Skip to main content

US 93 in Montana: From the Flathead Valley to Missoula

Image
By
In 2019, I had the occasion of visiting the scenic Flathead Valley in Montana twice, which involved taking US 93 between Whitefish and Missoula in bits and pieces. It is an incredibly scenic area, as you pass through the historic city of Kalispell, alongside Flathead Lake, through towns like Polson and down alongside the mountains to Missoula. For some, it is part of the drive to Glacier National Park. For others, it is a vital transportation link between the communities of western Montana. For me, it was a chance to check out some of the scenery in a place I don't get to visit much. It's about 135 miles between Whitefish and Missoula, but it's certainly a scenic 135 miles. It's also part of a much longer highway that runs from Arizona to Alberta, by way of Nevada, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia. Let's check it out, shall we...


Starting off in Whitefish, a scenic town with a lot of specialty shops, resorts and a historic train station that once served the Great Northern Railway. Today, Amtrak stops at the station in Whitefish as part of their Empire Builder route. I actually took the Empire Builder back east from Whitefish. There's only a few communities along US 93 between Whitefish and the Canadian border, about 60 miles north.






Between Whitefish and Kalispell, US 93 becomes a busy four lane road, as it is an economic lifeline for the Flathead Valley and the many tourists who stay in Kalispell for recreational activities such as skiing, boating, or visiting Glacier National Park. Travelers to Glacier National Park may use MT 40 as a shortcut to Columbia Falls and West Glacier.




Situated at the junction of US 2 and US 93, Kalispell is the heart of the Flathead Valley and the county seat of Flathead County. Kalispell has an old West flair to it, a bustling brewing industry and historic sites such as the historic Kalispell Grand Hotel and the Conrad Mansion. Travelers who choose to bypass downtown Kalispell can do so by taking US 93 Alternate around the west side of Kalispell.










Now that we've visited a couple of the towns along this stretch of US 93, let's start working our way south to Missoula. It's a good 120 miles from Kalispell. US 93 hugs the western shores of Flathead Lake fairly closely from the town of Somers (just south of Kalispell) to Polson. From there, US 93 makes a beeline south through the Flathead Reservation on its way to I-90, just northwest of Missoula proper.

Heading out of Kalipsell on US 93 southbound.

A long way from Missoula. MT 28 is part of the way to I-90 for westbound travelers to Idaho and Washington State.
Flathead Lake and some snow capped mountains in the background. Western Montana was the recipient of a lot of early season snow in late September 2019, and it had still lingered into early November.

The drive reminded me a bit of driving through the Adirondacks. The next few photos are along the stretch of US 93 southbound between Lakeside and MT 28, just before Big Arm.




Approaching the town of Big Arm, home of Big Arm State Park and a resort.
I thought that I'd stop and get a picture of Flathead Lake while I was in Big Arm. Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States of America, and the 79th largest freshwater lake in the world.

Big Arm, Montana.
Approaching Polson. Driving southbound, I found this to be one of the most incredible vistas on my drive.

So nice, I had to take a picture twice!

Rocky Point is a town

Crossing the Flathead River into Polson. You may notice that the sign is in two languages, English and Salish. The Salish language is used by the Pend d'Oreille and Salish tribes of the Flathead Reservation. You'll see more of this as we work our way south.

Oh, that view.
Charming Polson, Montana. The city was named for rancher David Polson and incorporated in 1910.

MT 35 follows the east shore of Flathead Lake between Kalispell and Polson. If I have a reason to come back to this area, I'll give a drive along MT 35 a try.

Starting to leave Polson.

Ascending Polson Hill. There is a really nice scenic overlook, but it was only accessible to northbound travelers.

Getting into some flat territory in the towns of Pablo and Ronan in the Flathead Reservation.

Entering Ronan. The mountain range in view are called the Mission Mountains.

Turning right onto Montana Secondary Highway 211 will take you around the Flathead Reservation.

Leaving Ronan, the next town we'll pass is St. Ignatius, home to the historic St. Ignatius Mission, which is a Roman Catholic church that offers tours and is noted for its original paintings from the 1890s by Brother Joseph Carignano.
Big Sky Country, indeed.

The Mission Mountains make the backdrop.

Approaching MT 200, a long highway stretching over 700 miles from North Dakota to Idaho. It could be scenic or desolate, depending on your point of view. This is part of a longer multi state Highway 200 that runs from US 2 just west of Duluth, Minnesota all the way into Washington State, which continues as WA 20 out to the Puget Sound.
US 93 and MT 200 have a play date all the way to I-90 in Missoula.


There's that Salish language sign again.

This is near Arlee, Montana, which is home to the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas. I didn't know about this place before writing this blog, and like the St. Ignatius Mission further up the road, I didn't really have the time to stop and check that out.

Wilderness overpass.

Getting close to I-90 now.

US 93 and MT 200 join I-90. US 93 veers off a few miles to the east onto Reserve Road in Missoula. MT 200 lingers on and then ventures off on its own again just east of Missoula.


Sources and Links:
Explore Montana's Highway 93 - Northwest Travel and Life
Top 5 FIT Attractions - Montana's U.S. Highway 93 - Glacier County Montana
U.S. 93 Reaching for the Border - Federal Highway Administration
U.S. 93 - AARoads.com
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I-40 rockslide uncovers old debates on highway

By
The Asheville Citizen-Times continues to do a great job covering all the angles of the Interstate 40 Haywood County rock slide. An article in Sunday's edition provides a strong historical perspective on how the Pigeon River routing of Interstate 40 came about. And perhaps most strikingly, in an article that ran just prior to the highway's opening in the fall of 1968, how engineers from both Tennessee and North Carolina warned "...that slides would probably be a major problem along the route for many years." On February 12, 1969, not long after the Interstate opened, the first rock slide that would close I-40 occurred. Like many other Interstates within North Carolina, Interstate 40 through the mountains has a history prior to formation of the Interstate Highway System and was also a heated political battle between local communities. The discussion for a road that would eventually become Interstate 40 dates back to the 1940's as the idea for interregional high
2 comments
Read more

Mines Road

By
Mines Road is an approximately twenty-eight-mile highway located in the rural parts of the Diablo Range east of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Mines Road begins in San Antonio Valley in Santa Clara County and terminates at Tesla Road near Livermore of Alameda County.  The highway essentially is a modern overlay of the 1840s Mexican haul trail up Arroyo Mocho known as La Vereda del Monte.  The modern corridor of Mines Road took shape in the early twentieth century following development of San Antonio Valley amid a magnesite mining boom.  Part 1; the history of Mines Road Modern Mines Road partially overlays the historic corridor used by La Vereda del Monte (Mountain Trail).  La Vereda del Monte was part of a remote overland route through the Diablo Range primarily used to drive cattle from Alta California to Sonora.  The trail was most heavily used during the latter days of Alta California during the 1840s. La Vereda del Monte originated at Point of Timber between modern day Byron and Bre
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

By
When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced from Bates Station owner/operator George Ba
Post a Comment
Read more