Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake

Sunday 28th and Monday 29^th May, 2023

The weather was quite unsettled as we drove east from Spokane to Big Fork, Montana.  Despite the rain we could tell that the countryside was majestic.  Our route followed I-90 initially and then a sequence of rivers and streams once in Montana.  We travelled up the west side of Flathead Lake and around to the small town of Big Fork on the east side.  The campground was called the Wayfarer section of the Flathead Lake State Park.  In some ways we were very lucky to have been able to book a site at this campground, considering that it was Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend.  I’m pretty sure every site was full.  Looking around, I could see into six other campsites. I felt slightly bad for the family camping next to us ... their picnic table was probably 8 feet from ours with no screening vegetation. 

The following morning we went for a hike along the Swan River.  The river seemed to be running very fast over a series of rapids.  Part way along the path, we met the dam / spillway.  Beyond that was a placid lake where we were able to find a few ducks of interest.  Once we reached the far end of the walk, it started to rain intermittently.  We got back to the car without getting more than damp, but while we sat in the car eating our lunch, the rain really set in.  We drove to a couple of birding “hot spots” and spent the afternoon searching for birds for our list.  In the winter and during the migration, there are many areas around Flathead Lake with a wide variety of bird species.  At this time of year these same areas areas are closed to the public. They are designated as “waterfowl production areas” (not a phrase I’d heard previously) and we think at this time that it means breeding areas for ducks.  However, in the fall and winter, these sites are open for hunting!  One such area was the very beautiful Smith Lake which we visited in the later afternoon.

The campsite was a lot quieter when we arrived back! After dinner, we walked along to the viewpoint overlooking the lake.  It was a spectacular sunset.   

Gloria

The Swan River, below the dam, flowing towards the town of Big Fork on the shores of Flathead Lake.

The relatively tranquil waters of the Swan River (lake) above the dam.

A lily flower of some type

The river flowing through Smith Lake Water Fowl Production Area

The land to the north of Flathead Lake is mostly agricultural. here a classic barn is lit up by the sun with storm clouds behind.

Dandelion at sunset on our first evening at Flathead Lake. This was taken with a narrow aperture / relatively large depth of field using a 105 micro lens and a tripod. My efforts to create a "focus stacked" image were completely unsuccessful - the computer program could not handle so many dissecting lines. 

Our second evening was a spectacular sunset over Flathead Lake, shot from the campground

Panorama after sunset