. Boba Feta. Tired of fighting Galactic civil wars and feeling like he was stuck on the bounty hunter hamster wheel, Boba has churned his focus to mentoring the next generation of bounty hunters in the mountains of Montana. Feta is a loner so not much is known about him but some with inside knowledge say he has a sharp turn of speed and was even seen participating in the Spartan race as a warm up for the great mouse race. If you can muenster enough courage he might be a gouda bet and worth putting a few dollars on for the big race.
From our extended Flathead Lake Lodge family to you, thank you for being part of a Week of Hope.
Please join us by voting on Mouse of the Year. Voting ends Thursday, August 19.
Happy voting and bidding,
-Chase
If you’ve been to Flathead Lake Lodge, you know that we sit on the shore of Flathead Lake — the largest natural freshwater lake in the West. And while we often make mention of how lucky we are to have our guest ranch on Flathead Lake, we may not tell you enough about this place.
At 28 miles long and about 15 miles wide, Flathead Lake covers nearly 200 square miles and has 185 miles of shoreline.
Here are 12 things you probably didn’t know about Flathead Lake...
1. Flathead Lake is the 79th largest natural lake on the planet.
2. The water quality of Flathead Lake is one of the cleanest in the world. This can be credited to the lake being fed by waterways that are full of snowmelt from Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
3. Much like its friend to the north Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake was carved out by massive glaciers that moved through the area during the Ice Age.
4. Due to its sheer size, Flathead Lake often creates its own weather patterns and during storms, you’ll see whitecaps form on the lake as winds rage across it.
5. Flathead Lake is home to HUGE fish. For example, the lake trout caught on Flathead Lake average about 8 pounds, but many of them tip the scales at larger weights.
6. You can drive all the way around the lake. It will take a few hours, but is hands-down one of the most beautiful drives around. You’ll largely take U.S. Highway 93 and Montana Highway 35.
7. There are public access sites all around the lake, including state parks, fishing access sites and parks.
8. Abundant recreation takes place on the lake. A few of note: sailing, kayaking, jet skis, boat cruises and fishing.
9. Here at the ranch, we take about 550 sails a year on the waters of Flathead Lake, most often on our two historic 51-foot Q-class racing sloops — the Questa and the Nor’Easter. They were both built in the late 1920s and are an important part of the Flathead Lake Lodge family and history.
10. Due largely to its sheer volume, Flathead Lake rarely freezes over during the winter, although you will find ice along the shorelines and in various bays around the lake. The last time the entire lake froze all the way was more than 30 years ago.
11. Flathead Lake creates an ideal environment (that is a bit milder that other places in Montana) for growing fruit. As you drive around the lake, you’ll see all kinds of orchards along the shoreline that grow cherries and in the summer, you can pick local cherries up at a roadside stand.
12. Flathead Lake is home to numerous islands, including Wild Horse Island. The largest island on the lake around 2,160 acres, Wild Horse is a day-use state park that’s home to all sorts of wildlife, including wild horses.
Learn more about our guest ranch on the shores of Flathead Lake at FlatheadLakeLodge.com.
Until next time, happy trails and adventuring.
-Chase