Yesterday was a beautiful September day in Flathead County, Montana. Sunny, dry, with a high around 80º. It was a perfect day to check out a new trail, Stovepipe Canyon Trail #196. If you're looking for a relatively short hike in the forests of Flathead County, this might be the place for you! Here are a few bits of information about doing so.
Access to the trailhead:
First, the directions provided by the Forest Service to get to the trailhead are as follows: Take Farm-to Market Road, turn onto Forest Service Rd 913 go 1 mile and turn on Forest Service Rd #2924 travel 3.5 miles and look for trailhead sign.
OK, that sounds nice and simple, but here is some more information. First, Flathead Service Rd 913 is the same as Tally Lake Road so you'll be turning off Farm-to-Market Road onto Tally Lake Road. It's a gravel road and is quite washboard-y at the moment, so don't bring a nice vehicle.
Then, at the one mile point, you'll be making a right onto FS #2924. BUT there is no sign at all to tell you that you've reached it. FS 2924 is a narrow gravel/dirt road about one mile from the start of Tally Lake Road. When you start down the road, you'll see a mailbox on the right, and a parking area on the left. If you see that, you're in the right place. From then on, just keep driving for 3.5 miles on a rutted narrow dusty road until you get to the trail. Keep an eye out for places to pull off just in case you meet up with another vehicle - there isn't room for two cars to pass each other on most of the road.
When you get to the trail, there is no sign for the trailhead and no pit toilet or any other "trail" related items. The only way you'll know you have arrived is when you see there is room to turn your car around. Park and then look for the tree with the arrow (see this photo on the left). Follow the arrow - that's the way to start walking!
Trail and Goal
The trail itself is narrow, and the forest is very thick. Make sure you bring your bear spray or other items to keep yourself safe (just in case). The trail isn't long at all, only 1.4 miles so less than three miles round trip. The beginning is relatively flat but about halfway through, you'll start heading down towards the lake. And that's the goal. At the end of the trail, you'll reach Tally Lake which is the deepest lake in Flathead County and the second deepest in Montana (at 445 feet). If you look at this photo, the lake looks shallow but if you look past the rocks at the shoreline, you'll see the water turns dark. That's because the bottom just falls off.
The lake is available for fishing whitefish, perch and various varieties of trout, so if you like to fish, bring your poles and fishing license. There is also a campground on the other side of the lake that you can drive to so that might be worth checking out on another day as well. Bring a snack or lunch and find a log to sit on near the water and enjoy!
Summary
This was a very quiet and private hike. We saw no cars either on our way in or our way out. We saw no other hikers. It felt as though we owned the entire lake! So if you're looking for a short trail that isn't far from the center of Kalispell but is nice and secluded, check out Stovepipe Canyon Trail. You won't be sorry!
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