Ford Cabin

Ford Cabin offers a cozy, rustic getaway along the appropriately named Wild and Scenic North Fork of the Flathead River, about 45 miles north of Columbia Falls in northwestern Montana. It is available from May 22 to March 31 and can be reached by vehicle, though four-wheel drive and chains are recommended during the winter. The majority of the road from Columbia Falls is gravel, so be prepared for dust during your drive and at the cabin. The rustic log cabin has a small, covered front porch and a vault toilet nearby. It is equipped with a propane stove, lights, a heater and limited cooking and eating utensils. Furnishings include two bunk beds and one double bed, accommodating up to six people. Water from a hand-pump system is only available from April to November; in winter, visitors must bring their own. Other items to bring include food, bedding, flashlights, a first aid kit and other basic camping gear. Rainbow and cutthroat trout fishing is pleasant here — in fact, the Flathead River is renowned for its excellent fly fishing. Visitors can hike and mountain bike on various trails and roads, or float the river from the Canadian border to Polebridge on Class I to II rapids. The cabin is perched on a grassy field beside a stand of pine trees, near the North Fork of the Flathead River and Tepee Creek. The surrounding Glacier View Ranger District is bordered on the east by the Middle Fork of the Flathead River and Glacier National Park; to the north is Canada and to the west the Kootenai National Forest. A variety of wildlife lives in the area, including elk, moose and bears. Polebridge Mercantile, about a half-hour's drive from the cabin, offers limited supplies.