Northern Rockies Explorers

The weekly (well 2 so far) Wednesday evening bike ride moves to the scenic and historical Lower Valley! Rivers, creeks, sloughs, farms and expansive views (and the famous Porter Ranch Barn)!

We will meet at the Somers Company Town Museum at 5:30pm. Parking is available next to the bike path or across the street at the Somers Post Office. From Somers we will travel up the Sonny Boon Memorial Trail until we reach Kalispell and then return via Lower Valley Road and Somers Road.

The distance will be around 25 miles. This is an all-tarmac ride, although if someone is desperate to do gravel, there are alternative routes available (have fun). We will try to maintain a pace of 12mph to 15mph so we can finish in under 2 hours. There is a short stretch on Willow Glen with no shoulder and traffic, but otherwise Lower Valley Road is very bike friendly, and the rest is bike path.

All bikes are welcome!

For those wanting dinner and/or drinks after their ride, in Somers there is Bingo Wednesday at Dels Bar (very crowded) or ribs and plenty of fried food and shrimp at Cowboy Up Country Cooking (open until 8pm).

Join the Northern Rockies Explorers as we go big and climb up Glacier View Mountain.

There won't be all this snow in July as in the feature picture!

Located just outside the western border of Glacier National Park, the hike up to the top of Glacier View Mountain is considered a challenging hike due to the steep terrain. But the outstanding views of the Livingston Range and North Fork area of Glacier National Park all along the way are worth the effort. They really start to shine just a short distance in.

The exceptional views are to the east. Wooded ridges pocked with grassy meadows extend up to the dramatic Livingston Range of Glacier National Park. Rainbow Peak, Vulture Peak, Longfellow Peak with Paul Bunyan’s Cabin and Heaven’s Peak reveal their splendor as you stop to catch your breath.

Bring multiple layers, snacks, lunch, plenty of water/electrolytes and rain gear. Bring trekking poles if you like to use them especially for the descent.

Distance: about 6 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 2,700 ft.

We'll meet at Super 1 parking lot in Columbia Falls near the coffee hut and arrange a carpool. The trailhead is located on the west side of the North Fork road, just past the Camas Road intersection, about 25 minutes from Super1.