Planning trip west

[birddog]

I am planning a fishing trip for next summer and would like some advise. I am thinking Glacier Nat. Park for a hike in backpacking trip. This would be Fly in to Kalispell and get a ride to the park (no vehicle needed). I am thinking even with $750 for plane tickets I can get away with less than $500 in other costs including a nights stay in a hotel before and after. Is there any other spots that you can fly close to and spend a week in the back country without renting a car for a similar price tag? Alaska is a lot more for plane tickets.
-Jeff

[whichwayout]

Dude $750 for a plane ticket? From Michigan. Thats a lot of money. I just went to Japan a year ago for $610 round trip. Look around and invest in triple A, aka AAA, or Automobil Club of America. There not the only place to check and your post might even get some replies that will be more helpful. Good luck
ps If cash is part of it a Bus might be better and might even be more fun if you can hook up with others that are doing the same thing.

[Steve Molcsan]

West Yellowstone... Rent a bike if you feel inclined in town and you are set.
Easy to thumb a ride all around that country too!

The buss thing is a good idea to get to your destination...

Sounds like you are in for quite an adventure...

[ScottP]

I am planning a fishing trip for next summer and would like some advise. I am thinking Glacier Nat. Park for a hike in backpacking trip. This would be Fly in to Kalispell and get a ride to the park (no vehicle needed). I am thinking even with $750 for plane tickets I can get away with less than $500 in other costs including a nights stay in a hotel before and after. Is there any other spots that you can fly close to and spend a week in the back country without renting a car for a similar price tag? Alaska is a lot more for plane tickets.
-Jeff

If your flying out of Detroit, your air fares to MT will probably be a little less than $750 since that's a NorthWorst hub. In addition to Kalispell/Glacier, you could fly into Jackson and have access to Yellowstone/Teton/Wind River & possibly Beartooth (might be easier to hit that from Billings). Kalispell to Glacier is nice because that's only about a 25 minute trip to the Park and then you can ride the shuttle buses that travel throughout the park; prices on those are pretty reasonable. There's some decent fishing in the park, not up to par with YNP & the others, but the scenery alone is worth it and it's a great park to hike. Might be a way to access the Bob Marshall Wilderness from Kalispell, too, and then you'd have the South Fork Flathead to fish.

Regards,
Scott

[GBurgFisher]

Hey Jeff
I did something similar last summer. I would suggest the middle fork (where I was) or the south fork. We were technically in the great bear wilderness, not the national park. These are truly wilderness streams, and I haven't been able to find many other areas like that. If there are other areas like that in the states, please let me know. I?ve been looking, and am going up to AK in a few months to re-create the solitude.

I think you could easily do the trip for no more than 500 on top of the plane tickets. It all depends on how long, what you eat, and what gear you would need to pull something like this off. I think you can probably pull a 7 day menu off for less than 150. You could eat ramen for 7 days and only spend about $20. You don't have to pay to stay in national parks. You'll need a fishing license (40ish). You are going to need a set up to bear bag (>30), and will need a can of bear spray ($50)(for the love of god do not go out there without these two things...grizz's in glacier are the real deal). You will need maps ($15 a piece from mytopo). I can't think of anything else, but if you already have the right gear you will not need more than food and maps.

You will not even need that many flies. A friend brought about 20 dozen flies out with us. He probably used 12 flies the entire trip, and I know he used only two flies (of the same pattern) to catch about 30 trout one day. The cutts on the MF will hit almost anything that floats...including an orange balloon indicator that was inflated to the size of a golf ball (by mistake).

One thing I would question is the free ride to glacier. Is there public transportation, do you have a friend, or are you hitch hiking. Its a solid drive from Kalispell. You will also need transportation from the airport. That shouldn't be too terrible though.

For everyone else. 750 for plan tickets doesn't shock me at all. I paid 650 last summer. I ordered the tickets in Feb., we weren't in a gas crisis, and the economy was doing great. Not that many people fly in the Kalispell, and northwest just skirted bankruptcy about two months ago.

[slough foot]

Jeff

Last year I did a 7 day back packing fly fishing trip along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in the wilderness area. Just my brother and me, no guide and we outfitted ourselves. We took a small plane ($350 for two) into Schafer Meadows and spent the week hiking out. We went the first week of August last year which is past rafting season. Didn't see other people for 5 1/2 days. We went the first week of August last year which is past rafting season. It's definityely wilderness, a tough hike, but we caught fish and were by ourselves. If you want more info let me know.

Scott

[slough foot]

Gburgfisher

Where did you go on the MF?

[GBurgFisher]

Exact same place actually. We hiked over a few ranges and picked up the trail along the middle fork about half way between the airfield and that parking lot. I was actually there about the same time, probably a week or two before. Did you get hit by the wildfires at all? I heard they were using the parking lot we got picked up in as a helicopter launch area.

[slough foot]

We could see large smoke plumes in the distance, but it wasn't close enough to be evacuated. At night you could see the ash in the air using your flashlight beam. In the mornings our tents had a light ash coating. We hiked up to Castle Lake one day and the air was hazy.

We had a great wilderness fishing experience. It definitely was hard work, but it's great to catch wild cutthroat and not see anyone else for such a long time. There wasn't a single rafter, the water was too low.

If you know of other places similar in fishing and remoteness to the MF of Flathead, that don't require a lot of expense or outfitters, I would like to hear about it. Our budget is typically $500 each for 8 days, excluding airfare which is normally free using NWA mileage. That includes all local transportation, food, drink, local flies, licenses, fees, etc. We prefer to stay in tents every night except the night before we fly home.

This year were headed back to our old standby, Slough Creek in Yellowstone to fish the 2nd and 3rd meadows again as well as the Lamar River around cache Creek.