Timberland

A winter weekend in Seeley Lake.

As much as I love skiing, sometimes I crave variety in my winter lifestyle. After 40-plus years in Bozeman, I’d been feeling motivated to experience something a little different than the usual weekend trip to Bridger Bowl, followed by beers at Bridger Brewing, with an increasing number of people named Bridger. So, last winter, my friend Clare and I took a weekend excursion to Seeley Lake, with the goal of recreating in a place that’s more hardy than hipster.

We decided to take the “water way,” through Helena, rather than the “prison way,” through Deer Lodge, so we could fill up our bottles at the freshwater spring on MacDonald Pass. After brushing a foot of snow off my Subaru, we hit I-90 around 2pm on a frosty Friday. We stopped in the state capital to gas up, then followed Highway 12 over the pass, through Elliston, and past the Avon Cafe (which has great milkshakes, should you stop in the summer), where we turned north onto Highway 141.

Here the drive became a tour of what remains the most exquisite ranchland I’ve ever seen. The Bob Marshall Wilderness with its rolling hills beneath staggering peaks, abandoned cabins with speckled cattle wandering inside, and the tiny ranching towns of Helmville and Ovando are the stuff of today’s Hulu shows. Finally, we arrived at “the cow,” otherwise known as “Stoney the bull,” at Clearwater Junction, and made the final turn onto Highway 83. Around 6:30pm, we rolled into the unincorporated timber town of Seeley Lake.

After breakfast, we walked next door to Kra-Z’s Powersports Rentals, the outfit that would be taking us riding.

The community sits at 4,019 feet in the Clearwater watershed. It was named for Jasper B. Seely, who was the area’s first forest ranger on what was then known as the Lewis and Clark Forest Reserve. The namesake lake, a 1,025-acre glacial blue pond, is bordered by the Mission and Swan mountain ranges, parts of which bear scars from the 2017 Rice Ridge fire.

With no chance of wildfires during our visit, Clare and I were psyched for our chilly but invigorating weekend ahead—we had scheduled snowmobiling for Saturday and cross-country skiing for Sunday. We grabbed snacks at Cory’s Valley Market and checked into our cabin at the Double Arrow Lodge. The Double Arrow’s cabins are generally $250 per night, which was worth it for indoor plumbing and walls without see-through knotholes in them. We unpacked, ate some cheese, and passed out—we were ready for adventure, but we were also ready for bed.

The next morning we hit Pop’s, the local diner, for breakfast. Our server Jen informed us we were lucky we didn’t visit last winter, when there was dirt instead of snow on Christmas Day. On that hopeful note, we walked next door to Kra-Z’s Powersports Rentals, the outfit that would be taking us riding. We asked Karl ZurMuehlen, the owner and our guide for the day, to plan the route, as he’s a lifelong Seeley resident and knows the nearly 400 miles of groomed trails like the back of his helmet. He introduced us to our snowmobiles, and we were off.

For anyone who’s never driven a sled, it’s a lot like a wave-runner on snow instead of water. It’s liberating, exhilarating, and potentially dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Therefore, Karl took us on some sleek tabletop trails rather than backcountry, since we’re not the most experienced. It was about 20 degrees outside with no wind and a few puffs of clouds overhead. As we coasted around Rice Ridge and then over to Lake Inez, I noticed fresh elk tracks in the snow. I was bummed not to see any wildlife, but if I were them, I wouldn’t have hung around the noise, either.

By mid-afternoon, Clare and I had gotten our fix of mechanized skimming and were fantasizing about our dinner to come: Lindey’s Prime Steakhouse, baby.

Speaking of which, if sledding’s not your jam, I was told that other popular wintertime activities in Seeley include pond hockey, snowshoeing (but don’t you dare do it on the Nordic trails), fat-tire biking, the Iditarod-qualifying Race to the Sky dog-sled race, and ice fishing. A friend of Karl’s described the preferred local method, pike-spearing, like so: a square is cut in the ice, into which eggshells are dropped to create a white background against the passing fish. Then, using a dummy pole armed with a jig alongside a Hawaiian sling (imagine a spear with a bungie cord on it), pike are speared... and filleted up for dinner, if you’re inclined to such pursuits. Just make sure you know your ice thickness; four inches is generally considered the minimum for fishing.

By mid-afternoon, Clare and I had gotten our fix of mechanized skimming and were fantasizing about our non-pike dinner to come: Lindey’s Prime Steakhouse, baby. Lindey’s is one of those old-school Montana gems where you may order steak, steak, or steak. All choices come with salad, garlic bread, and buttery, hashbrown-ish potatoes that I cannot replicate despite dozens of attempts. We each ordered the Lindey’s Special Sirloin and a glass of Cab, which went together like thumbs and throttles.

The next morning, we headed to the Grizzly Claw for coffees and bear claws, naturally. Then it was up to the Seeley Creek Loop trailhead for some cross-country skiing. This trail system, originally built in 1978, offers over 16 miles of varying difficulty and is groomed by the Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Club.

Thank you, Nordic Clubbers. The tracks had a few ruts already, but it was still cold enough that the snow was perfect for gliding. As we bobbed and weaved among the looming larch and lodgepoles, frequent “Prevent Wildfires!” and “YOU ARE IN BEAR COUNTRY!” signs winked color at us from under the powder. Fat, falling flakes sparkled in the sun. I may be biased, but I declare Lolo National Forest objectively some of Montana’s most spectacular wilderness land.

Seeley Lake is no longer just a place for sawmills; today it has nearly everything you need—unless it’s a pair of jeans, a set of sheets, or a broken leg fixed (in which case, you’re going to Missoula). But you are guaranteed gorgeous views, plenty of beef, sweet dive bars, an expired log mill, and lots of snowy fun.