There are hundreds of miles of trail to explore in the Flathead National Forest – an outdoor paradise at our front step.
There are 2,249 miles of trail inside the forest, more than 150 miles are designated just for snowmobiles and 30 miles are exclusively for cross-country skiing.
All of it adds up to a great outdoor winter getaway.
If you want to lace on those snowshoes you got for Christmas, then any of the dozens of trailheads in the forest would be a perfect place to try them out.
If you want to go cross-country skiing, then head on up to the Cedar Flats Trails, about a mile north of Columbia Falls on Road No. 5285.
Or, if you just want to take in the scenery from the warmth of your own car, drive east on U.S. Highway 2 and enjoy the stunning sights of the Middle Fork of the Flathead Valley toward West Glacier, Nyack and Essex.
For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov.
How to get there:
Access to the Flathead National Forest is available at dozens of locations across the Flathead Valley.