THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Although relaxing at Bighorn Bluff and enjoying the views of the Cabinet Mountains and the Clark Fork River is enticing, limitless activities wait outside. The abundance of recreational opportunities within a short distance of Bighorn Bluff and Plains have nurtured a dynamic tourism industry that supports local dining, entertainment, and shopping.

LIFE IN THE WILD

Encompassing three national forests and the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness, the area offers year-round outdoor recreation opportunities.

Enjoy fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and boating during the lovely summer months. The Clark Fork River and three reservoirs provide a perfect playground for boaters, fishermen, and water-skiers. Click here to view a map of the many fishing opportunities located near Bighorn Bluff.

Winter sport enthusiasts flock to Montana for snowshoeing, cross country and downhill skiing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling. The largest continuous snowmobile trail system in the continental U.S. is just off I-90 outside Haugan. There are also groomed trails in the Lolo National Forest.

The Wildlife
For wildlife photographers, this area is loaded with a variety of birds and animals. Northwest Montana is home to geese, ducks, osprey, cranes, eagles, elk, moose, bear, deer, mountain lion, goats, and bighorn sheep.

SKI AREAS

Downhill skiers and snowboarders can choose from five different ski resorts within 120 miles of Plains.

Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area is 64 miles from Plains in Mullan, Idaho. Lookout Pass offers reasonable rates and a great family atmosphere.Blacktail Mountain Ski Area is a newer ski resort 67 miles from Plains in Lakeside, Montana. Nestled next to Flathead Lake, it offers a ski experience reminiscent of earlier days with shorter lift lines, reasonably priced lift tickets, and a friendly, laid-back atmosphere.

Montana Snowbowl Ski and Summer Resort is a 78 mile drive from Plains to Missoula. This area is great for accomplished skiers, with 70 percent of the runs rated "expert."Big Mountain is one of Montana's premier ski resorts. Located in Whitefish, about 100 miles from Plains, the resort boasts over 3,000 acres of varying ski terrain for beginner and seasoned skiers, as well as 16 kilometers of world-class Nordic touring trails.

Schweitzer Mountain is located at the base of the Selkirk Mountains in Sandpoint, Idaho. With many programs catered specifically for children, and 20 percent beginner trails, it makes a great family ski trip. Grand views of three states and Canada and wide open bowls are trademarks of this expanding ski area.

GOLF

The long summer days mean more golfing hours in Montana – and a multitude of golf options. Wild Horse Plains Golf Course is just three miles from Plains. The nine-hole municipal golf course charges $20 for 18 holes with no tee time reservation required. The course has a fully stocked pro shop and snack bar.

River Bend Golf Course is another nine-hole golf course in the neighboring town of Thompson Falls. Tree-lined fairways and the Clark Fork River create natural challenges on this course. The new log clubhouse offers food and beverages.

Polson Bay Golf Club is an 18-hole course with the stunning backdrop of Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains. Eagle Bend Golf Course in Bigfork includes nine holes designed by Jack Nicklaus. The 27-hole course has been rated #1 in Montana by Golf Digest for six consecutive years. Set in a golf community at the north end of Flathead Lake, this course is surrounded with spectacular views of the lake, Swan Mountains and Glacier National Park.

Buffalo Hill Golf Course, at the north end of Kalispell, is a popular course in the Flathead Valley. The tree-lined fairways and the Stillwater River make this course both scenic and challenging.

OUTINGS

Go sailing, boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking on Flathead Lake, the largest fresh water lake in the West. Along the shore of this 31-mile lake are a number of charming communities, each offering its own variety of shopping, antiquing, dining, and entertainment.

Glacier National Park features diverse wildlife and wildflower-spackled meadows next to sparkling creeks, falls and lakes. Visitors can experience one of the park’s nostalgic bus tours on the 52-mile Going-to-the-Sun Highway over Logan Pass, or hike into the backcountry along the hundreds of miles of trails.

St. Ignatius Mission is a historic landmark on the Flathead Indian Reservation. It was built in the early 1890s as a Catholic mission. The church is adorned with 61 original paintings by Brother Joseph Carignano. A museum and gift shop are located next to the Mission, as well as the first log home that served as a residence for the Catholic Sisters when they first arrived.

National Bison Range in Moiese is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the nation. Established in 1908, the 18,500-acre range consists of native Palouse Prairie, forests, wetlands and streams, all of which provide a wide range of habitat for wildlife. An estimated 450 bison share the range with elk, deer, black bear, coyote, and ground squirrels, as well as more than 200 species of eagles, hawks, meadowlarks, bluebirds, ducks, and geese. The nearby Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and Pablo National Wildlife Refuge also offer opportunities to view waterfowl, bald eagles, herons, cormorants, and a variety of song birds.

Koo-Koo-Sint Bighorn Sheep Viewing Site is a great place to capture close-up views of bighorn sheep. The best viewing months are November and December, but the sheep can also be spotted October through May. Six interpretive signs at the site describe the natural history of bighorn sheep, their habitat, and the geology of the Clark Fork River Valley.St Regis-Paradise Cutoff Road Scenic Byway on Highway 135 outside of Plains is marked by pull-outs and interpretive signs with the theme “The land, the river and the people.” You might be rewarded by capturing a glimpse of migratory birds, osprey and even bighorn sheep as you travel through this area.

PLAINS AND NEARBY TOWNS

Plains
Located in the fertile Clark Fork Valley at an elevation of 2,468 feet, Plains has a history rich in farming and ranching that began with the wintering of horses by Native American tribes in this area originally known as "Wild Horse Plains".

With a population of just over 1,000 people, the quaint town today offers basic amenities including banking, the Clark Fork Valley hospital, a library, grocery stores, restaurants, a bowling alley, movie theater and a public golf course. The Plains City Park has a swimming and wading pool and three tennis courts.

Plains is home to the Sanders County Fair, one of the state’s most popular fairs, and also hosts an old fashioned 4th of July celebration complete with food, fun, and fireworks. Sanders County is sprinkled with small towns, each with its own unique personality that serves as an extension to the small town life in Plains.

Hot Springs
The mellow town of Hot Springs, 22 miles from Plains, has two mineral hot springs resorts as its claim to fame. Symes Hot Springs is full of color and character with its flamingo-pink hotel, which offers private rooms with mineral water tubs and outdoor soaking pools. This eclectic establishment blends nostalgia and a more contemporary flair with local artists and a variety of live music. Another Hot Springs resort, Camas Hot Springs, has two hot outdoor soaking pools.

There are also two other hot springs close to Plains - Quinn’s Hot Springs, located in a grove of ponderosa pine trees on the banks of the Clark Fork River, and Wild Horse Hot Springs, an isolated bathhouse with private soaking rooms on the east side of the Little Bitterroot Valley.

Thompson Falls
Thompson Falls lies 25 miles from Plains on the banks of the Clark Fork River, and serves as the county seat for Sanders County. Named for the river's natural falls on the Clark Fork River and the town’s founder, it has nearly 20 buildings on the National Historic Registry, including many of the downtown buildings, which have been refurbished to their turn-of-the-century charm. Right off Main Street is the RiverView Arts, a gathering place for the work of over 30 area artists and craftsmen.

Located on the banks of the Clark Fork River amidst heavy forests, Thompson Falls offers beautiful scenery and recreation. Three reservoirs along the Clark Fork River with public accesses provide fishing, boating, swimming and other water recreation.

Trout Creek
Trout Creek is 21 miles from Plains. Best known for its huckleberries, Trout Creek is home to the Huckleberry Festival and the Huckleberry Thicket, a family owned gift shop and restaurant specializes in – what else –huckleberry products. The thirty plus mile long Noxon Rapids Reservoir of the Clark Fork River is host to northwest regional bass tournaments, incredible scenery and recreational opportunity.

Missoula
Head 76 miles southeast from Plains to vibrant Missoula, home of the University of Montana. Refreshingly diverse and dynamic, this town of around 60,000 pulses with energy and imagination fueled by the university and a thriving creative community. Missoula earns its name “The Garden City” with an abundance of gardens, landscaping, and forestland, and a milder mountain climate compared to other locales at this latitude.

With the Rattlesnake Wilderness just four miles from downtown, Montana Snow Bowl Ski Area just nine miles away, a blue ribbon trout stream a less than five miles farther, and world-class kayaking less than an hour away, Missoula offers the great outdoors to visitors and residents alike.

Kalispell
Kalispell, a hub for the Flathead Valley, is 83 miles northeast of Plains. Recent growth has brought more services and shopping to this thriving area. A strong tourism industry supports a variety of arts and entertainment throughout the Flathead Valley. Additions to Flathead Valley Community College, as well as a growing medical center and a number of new retail stores attest to the vigor of this busy community of 20,000 residents.

Whitefish
The dynamic year-round resort town of Whitefish next to Whitefish Lake is steeped in the atmosphere of a historic railroad town 100 miles from Plains.

Set at the base of the Big Mountain Resort, the charming downtown area has an eclectic mix of shops - from boutiques to sushi restaurants to western bars. A proactive approach to growth has helped this growing resort town maintain a focus on community, with the recent additions of bike paths and walking trails, the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Art Center, and The Wave fitness center.

Spokane Spokane, Washington is known as Heart of the Inland Northwest. The city of 200,000 serves as a shopping, entertainment, and medical hub for an area that includes four states and two Canadian provinces.

The vibrant city is the stage for a variety of cultural and sports events, including Bloomsday, the largest timed road race in the nation. In addition to the downtown department stores and boutiques, shoppers will find two major malls: the Northtown Mall with 175 stores and the Spokane Valley Mall with over 120 stores and a 12-plex cinema.

Coeur d'Alene Lake Coeur d’Alene is at the heart of this resort town of 40,000 residents. The Idaho town boasts the luxurious Coeur d'Alene Resort, a world-class golf course with a floating green, and Silverwood, the Northwest's largest theme and water park.

The historic, refurbished brick buildings downtown offer a variety of shops and restaurants. The popular “A Taste of the Coeur d’Alene” festival of arts is held annually on the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene the first weekend of August.