For Visitors
Plan your visit
A sixty-mile valley between Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains. Highway 93 runs through it. You can drive the length in an hour, but you'd miss the reason to come.
At a glance
When to come
Two valleys in one location. Pick the season for the trip you want.
Working season
May through October
Restaurants are open. Lake access is unobstructed. Cherry season runs mid-July through August. The Arlee Celebration Powwow is the first weekend in July. Flathead Lake International Cherry Festival is mid-July in Polson.
- Best for lake activities, hiking, festivals
- Highest density of open businesses
- Reserve lodging well ahead for July and August
Quiet months
November through April
Many seasonal businesses close. The valley turns cold, snowy, and beautiful. Snowshoeing, ice fishing, and Mission Mountain views without summer haze. Plan more carefully because fewer places are open.
- Best for solitude, snow, ice fishing
- Reduced lodging and dining availability
- Call ahead to confirm hours and access
Where to base yourself
Three sensible home bases. Pick by what you came to do.
If you want the full menu
Polson
The natural anchor. Biggest in the Mission Valley, with the most lodging and restaurants. Sits on the south shore of Flathead Lake. Works as a hub for everything else in a three- or four-day trip.
Explore Polson →If you want the Missions
St. Ignatius
The move if you're coming for the Mission Mountains. Closest to the front-country trailheads. Quieter than Polson and tighter to the mountain wall.
Explore St. Ignatius →If you want the lake
Big Arm
The move if your trip is the lake. West-shore state park camping, lakeside resorts, sailing out of the marinas, and shuttle service to Wild Horse Island.
Explore Big Arm →How to get here
Three reasonable routes in. Driving is by far the most common.
By car
Highway 93
- From Missoula
- 75 to 90 minutes
- From Kalispell
- 60 minutes
- From Glacier (West entrance)
- 90 minutes
Highway 93 runs north-south through the Mission Valley. Two-lane most of the way, passing lanes at intervals.
By air
Missoula or Kalispell
- Missoula (MSO)
- 75 miles south · closest major
- Kalispell / Glacier Park (FCA)
- 60 miles north · often cheaper
Both rent cars. Compare fares; Kalispell can run noticeably less in summer.
By train
Empire Builder
- Whitefish station
- 80 miles north
- From the station
- Rental car or rideshare
The Amtrak Empire Builder stops in Whitefish. No direct rail to the Mission Valley. Plan ground transport from there.
Getting around
CSKT Transit
- Local routes
- Arlee · Pablo · Polson · Elmo · Hot Springs
- Fare
- $2 one-way
- Book
- (406) 275-2792 or the rider app
The tribes run public buses across the valley and anyone can ride. Same-day works if there's space. Details at cskt.org.
What to pack
A short list of things that matter, beyond the obvious.
- Layers Valley days can swing forty degrees from morning to night, summer or winter. Summer evenings drop fast once the sun leaves the lake.
- Real shoes If you plan to hike anything in the Mission Mountains. The trails aren't paved and front-country can mean rock and root.
- Sunscreen, bug spray May through August. The sun is stronger than the elevation suggests and the mosquitoes show up at dusk.
- Cash For farm stands, the powwow, and smaller operations. Card readers aren't universal in the valley yet.
Where to go
Every place in the Mission Valley, north to south.
County seat
Polson
South shore of Flathead Lake. The biggest in the Mission Valley, with the most lodging and dining. Most visitors use it as a hub.
CSKT headquarters
Pablo
Salish Kootenai College, the Three Chiefs Culture Center, and the administrative heart of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Practical center
Ronan
Agricultural center of the Mission Valley. Halfway between Polson and St. Ignatius. The second cluster of services after Polson.
Mission Mountain gateway
St. Ignatius
Gateway to the Mission Mountains, with the historic mission church and the closest access to the front-country trailheads.
Bison Range & wetlands
Charlo
Worth the turn east off Highway 93. The CSKT Bison Range, Ninepipes wetlands, and the Ninepipes Museum.
Southern gateway
Arlee
The southernmost place in the Mission Valley. Home of the Arlee Celebration Powwow each Fourth of July weekend.
West shore of Flathead Lake
Big Arm / Dayton
Where the road meets the lake. State park camping, lakeside resorts, sailing, and Wild Horse Island shuttles.
The crossroads
Ravalli
Where US-93 meets Highway 200, at the doorstep of the CSKT Bison Range. The Bison Inn Cafe is the classic stop.
Lower Flathead River
Dixon · Sčilíp
The smallest town in the valley, on the river along Highway 200. Famous for one thing: Dixon Melons, every August and September.