2024 Johnson annual RV trip!

[angiebaby]

I'm so glad you got to explore our beautiful lake. Hopefully, we can get together before you leave, even if it's just a quick drive by.

I would suggest the Walk through the Cedars in the park that will take you here:

It's not a hike, just a beautiful stroll on the boardwalk — maybe about 3/4 of a mile total.


Our son-in-law proposed to our daughter at Hidden Lake, that hike behind Logan Pass.

There is also a treetop walk at the ski resort in Whitefish, some ziplines too I think. There is also a big zipline place on the way to West Glacier.

 

[76 Hondo]

So we are approaching the road to the sun.

You will see two pics of a parking lot. From there people walk one hour and a half to get a view of “Lost lake” which is on the back side of the mountain. If you look close you can see the trail and you can portions of it you walk through the snow.

Of course it’s a bit faster and a better view from the Husky bush plane.

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We were there on July 4th, people were skiing just to say they skied on 4th of July. Most Amazing place we have ever seen Glacier National Park!

 

[RiverDave]

Not to share some off topic things.. but there’s something about the view on this morning throne that seems different..

(Actual view)

 

[RiverDave]

Next we walk to the hangar with a framed in bathroom with shower. Hangar door is wide open today so we are glad they framed in the bathroom or we’d be waving yellow at the airplanes taking off and maintenance crews.

 

[Tamalewagon]

So about halfway to flathead we stopped and camped on a lady’s ranch.. she has a couple spots and a huge Vrbo log cabin they rent out.

Place was had ass with a creek / river running through it.

RD View attachment 1401502 View attachment 1401503 View attachment 1401504 View attachment 1401505 View attachment 1401506 View attachment 1401509 View attachment 1401510 View attachment 1401511 View attachment 1401512 View attachment 1401513 View attachment 1401514 View attachment 1401515 View attachment 1401516 View attachment 1401517 View attachment 1401518 View attachment 1401519 View attachment 1401520 View attachment 1401521 View attachment 1401522 View attachment 1401523 View attachment 1401524

Doggone Dave! You guys sure can pick some excellent camping spots. Just beautiful.

 

[6 balls]

This place looks pretty cool…

Rosewater Ski Community | Rosewater | United States

Rosewater is Montana's premier waterski community. Looking for waterfront living in the Flathead Valley? More than a place to call home, it's a place to create a life.

www.rosewaterski.com

 

[Cobalt232]

Went to Murdochs which is kinda like a TSC on steroids.. everything from clothing to guns to ranch and home supplies.. very cool store!


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Murdoch's is my favorite store when we visit my father-in-law in Grand Junction. It is awesome.

 

[HB2LHC]

Epic pics RD!

 

[Bullhead bully]

View attachment 1402126 View attachment 1402127 Not to share some off topic things.. but there’s something about the view on this morning throne that seems different..

(Actual view)

I have the largest bathroom in Montana. 50‘ x 50‘.

 

[RiverDave]

So today was a llllloooooonnnnngggg day.. Started at 7:30 Stacy woke up and went on a sea plane ride with Bullhead Bully around the lake..

 

[RiverDave]

The first pic is the owner of Kroger’s personal island and compound.

The second pic is some giant compound and island. I can’t remember the name of it but he passed before completion. I believe the island and compound the whole ball of wax is offered at 60 million.

(If you are interested in it let me know I’d love to get the referral on that)

 

[RiverDave]

I wasn’t on this tour but I believe this is the cliff called “Big Chief”. The Indians used to run Bison right off the edge of it and then harvest them below.

 

[RiverDave]

This pretty well sums up the lake with a ton of houses all around it with docks.

There are zero big boats on this lake.. not sure why? There’s no rules against it or anything like that? You just don’t see anything bigger than a 23-24?

I think Paul’s twin engine toon is the only twin I’ve seen so far?

Bizarre.. the lake is HUGE about 4/5 times the size of havasu if I had to guess? Probably 30 miles or more long?

Even with a bazillion houses around it very little boat traffic that I could see? It’s crazy cool.. and there’s like 3-4 more lakes around here that are close that are large as well? Plus rivers connecting the lakes.. the boating is pretty cool and a lot of potential that I don’t think anyone is really taking advantage of..

Only seen two marine shops in all our adventures and one mercury banners (which doesn’t necessarily mean they are Merc certified)

Lot of pontoons and a lot of ski boats.

 

[RiverDave]

First entering glacier west.. these falls were pretty close to the entrance! Pretty amazing right out of the gate!

 

[RiverDave]

 

[RiverDave]

When you are driving through the trees it’s really hard to see how big the mountains are but every now and again you get to a clearing and there’s a 6-8000’ peak sitting next to you!

 

[RiverDave]

Heading up the road to the sun!

The kids went nuts over the tunnels.

If you look at the last two pics that is the river from the pics earlier.

 

[Bullhead bully]

This pretty well sums up the lake with a ton of houses all around it with docks.

There are zero big boats on this lake.. not sure why? There’s no rules against it or anything like that? You just don’t see anything bigger than a 23-24?

I think Paul’s twin engine toon is the only twin I’ve seen so far?

Bizarre.. the lake is HUGE about 4/5 times the size of havasu if I had to guess? Probably 30 miles or more long?

Even with a bazillion houses around it very little boat traffic that I could see? It’s crazy cool.. and there’s like 3-4 more lakes around here that are close that are large as well? Plus rivers connecting the lakes.. the boating is pretty cool and a lot of potential that I don’t think anyone is really taking advantage of..

Only seen two marine shops in all our adventures and one mercury banners (which doesn’t necessarily mean they are Merc certified)

Lot of pontoons and a lot of ski boats.

View attachment 1402508

Actually, Dave. Finally saw a couple big boats today. There was a Outerlimits probably in the 38 to 42 foot range running around and a formula 35 Fastec.
Last summer, I saw a white 40 MTI I haven’t seen him this year.

That’s it

 

[RiverDave]

Getting higher in elevation there are snowpacks along side the road.. the kids stopped and checked them out.. of course I got hit with a snowball.. :/.

 

[RiverDave]

Actually, Dave. Finally saw a couple big boats today. There was a Outerlimits probably in the 38 to 42 foot range running around and a formula 35 Fastec.
Last summer, I saw a white 40 MTI I haven’t seen him this year.

That’s it

Nice!! Wtf are you still doing up? lol. We got home about 30-40 minutes ago and kids are just now getting in bed.

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Logan’s pass.. if the incredible views and scenery haven’t done it for you yet this place will. It was absolutely amazing!

One of the other tourist told me the rangers said the animals hang out here because they know the grizzly bears stay away from humans so they feel safe. The white mountain goat (or whatever it is) was literally following my son around for awhile. It wasn’t docile but it wasn’t afraid either until he waved at it.. then it just crossed the path and went on eating.

The herd of long horns weren’t too far off.. pretty cool to see all this in such a short time frame.

 

[RiverDave]

When we were leaving this little guy was announcing the welcome and departure of everyone.. lol

 

[RiverDave]

Just pics on the road.. such a beautiful drive this really didn’t do it justice and we missed a lot of pics simply because we were driving and either the turn outs were full or we were just so inundated that after awhile it almost becomes… “normal?”

Pro tip. You do not want to bring a dually on this road.. especially not if you got offsets on the back.

A lot of the older drivers and chicks tend to run right on the yellow line if not over it even if they are on the mountain side.. why I don’t know.

You definitely aren’t taking a motorhome up this thing of any size.. Sprinter van or a lance camper at max..

RD

 

[RiverDave]

In the last pic can you cross reference the mountain from the aerial pics? Or any of the ones earlier? Some of them you can if you look at the snow patterns. Others you won’t see on the road because they are in areas you just can’t see from the road or the backsides of them.

 

[RiverDave]

Coming down the backside and our first peek at St Mary’s.. you gotta drive all the way around this to exit on the east side. It’s a nice drive, but not near what the west side was..

To do it again I’d probably take @Sportin' Wood advice and enter from the east and exit to the west. We entered from the west because we arrived right at 3pm where you don’t need reservations anymore. On the east side I don’t believe you need them and can enter at anytime.

It would be better to drive down the road to the sun because most the look outs are on that side of the road anyways.

 

[RiverDave]

How cold is the water in the lake, low 60s?

Flathead is 72 right now.

 

[Angler]

Flathead is 72 right now.

Way warmer than I thought. I was thinking low 60s.

 

[RiverDave]

After we left the park we ended up on some road… that’s labeled a highway for 15 miles it was windy as all get out and 25 mph pretty much the whole way.. it was as “Montana” as you could imagine.. I’d totally do that again. It was as pretty as any medium elevation in the park and had some awesome views along the way!

 

[RiverDave]

How cold is the water in the main part of the lake, low 60s?

I can tell ya tomorrow we are taking the boat all the way to the top and back etc and it has a water temp gauge on it!

 

[RiverDave]

On the way back it was getting late and we were worried everything would be closed so we ended up at Paul Bunyan’s.. the food was bar food but it worked.

This pic was taken at like 10:15 pm and the sun was just setting behind those hills.. after we got in the car we got another sunset at around 10:30 when there was no mountains in the direct way..

There was an awesome scene of it setting over flathead river exiting the valley where the entrance of the park is (about 10-20 miles away?). but at this point I was on the gas trying to get us home before midnight..

 

[RiverDave]

Pic of flathead lake at 11:15’sh.. almost home!

We went up the east side and returned on the east side simply because it was so late we couldn’t see the different side if we wanted too..

Biggest concern on the way home is a lot of these roads are 50-70 mph and I didn’t want to hit a deer..

Saw a few of them in the 45 zones but they just ignored us.

 

[Angler]

Great pics Dave..

 

[RiverDave]

I'm so glad you got to explore our beautiful lake. Hopefully, we can get together before you leave, even if it's just a quick drive by.

I would suggest the Walk through the Cedars in the park that will take you here:

View attachment 1402084

It's not a hike, just a beautiful stroll on the boardwalk — maybe about 3/4 of a mile total.


Our son-in-law proposed to our daughter at Hidden Lake, that hike behind Logan Pass.

View attachment 1402080


There is also a treetop walk at the ski resort in Whitefish, some ziplines too I think. There is also a big zipline place on the way to West Glacier.

Much like Yellowstone and the Tetons we just didn’t have enough time..

We schedule day trips that are usually six-eight hours in a park.. to really explore these things we are going to need a couple days and someone that knows there way around.

Also factor in my ankle situation.. 3/4 mile is a mile and a half both directions.. that would definitely hinder me for two days minimum on walking alone so I gotta keep it somewhat light until I can get it resolved.

When I goto Miami Boatshow I literally bring ankle wraps and ibuprofen etc after the long day just to make it through the airport.. .

I walked enough at supercat I had one of my ankle wraps on.. I found out later a lot of the crowd thought it was an ankle bracelet when I was on stage.. lol.

 

[RiverDave]

Other than some minor details we are all caught up!

Leo is dead to the world.. he gets super nervy in the motorhome because of the AC units and isn’t exactly a fan of the car either..

I’m having a couple modellos to unwind from the drive and passing out..

The driving / the kids / 7:30 till now.. it’s a long day.

There’s a dog in that pic (look closer)

RD

 

[zhandfull]

Catching up on this thread is going to make me late for work. Awesome adventures!

 

[angiebaby]

Actually, Dave. Finally saw a couple big boats today. There was a Outerlimits probably in the 38 to 42 foot range running around and a formula 35 Fastec.
Last summer, I saw a white 40 MTI I haven’t seen him this year.

That’s it

We saw that one last year also. Twice. I think it was staying at one of those condos on the north side of the bridge.

 

[angiebaby]

It's difficult to see, but there is a trail where the tops of the arrows are called the High Line Loop Trail. A couple of days ago, I was reading a story in the paper about a couple who was on it going in one direction and came across a grizzly. They had to backtrack all the way back because the griz was coming straight at them. Neither could go any way except the trail. There are no escape routes to get around. Everything turned out fine, but you will never, ever catch me on that trail. Ever. Plus, I'm afraid of heights.

 

[TomD]

Nice pictures Dave. Great family adventure!!!

 

[Sportin' Wood]

This pretty well sums up the lake with a ton of houses all around it with docks.

There are zero big boats on this lake.. not sure why? There’s no rules against it or anything like that? You just don’t see anything bigger than a 23-24?

I think Paul’s twin engine toon is the only twin I’ve seen so far?

Bizarre.. the lake is HUGE about 4/5 times the size of havasu if I had to guess? Probably 30 miles or more long?

Even with a bazillion houses around it very little boat traffic that I could see? It’s crazy cool.. and there’s like 3-4 more lakes around here that are close that are large as well? Plus rivers connecting the lakes.. the boating is pretty cool and a lot of potential that I don’t think anyone is really taking advantage of..

Only seen two marine shops in all our adventures and one mercury banners (which doesn’t necessarily mean they are Merc certified)

Lot of pontoons and a lot of ski boats.

View attachment 1402508

The lake is rarely busy and would be a great place to stretch the legs. I'm not sure why, maybe the Ballers up here have not been properly marketed by the boat builders. There are certainly able buyers living here. I've got mixed emotions because I enjoy the 24 foot boat being considered big and seeing lots of 18 foot boats on the water. There is nothing wrong with slower boats. Blasphemy I know.

 

[dread Pirate]

If you're still there Thursday check out the rodeo at Blue Moon.

Last Best Pizza comes recommended.

 

[dread Pirate]

View attachment 1402504 View attachment 1402505 The first pic is the owner of Kroger’s personal island and compound.

The second pic is some giant compound and island. I can’t remember the name of it but he passed before completion. I believe the island and compound the whole ball of wax is offered at 60 million.

(If you are interested in it let me know I’d love to get the referral on that)

Here's the listing Dave. $72m is asking. Needs a lot to be finished, but what a house!

Access to this page has been denied.

 

[RiverDave]

Just ran Paul’s boat about 30-45 minutes up the lake and we saw one boat until we got two lakeside where we saw a couple more.

 

[rivermobster]

Such breathtaking country.

Thank you for sharing these pics.

 

[RiverDave]

This lake is incredible.. about 30 miles long, roughly 4 times the size of havasu. Islands all over the place both public and private. Wildlife, clear water.. Indian hieroglyphs.. just crazy.

Took the boat out this morning and went to the other side of the lake to Lakeside which is a bar and grill / marina

 

[rivermobster]

So awesome.

 

[RiverDave]

After an amazing lunch we went and checked out some of the bad ass houses in lakeside then the Kroger mansion on their private island, the big castle looking thing that’s for sale for 72 mill, boyscout island..

Some of these houses are crazy money!! Weirdly not real nice boats? Just single engine toons, wakeboard boats..

Place can be summed up in pontoons and Volvo drives.. lol. Bizarre to me because you’d think with this kinda money floating around even if they were small boats you’d think they want something nice?

 

[SoCalDave]

Some of these houses are crazy money!! Weirdly not real nice boats? Just single engine toons, wakeboard boats..

Place can be summed up in pontoons and Volvo drives.. lol. Bizarre to me because you’d think with this kinda money floating around even if they were small boats you’d think they want something nice?

Everyone has their objectives in life...if they wanted a $500k boat I'm sure they would have it.
Magnificent pictures RD.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Outstanding trip. Thanks for the photos and reports. Family vacations are lifelong memories.

 

[76 Hondo]

View attachment 1402581 View attachment 1402582 View attachment 1402583 View attachment 1402584 View attachment 1402585 View attachment 1402586 View attachment 1402587 Coming down the backside and our first peek at St Mary’s.. you gotta drive all the way around this to exit on the east side. It’s a nice drive, but not near what the west side was..

To do it again I’d probably take @Sportin' Wood advice and enter from the east and exit to the west. We entered from the west because we arrived right at 3pm where you don’t need reservations anymore. On the east side I don’t believe you need them and can enter at anytime.

It would be better to drive down the road to the sun because most the look outs are on that side of the road anyways.

Yeah Dave we were having dinner in Cutbank when we found out about the reservation deal, OK they open up next day spots at 7:00 PM got bounced 3 times trying to make reservations. F… it the park is open 24/7 left Cutbank at 4:00 am in the park at East side Browning watched the sun come up.

 

[DWC]

Everyone has their objectives in life...if they wanted a $500k boat I'm sure they would have it.
Magnificent pictures RD.

Guessing that once one neighbor bought one, they’d all have 2.