Anyone familiar with Hwy 93 in MT

Mac told me they used to sell "Pray for Me I Drive 93" bumper stickers, so I Googled the phrase.

Hi Liralen,

Hwy 93 from Missoula to Kalispell can be a beautiful ride, depending on the day. They did a lot of road work on it recently, so that the part from MIssoula to Polson has areas where the road goes from one to two lanes then back to one again to alleviate the congestion. There was a lot of traffic buildup in the summer with trailors/ campers and with trucks all year long. The Native American tribes (Salish Kootenai and others) didn't want the entire road turned into a 4 lane Hwy, so this was the compromise that was agreed upon. On large stretches of the road, there are new, tall fences that prevent animals from entering the highway. There are underpasses the animals can take so they can move from one side to the other safely.

In Arlee, there is a large Pow-Wow every July 4th.
As you continue up 93, you reach the intersection that will take you to the National Bison Range (Montanans just call it the Bison Rang) and then you head up a hill. When you crest the hill, there is a majestic view of the MIssion Mountains.


Saint Ignatius is the next town, and there is a large Hutterite community there. It is not uncommon to see horse pulled carts/ wagons aroudn this area. The valley is beautiful, a lot of farms and open still. There is a bird refuge, the Ninepipe. You can see a lot of migratory birds there, depending on the season.

Once you pass through Ronan, you head up a hill that will lead down into Polson at the base of Flathead Lake. The best view of Flathead is from the top of that hill, before you reach the viewing area.

Oh, and the speed limit on 93 is 65 mph due to the heavy road congestion (for Montana)

If you were to go from Missoula to Kalispell, you would take the west side.
If you were to go from Missoula to Glacier, the East side.

The East side is a windy road, speed limit 50 mph, and there is a cop who loves to ticket. The road is lined with cherry orchards and you can stop at numerous stands to buy cherries in the summer. Migrants (mainly Mexican and of Mexican descent) from Eastern Washington come each year to pick the crops. There are also roads leading down to private homes, many year round residences, though also many vacation homes. There are two popular public accesses, one is Yellow Bay and I can't remember the name of the second one.

Bigfork, a great artist community and cute little town, is on the East side. It has a nice little cove and is very picturesque. When you come toward the top of the East side and turnoff toward Glacier, there is a lot of farmland.

The mountains by Flathead are the Swans. The Missions end before Flathead Lake. (I'd recommend getting a good map of Montana to determine where one mountain range ends and the other begins.- it can be confusing!)

If you have any more questions, please ask and I'll see what I can do. I've driven that road many times, as I am from Missoula.

Go to google maps and do a streetview of it. You can scroll down the highway, it's almost like driving.

I've done that for a few spots in my latest novel and I think it adds a lot to be able to virtually travel those roads.

Hi Liralen,

In the 70's, none of that work was done and I think it tended to be a slow drive. It was a two lane road the entire way from Kalispell to Missoula (although there might have been 2 places where there were 2 lanes on the southbound route, one near the Bison range and another further on toward Missoula as the road is cresting a hill, but I don't know when they put in those lanes). I don't know mile markers, sorry about that. Also, I'm not as familiar with the West side HWY, as when I go home, I tend to go to Glacier rather than Kalispell. But, from what I remember, it is windy, slow going, and hugs the lake for a good portion of the area from Kalispell to Polson.

I hope this helps!

Ramona

We used to drive from Missoula to Flathead Lake back in the 70s for cherry picking. Seems to me the road was two-lane for the most part, but what impressed me greatly was the drunk drivers. Any time of the day or night, drunks weaving all over the road, drunks in ditches, drunks driving 20 MPH--they haunt me still.

Drove it this time last year. Saw bears crossing the highway. "Look at that, bears!" So yeah aside from all kinds of deer/elk and such. Lots of wildlife, roadkill, two lanes and sure enough... drunks.

Montana native here. I recall during the fall in the '70s drunk bears, too.

U.S. Route 93 was two lanes and straight as an arrow through the Flathead rez between St. Ignatius and Ronan. In the apple orchards along Nine Pipes Reservoir and wildlife refuge, the grizzlies fed on fermented ground apples and staggered about for Super 8 movie cameras.

They were drunk as the drivers, but not so dangerous unless you wanted to pick fall apples.

Hi Liralen,

I spoke with my dad about your question, and he said that the truckers always use the East side highway (not what I was thinking because it is more windy), because it is about 7-10 miles shorter and they save money on gas. Most of the truck accidents occur (and there have been quite a few) between Bigfork and Polson, a very windy stretch with cherry orchards all around. Hope this helps!

Ramona