Just got an email from MPA about an upgrade to their website http://www.montanapilots.org/airstrip_s ... sp?menuID=
Great info, good reason to help support them

Thinkin if I go to Idaho this summer, may go up through Montana, and wondered what the favorite strips are for campin, fishin, hot springs , mogas, grub, etc.

Thanks Gary

I wouldn't call it a strip, more like a airport, but when you need to take a break, Kalispell is hard to beat. I mean it has it all, within a couple minutes walk. Mo-gas, good cheap motel that caters to pilots, great food, bar, full service grocery store etc. etc. It'd be a great place to base out of while you explore.

If I was president, EVERY airport that received federal funding would be required to be like Kalispell!

West Fork Lodge http://westforklodge.com/ good camping, food,beer, cabins ,
West Yellowstone great camping, food on field,Bikes to get to town, get a rental car and go to Old Faithful
Any strip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness

When you going Gary? I'm thinking about doing a MT and Northern ID loop before the BCP fly-in. It would be fun to have some more camping partners.

mountainmatt wrote:When you going Gary? I'm thinking about doing a MT and Northern ID loop before the BCP fly-in. It would be fun to have some more camping partners.

Me too!!
I think you would love Cavanaugh Bay Matt.

Dammit Ernie, you stepped on my post

Matt

I usually go in August so I can catch Austin on the way bac. But I have been wannting to do N. Idaho too. May have to mix a batch of margs at Caveman and talk about it. Probly should get someone to take note too.

Gary

except no Austin this year....

Schafer Meadows in the Great Bear Wilderness is one of the nicest around. If staying overnight take bear precaution seriously as they ain't the black ones! Fishing is so-so but it is just a nice area to hike; we enjoy sunbathing along the river in the summer.

When I lived in North Idaho, I flew around a bit in Montana. I spotted two unknown strips from the air and I've always wondered if they were open or not. Perhaps someone here knows of them. Here are the coordinates:

47.795, -112.944

47.508, -113.236

Alright, a mission

Both are strips that were closed when the wilderness was created.

Montana didn't fair as well as Idaho when the wilderness designation happened in the mid 60's. None of the strips inside the Bob Marshal Wilderness got grandfathered in. Some strips were/are used by the Forrest Service but none are open for public use.

Shafer Meadows (8U2) is the only strip in Montana located within a designated wilderness. There are others bordering wilderness areas. Some good ones besides Schafer are Meadow Creek (0S1) and Spotted Bear (9U4).

Gary:

Promised one of my sons that I would try to shoot for Montana and Idaho this summer some time.

As the calendar gets more defined, I will let you know. You would have to put up with the kids and fishing though. I am guessing early Aug.

Now that I think about it though, not sure that I would live through a full week of your Margs. Woke up after one night at Negrito with a hangover!!!


Regards, Larry

Larry
It's (the margs) just like flyin, ya gotta pracice, practice, practice Readin about 'em on the internet just isn't enough. There will be a key practice session at Caveman in May, and I am always available for tutoring.
Gary

You guys are welcome here at my strip ( Hanson PVT on the Great Falls sectional ) if ya want to camp. Just a couple miles from Cabin Creek, for fuel. We're a ways off the hiway and lots of room.....
John

West Yellowstone is hard to beat for family. The campground is bear fenced, showers hot, bikes available to ride into town, shopping for the ladies, bearworld for kids. Of course there's the park too. You can do 6-7 t&g's on the 10,000 strip on the way in but there is Henry's Lake airstrip 5 minutes away if you want to get grass stains. We like to take an evening flight out over the hot side of Yellowstone Lake and then back over the Caldera of Island Park, there's lots of water so just before sundown is beautiful.

I also like Kalispel as someone mentioned, Wisdom can be fun if you fish but the grass strip is rough. Chico Hot Springs used to let you land there but I've heard somebody crashed, rebuilt, and crashed again pissing off the establishment and perhaps rolling up the welcome mat. Avoid Wilsal unless you have squishy tires. Lima has good food at Yesterday's Cafe, there's a road leading up to the cafe that's been used instead of the airstrip across the interstate. A prior ground recon is a good idea. You can do a lot from Three Forks and a meal at Sir Scott's is worth the price of admission.

Update: "The former runway / landing strip at Chico has been closed due to residential growth in our area."

Always meant to fly over to the strip at Lang Creek Brewery but I heard they closed?

Ye, that sounded good to me too. but seems I verfied that it had been closed a couple years ago??
Gary