Ten Things You'll Love About Riding in Kalispell, Montana

September 9, 2017 - Brink Kuchenbrod is Adventure Cycling's digital media coordinator.

1. You’ll love northwest Montana

Kalispell, Montana is the heart of northwest Montana’s beautiful mountains, valleys, rivers, and lakes. On their way west in the 1890s, Charles E. Conrad and family passed through the area, shipping fortune in hand, stopped awestruck in their tracks, and built their mansion here. One look was all it took.

2. You’ll love the variety

Ride paved rail trails or paved and gravel Adventure Cycling routes, climb Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, slay singletrack at Herron Park, tool around downtown for great food, or cruise Woodland Park to feed the ducks — there’s cycling for everyone in Kalispell.

3. You’ll love the off-the-bike fun

Kalispell is known as an outdoor mecca for many things, of course. Bring your rod and reel for some fishing or go horseback riding with some cowboys.

4. You’ll love Wheaton’s Cycle

Wheaton’s Cycle has been an Adventure Cycling member shop for 17 years! They can fix your steed or set kids and adults up on rental bikes for a day or a week. Choose a comfortable hybrid, a road bike, or a mountain bike. Give them a call for rates, 406.257.5808.

5. You’ll love the “Moab of the North”

Yes, the mountain biking in the Kalispell area will keep your grinning, even without the red/orange Entrada sandstone. Here’s the insider’s link to all the cycling in Kalispell. It includes plenty of tips for mountain bike trails, plus some tips for road rides too.

6. You’ll love access to the Adventure Cycling Route Network

Three of Adventure Cycling’s mapped bicycle routes pass nearby and Kalispell provides easy access to each of them: Northern Tier, Great Parks North, and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Not familiar with Adventure Cycling’s route network? We’ve mapped over 46,000 miles of routes in North America and we sell maps, paper and digital, for every mile.

7. You’ll love the lodging options

Camping? Hotels or motels? Kalispell has the indoor options covered with more than 1,700 rooms from elegant to thrifty. If you’re thinking tents or RVs, peruse Montana’s nearby state parks, search recreation.gov, or check out Hipcamp — “Hipcamp empowers people to share their land with campers.”

8. Foodies unite! Fuel up with food and beverage options to delight

Here’s a short list to get you started on the mouth-watering options ...

• Fuel up at the Split Rock Cafe in Kalispell’s historic KM building. They serve breakfast, lunch, and great coffee in a relaxed setting with plenty of vintage furnishings.
• Wash omelets and pancakes down with the ten-cent cup of coffee at Sykes Diner.
• Find beautiful meals and friendly service at the Desoto Grill.
• Grab deli sandwiches and top-flight coffee at Montana Coffee Traders.
• Enjoy the tasty wonders of Two Ski Brewski Pils, Rope Tow Pale Ale, or Snowslip Stout, and others, right where they’re brewed at the Kalispell Brewing Co.
• Burgers, craft beer, artisan wines, and bikes go together at Hop’s Downtown Grill.

9. How could you not love Glacier National Park?

They don’t call it the Crown of the Continent for nothing. Flowery descriptions do no justice — don’t miss a visit to this soaring country.

10. Finally, you’ll love the art and culture

Tired from all the fun? Try a slower pace and explore downtown Kalispell by bike. Visit the exhibitions at the Hockaday Museum of Art, see how the fabulously wealthy lived in the 1890s at the Conrad Mansion, or discover the rich history of the Flathead Valley at the Museum at Central School.

Photos 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 by Tom Robertson | Photos 3, 4 courtesy of Discover Kalispell | Photo 9 by Brink Kuchenbrod

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