10 Fast, Fun, Facts about the Flathead (the Valley, the Lake, the River and the County)

Here are some fun, fast facts about the Flathead Valley.  For clarification, when people say “the Flathead” they could mean one of several things: the Flathead Valley, the Flathead River (or one of its 3 forks), The Flathead Lake or Flathead County.  Flathead County encompasses most of the Flathead Valley and some of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the East but does not include the land bordering the lower half of Flathead Lake.

The Flathead Valley from Lone Pine State Park

1.  Flathead Lake, to the South of Kalispell is the largest freshwater lake West of the Mississippi (in the continental US).
2. Flathead County has an estimated population of 94,900.  3^rd most populated county in Montana.
3. Only about 30,000 residents live in the incorporated towns of Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.  The rest live in the country and in smaller communities.
4. 94% of the 5,000 + square miles of land in Flathead County is National Forest, State Forest, Corporate Timber, Wilderness or Agricultural.  Only 6% is developed.
5.  The total population of the Flathead increases by 40% from June through August.
6.  Dorothy M. Johnson, a Western Novelist, who had 3 of her books made into movies was a long-time Flathead Valley resident.
7.  The town of Kalispell (the largest town in the valley) was incorporated when the Great Northern Railway was built through the valley in 1891.  Prior to 1884 there wasn’t even a post office in the Flathead Valley.
8. The Flathead River and its 3 forks (North Fork, South Fork and Middle Fork) have 219 miles of designated scenic river.
9. Between 3 and 5 million pounds of cherries are harvested in the Flathead Valley every year.
10.  The Flathead Valley is named after the Native American tribe known by that name that now resides on a reservation bordering the south end of Flathead Lake.

Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out Kalispell's best hotel!

Flathead Cherries- Festival, Seasons and Orchard - Flathead Lake's Fruit

You’ll see the signs and roadside stands all over as you drive in the Flathead Valley and near Glacier National Park:  “Huckleberries and Flathead Cherries Sold Here!”  Huckleberries get a little more publicity, but their domesticated rival, the Flathead Cherry, deserves some credit in the delicious category too.  Flathead Cherries are technically the Lambert variety of sweet cherries, but have their own unique flavor because of where they are grown.  Often colored in both yellow and light red, they have the perfect amount of sweetness combined with a savory flavor. 



As you can see the big three are: Cherries, Huckleberries and Jerky (not necessarily in that order)

Cherries? Montana in Montana?!  Isn't it too cold?

The Flathead Lake region is actually ideal for cherry production given its altitude, water access, soil and moderate climate.  "Cool evenings are our saving grace," said one Flathead cherry grower.  Apparently 40-50 degree evenings combined with warm days are ideal for extending the cherry growing season.  The early cherry growers must have realized this when they started growing cherries in the Flathead over 80 years ago in 1932!  The Flathead Cherry Growers Association has been around since 1935.  



Cherry Stand near West Glacier, MT

The Flathead typically produces between 3 and 5 million pounds of cherries every year with a high of 7 million.  There are 120 cherry growers in the Flathead.  This isn't close to the volume that Washington state produces, but Montana is among the top cherry producers in the nation.  

Where? When?  How?

The timing and volume of cherry crops are extremely weather dependent (this year the harvest was earlier because of the hot weather in June), but in general the cherry harvest occurs in mid July and lasts for 2-3 weeks.  Polson's Cherry Festival celebrating the beloved fruit is typically slated for mid to late July.  This event is a must attend if you are in the area!  Vendors line the streets and there are all manner of cherry related contests including: pie eating, stem tying and pit spitting.  

As stated in the beginning of this article, during the harvest you can buy them at almost any roadside stand anywhere near Flathead Lake and Glacier.  You can often get them in grocery stores and they are even sold at super markets in some northwest, midwest and southwest states.  

But if you want the most authentically Montana experience in obtaining your cherries, you can pick them right from the tree!  Hockaday Orchards, just south of Lakeside on the West shore of Flathead Lake will let you pick your own cherries at $1 a pound!  Or you can adopt your own tree at Point Caroline Orchards!


Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out the Trip Advisor number 1 Kalispell hotel!