Page 126 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

48o NORTH
WILD HORSE ISLAND
Spring is a great time to visit this 2,160- acre state park. The green hillside becomes spattered with yellow arrowleaf balsam- root wildflowers and wildlife babies are born. Abundant wildlife, six wild horses, towering old-growth ponderosa pine and a large span of Palouse Prairie make this a beautiful and enchanting place to explore.
Access is by boat only with five des- ignated boat landings around the island. The public is asked not to use docks at the 56 privately owned cabins scattered along the shoreline.
One of the most popular access points is from Big Arm State Park, which is a four- mile excursion to the southern portion of the island. Other boat launches closest to the island include Walstad Memorial State Park 10 miles north of Polson on U.S. Highway 93 at milepost 72 and the Elmo boat launch. Both are day-use only parks open year-round with seasonal boat launches.
It is easy to spend a full day exploring the largest island on Flathead Lake, which is covered by rolling hills and rises almost 1,000 feet from the shoreline. Four miles of trails on the south end of the island meander through an old homestead where
you can find two old structures, an orchard and abandoned farm implements.
At first glance you might not spot the abundant wildlife on this island, so plan to take a walk or sit quietly on a ridge or in the open flat. Head up one of the many draws or ridgelines in the convo- luted topography of the island and you will likely discover herds of mule deer or Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.
Visitors are prohibited from feeding or intentionally approaching within 100 feet of wildlife and pets are not allowed, to pro- tect wildlife. It is a day-use only area and campfires are not allowed, but it’s a great place to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy while searching for and observing wildlife. Take a break on a knob for spectacular views of Flathead Lake and the surrounding mountain ranges.
Keep in mind the unpredictable and quickly changing weather on Flathead Lake. We have arrived in the morning to a lake that lay flat like a sheet of glass and left on an afternoon in waves so tall that the lake was ocean-like.
Visit the website for information and reg- ulations before heading to the island. www.stateparks.mt.gov/wild-horse-island/
ABOVE Wild Horse Island.
OPPOSITE PAGE The entrance to the National
Bison Range in Moiese.
FUN FACTS
• Wild Horse Island gets its name from the original band of wild horses that were left over from local tribes’ practice of hiding their horses on the island from enemy raiders, long before the arrival
of European explorers. The Bureau of Land Management keeps this tradition through the “Adopt a Horse” program.
• Old rams may exceed 300 lbs and ewes seldom exceed 150 lbs. They are the most sociable of Montana’s big game species and herds segregate according to age and sex.
124 FLATHEAD LIVING | SPRING 2015