I’m a Montanan and disagree. Nice view but it’s a dusty little dirt road town with a tourist store and a saloon. The baked goods are good. The store probably sells more tire flat kits than any other store in Montana. They’ll also sell you a couple gallons of gas so you can get back to civilization. Cute place. Visit but it’s not the most beautiful town in our state.
I also am a Montanan and was thinking the same thing. I live in the Flathead Lake / Mission Mountains area and there is no comparison to this area and Polebridge. All of Montana is nice but Polebridge is not in the upper ten as far as beauty goes.
Now that everyone and their brother is posting all over youtube about how great MT. is, everybody and their brother( sisters,cousins, uncles.....) are moving here. The infrastructure is being overrun, sewer plants can't handle the increase in load, the traffic issues are getting out of hand ( try to register a new vehicle) and fewer and fewer can afford to live here. "Living in Montana" is loving the state to death.
@@youngtimer964 I reckon, nowhere is easy to live. That's just life but quite a few states have better wage/ cost of living proportion. Greedy billionares & celebrity types are buying out the Big Sky ( Idaho too). I'm a native Montanan who wasn't born with the silver spoon who had to leave the "treasure" state because of the wage/ housing disproportion. It's funny, back in the 70s & 80s MT was the but of jokes but now it's fashionable. Trends come and go. Still visit once a year to get my homeland fix. Parts of OLD MT will always be in my heart.
There is a massive cave system an hour north of Polebridge. One of those caves recently had its metal door ripped off and broken. When I asked the forest service ranger in Hungry Horse if it was Bigfoot, he didn't even blink and answered "maybe".
I have been in those caves many times…Tchuchuch campground is nearby…Even went in the “inner” inner” cave once…Had to inchworm through a culvert that was installed by I am assuming the Forest Circus
Absolutely right!! Montana was the prettiest place I’ve ever seen in my life. Being a Hispanic I was worried about how the locals would treat us, but the exact opposite. Love you Montanan’s.
Montana is in fact, a Spanish word, it means 'mountain'. Not sure who named the state, as Spanish explorers did not generally come this far north by land, although they were ths far north by sea, reaching Alaska in the late 1700's, there are numerous Spanish names along the Washington State, Alaska, and British Columbia coasts. There is a legend in south--central British Columbia, Canada, that Spanish artifacts were found in the possession of local Indigenous People over a century ago, presumably acquired from a small Spanish expedition that came up by land from northern Mexico in the 1700's, but there is no verification of this.
I do not know where or why you get the idea that the people of Montana would treat you any different than those that have been living there for as long as Montanans have been there. If you were born outside of the United States, I can understand that statement, but on the contrary, if you were from another state in the union, it would be bothersome to know, why you would make a statement like this, especially if you are coming from a progressive state - California, Nevada, Oregon or perhaps, New York- that you make a statment like this. I dont mean to be disparaging to your comment, but I have found people expectations are not what they assumed to be at first sight, on the contrary, it's totally different. I hope you understand my thoghts on this issue, Friend.
Montana elected the first Black mayor West of the Mississippi back in the late 1800's do not believe the crap mainstream media say about people that are not urbanites, they hate rural Americans and never miss a chance to demonize and insult us.
@@jriver64 Montana is just naive when it comes to diversity. The minorities are still very much minorities and so in Montana don't demand and flex dominance. But give it time, they will.
When I was stationed in Whitefish, Polbridge was part of our patrol area. There were a number of homes, but no electricity and but one phone on the front of the mercantile store. The mercantile had blocks of ice packed in saw dust in their basement from which the chipped enough each day to keep the cold drinks upstairs. When one entered the store the only thing one could hear was a wall clock ticking off the seconds.
Ben Rover who built “Ben Rover Cabin” was my grandfather’s older brother. My parents and older brother used to visit there when my brother was a toddler. By the time I was around, he had moved to a veteran’s home in Spokane. Ben was a World War I veteran who had grown up near Kalispell, found Polebridge and loved it. He bought the Mercantile and ran it for several years.
Me and my daughter was in Montana last August visiting Glacier Natl Park for 4 days and we went to Polebridge. Love it. Montana also has some very beautiful lakes.
Town? Polebridge? Town? lived in Whitefish for 35+ years. no one ever referred to Polebridge as a 'town'. Polebridge is an in Flathead County, Montana, with the best bakery in NW Montana but it is not a 'town'..............
Thanks to videos like these, and the flood of out-of-state visitors during the pandemic, you can no longer get near the mercantile in the summer. The small park entrance there was so overwhelmed the last two years that they have now ticketed the entrance. For locals like us, we now avoid it because it is overrun and irrevocably changed. Before you visit Montana, please educate yourself. Travel lightly. Understand that there are wild bear everywhere. That bison will charge you. That our first responders cannot rescue tourists who over-estimate their outdoor skills while continuing in their assigned duties. That you can't just camp, light fires, and leave your garbage wherever seems appealing.
Todd, thanks for thinking that our videos are so good that they have been the cause of the crowds in Polebridge. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the Blackfeet Tribe closing the entire east side of the park 2 years ago and funneling everyone to one entrance. I'm also sure that the lockdowns in the big cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland had nothing to do with the crowds either. My wife, who was born in Whitefish, finds it humorous to hear the complaints of people who have recently moved here!
Everybody is going everywhere. Transplants are common in all states When I moved to Wa State in 1982 there was a huge banner over an I5 freeway overpass stating “Out of Staters GO HOME and leave us alone “ Montana still has a very low population count considering how large it is Mi
You don’t own the whole state. Relax. I live in CO (from MT), you haven’t seen anything yet. Don’t waste your life worrying about crap you can’t control.
I moved here from California in 2021. I won’t be leaving, and I’m quite enjoying myself. I’m a Conservative, and left CA partially because of the politics. Anyway, your whining is rather pathetic.
My favorite road in the entire nation is the norhteast entrance of Yellowstone to Red Lodge. It is very pristine, remote, and you feel like your on top of the world! Absolutely breathtaking!
When Tom Ladenburg owned the Polebridge store, they used to have an old crank phone in it. It would give you a shock when you cranked it. My late husband would be coaxed by his father and Tom, to turn the crank. They thought it was so funny when he got a little shock. That was back in 1963.
My Nana was Rose Greene. Did you know her? I know her and my great grandfather Dudley were good friends w the Ladenburgs. My Great grandparents owned the old Haycreek cabin at that time.
Lived in northwest Montana all my life. Went to Polebridge once. Once was enough. The washboard dirt road beats you to death and there's really nothing when you get there. There's much better places to visit in Montana.
We stayed at Polebridge last July to visit Glacier. Our cabin owner bought his property in 2016 or so with 12 acres for $250k, his property faces the mountains of Glacier with the Flathead Forest behind him. He built another cabin for $250k that he lives in while renting the other 2 and he said now his property is appraised for $1.5 million. Most beautiful area I ever visited where you feel like you are away from everything. People rely on solar power and propane for power. I love Montana but those long hard winters aren’t for me, lol.
I was there three weeks ago and saw those same four sheep. They've been there just around Camas road for weeks. Wish FWP would capture them and place them with some adult sheep. Gotta have a Sticky Bun at the Merc! Great tip about not being able to access the park from there. Last year they had to post Rangers full time to redirect RVs cause it was crazy. Saw the biggest griz and single cub a few miles past the Merc on that trip. Bet she weighed 700 lbs or more.
My wife and I were in Polebridge last week (late August of 2022) and it is awesome. We visited the mercantile and it was a cool little store. My wife had a huckleberry bearclaw and loved it. I bought a fresh loaf of jalopeno cheese bread, and just finished it last night. We spent time next door at the Northern Lights bar & grill. The food was great and so was the beer. If your in or near Glacier NP, Polebridge is IMO "a must see". The lady that owns the bar and grill was a pleasure to spend time with. It was on a Friday evening so they had live music. Two guys played and sang bluegrass & country music and really put on a nice show. We had lots of fun and we will be back. We stayed in "fairly" nearby Hungry Horse and the cafe attached to the Sinclair station made great omelettes. I apologize, but I don't recall the name of it.
Thanks for bringing us your video! I use to live about ten miles up that road from Columbia Falls back in summer of '85 to spring of '86. I use to live close to what is now the Big Creek Outdoors Recreation center, but on the east side of the road. I saw my first salmon run ever in the north fork River from the Camas road bridge. I also had my first bear encounter in October of '85. I was about 50 yards away from it when I had noticed it sitting under a big pine tree. Luckily it didn't seem too interested in me, but I did keep my eye on it until I was far enough away to turn around and hurry my stride. The paved road looks a bit better now than it did back then, so does the gravel road. The whole area appears more touristy now. Thanks for taking me down memory lane.
I am from kentucky and have been to Pole Bridge a few times and fished in Coal Creek ate at the restaurant and shopped at the store went to the road to the sun it is a very special place I hope to get back one day but being 75 I don't know if I will make it we stayed in Kalaspell
Am I the only one who noticed that it was a color-phase black bear, not a grizzly. Honest mistake, no biggie, just pointing it out. Great video. Beautiful country.
I remember cross country skiing in Glacier in the 90's. Rafting and kayaking the North Fork. Things have changed for sure. Big bear country. Its a part of Glacier not often seen.
Ran into a grizzly driving up to pole bridge. my father and brother jumped out of the car with the cameras trying to get pictures I thought I was going to lose them for sure
Well, it is obviouse the Polebridge people are not quite that simple and nature-bound or they would realize quickly their real estate prices foretell the future of Polebtidge. How many people can you imagine who pay millions fo a multi bedroom Mansion to become part of this beautiful bucolic little town? What a shame...and the video creator seems to guess he better hurry and make a video "how it used to be a few years back!". Greedy politicians and town-fathers....tangle some green in front of these old folks and to hell with nature and Polebridge how it could be.... used to be...our god lives on Wall Street! Polebridge found gold in them there hills.....
I have a son in Spokane. One of his daughters names is Sophie Phillips. Few miles west near the Canada border I found on a contour map a lake name Sophie Lake and a Creek name Phillips Creek. The map had the two names so close together I copied the topo and sent it to him with some photos of Bowman Lake and Kintla Peak area. I told him they were just a few miles east of where his namesake daughter's geographical topo was.
Very scenic drive, but you need good tires and some ground clearance. During the height of tourist season, the unpaved portions are like driving on a cheese grater.
Thanks for your video to the Polebridge area. I've been to Glacier Park numerous times, but never to that side of the park due to the dirt road. Would you recommend a truck or jeep? Your narrative. was appreciated too . . .
I have never been up to this side of Glacier Park. I have visited the park almost every year into my 20's and on and off through the next decades. My father is from Alberta, Canada so we always made the trek home to see the relatives and also enjoy Glacier National Park. My kids and I were in Glacier last summer, but now I want to go back up and see Bowman Lake. Thank you so much for the video. I am trying to find a way to move to Montana and retire there. :)
I used to work up past Polebridge in the late ‘70’s. We would go down to the store and get some basic supplies every now and then. They would always have a big wheel of cheddar cheese of which we would always buy a chunk of. I saw it snow every month of the year while living there. Not sure that happens now with climate change.
Thank you, Will! As a fisheries intern with Montana Fish & Game in summer 1977, the bull trout research crew lived and worked out of a tent camp next door (opposite direction from your drive) so we'd spend evenings playing volleyball in front of the Northern Lights Saloon cabin, dodging the rocks, dogs and beers standing on the bare ground (and buying a beer if you knocked one over). The owners of that time gave me my CB handle, "Trapper" as I made a rare phone call to the Polebridge Merc to get a message to camp that one of our cohorts in taking the rig I'd driven with part of the crew hadn't left the keys in the other that he'd driven. Since my daughters got me into a smartphone after I retired from Alaska, ten years ago, I miss those days without so many distractions. Seems we've lost connections with neighbors and neighborhoods, and with God's creation since then...
Thank you for the tour of Polebridge. Loved your history the stores, business, real estate prices. My love interest is an all state volleyball player so loved that story as well.
Hey check out the historical plate etc. William Adair. Ha. My name as well. My Brother John Adair almost bought town years ago. In fact he lived in area Whitefish. Love that place been a while since I was there. Great video. Gotta get back there soon.
Every year, my family and I go up to the old homestead, and it’s nothing but out-of-state license plates. California, Washington, Oregon, fuckin New Jersey? Please stop.
I lived with my Mom and step-Dad in Libby. My Dad and Step-Mom in Glasgow and Billings. My sister lives in Kalispell. My nephew in Great Falls. I would love to move back to Libby again. It is a shame they had all that espide problems. Love Montana
It’s quaint and in a pretty setting but I wouldn’t consider it a “beautiful town” It barely qualifies as a town, period and I’m a small town person. We did enjoy a day there but it’s very touristy in the season.
You are right. Kintla Peak is almost as high as Mt. Cleveland just as beautiful. I took the boat ride down Waterton Lakes 6 miles to the base of that majestic mountain, 6,300 feet up right out of the lake. 4,100' to 10,400'. Do the math.
So glad I ran into your video. Grew up in Whitefish. This brought back memories of Sunday road trips my Dad took us on…many times visiting Polebridge! Hardly anything has changed from the 50s-60’s!
Take your pick. Someplace like Ekalaka, Opheim, Broadus where California and Hollywood has not screwed everything over! That is where the REAL Monana is any more! The scenic parts are too full of assholes!
I'm from Montana, andd if you run in to a road that is paved and then unpaved, it's usually because your leaving one county and entering another, and the county with the dirt road decided not to allocate money to pave the road that is dirt! Each county being responsable for their own roads!
love u visit if gas ever goes down.........50 yrs ago I drove thru with no daytime speed limit at that time, was doing 115mph and did not realize it ! An old Police Oldsmobile like a 68 maybe....
You can also go up to Pole Bridge from Gravescreek Way in Eureka Montana, but to people that don’t live here. This isn’t the ideal place for you to come. Another words we love our state the way it is and we don’t want any outside influence trying to control us.
We stayed in a cabin north of Polebridge a couple of years ago. Great place for a home base, loved the town and the bakery! Lots of wildlife. Huckleberry bear claws….delicious!
Was there in 1970 or 71. The actual pole bridge is what we drove over. Never forgot that place. Some of my cousins , two daughters and youngest son have been there Thanks for the great video. Truly is God's country 🥰🏞️
This was really awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Cheers! ✌️
Best cinnamon roll I ate was from the Mercantile store.
I’ve never been to pole bridge lived here in mt all my life
That was not a grizzly it’s cinnamon Black bear
A Grizzly is much larger and head is shaped differently in the nose area
Yep. An unblack black bear.
I told my wife the same thing while watching the video. I said “I’m going to the comments to see if anyone else says the same thing!” 😂
I’m a Montanan and disagree. Nice view but it’s a dusty little dirt road town with a tourist store and a saloon.
The baked goods are good. The store probably sells more tire flat kits than any other store in Montana.
They’ll also sell you a couple gallons of gas so you can get back to civilization.
Cute place. Visit but it’s not the most beautiful town in our state.
Beautiful country. I lived in absorkee in the 80's. It was a short drive to red lodge. Loved the fishing.
Plains, MT is a beautiful area. So are the Mission Mountains.
I also am a Montanan and was thinking the same thing. I live in the Flathead Lake / Mission Mountains area and there is no comparison to this area and Polebridge. All of Montana is nice but Polebridge is not in the upper ten as far as beauty goes.
I will add that Polson is the most beautiful that I’ve seen. Flathead Lake makes it absolutely stunning.
Now that everyone and their brother is posting all over youtube about how great MT. is, everybody and their brother( sisters,cousins, uncles.....) are moving here. The infrastructure is being overrun, sewer plants can't handle the increase in load, the traffic issues are getting out of hand ( try to register a new vehicle) and fewer and fewer can afford to live here.
"Living in Montana" is loving the state to death.
Does that mean it’s getting easier to live in other states? If so, I’m not hearing about it.
Maybe you didn't have all information needed to register your vehicle.
@@youngtimer964 I reckon, nowhere is easy to live. That's just life but quite a few states have better wage/ cost of living proportion. Greedy billionares & celebrity types are buying out the Big Sky ( Idaho too). I'm a native Montanan who wasn't born with the silver spoon who had to leave the "treasure" state because of the wage/ housing disproportion. It's funny, back in the 70s & 80s MT was the but of jokes but now it's fashionable. Trends come and go. Still visit once a year to get my homeland fix. Parts of OLD MT will always be in my heart.
Wow, CFs has changed a lot. Pole bridge is a good get away place. So many memories living in CFs. Thanks for the journey.
Beautiful spot, but BRUTAL in Winter.
ha ha ha
A Montana winter is what Arizona was invented for!
Yes it was. We had over 4 feet of snow in the valley when I was there back in '85-'86.
There is a massive cave system an hour north of Polebridge. One of those caves recently had its metal door ripped off and broken. When I asked the forest service ranger in Hungry Horse if it was Bigfoot, he didn't even blink and answered "maybe".
I have been in those caves many times…Tchuchuch campground is nearby…Even went in the “inner” inner” cave once…Had to inchworm through a culvert that was installed by I am assuming the Forest Circus
Actually there are several caves up the Northfork. A lot are hard to reach. Some are flooded or just too muddy.
Absolutely right!! Montana was the prettiest place I’ve ever seen in my life. Being a Hispanic I was worried about how the locals would treat us, but the exact opposite. Love you Montanan’s.
Montana is in fact, a Spanish word, it means 'mountain'. Not sure who named the state, as Spanish explorers did not generally come this far north by land, although they were ths far north by sea, reaching Alaska in the late 1700's, there are numerous Spanish names along the Washington State, Alaska, and British Columbia coasts. There is a legend in south--central British Columbia, Canada, that Spanish artifacts were found in the possession of local Indigenous People over a century ago, presumably acquired from a small Spanish expedition that came up by land from northern Mexico in the 1700's, but there is no verification of this.
I do not know where or why you get the idea that the people of Montana would treat you any different than those that have been living there for as long as Montanans have been there. If you were born outside of the United States, I can understand that statement, but on the contrary, if you were from another state in the union, it would be bothersome to know, why you would make a statement like this, especially if you are coming from a progressive state - California, Nevada, Oregon or perhaps, New York- that you make a statment like this. I dont mean to be disparaging to your comment, but I have found people expectations are not what they assumed to be at first sight, on the contrary, it's totally different. I hope you understand my thoghts on this issue, Friend.
Montana elected the first Black mayor West of the Mississippi back in the late 1800's do not believe the crap mainstream media say about people that are not urbanites, they hate rural Americans and never miss a chance to demonize and insult us.
@@jriver64 Montana is just naive when it comes to diversity. The minorities are still very much minorities and so in Montana don't demand and flex dominance. But give it time, they will.
I believe it's pronounced Mercan-Tile, not Mercan-Teal.
The common way to pronounce it is as "tile," but linguistically and historically, an 'i' carries a long-E sound, as in "mercan teel".
My grandpa was a ranger at kintla lake for 30 years oldest serving park ranger ever he left in 2017 98 years old
I have years and years of memories
We met your Grandpa a few times, what a great man!
@@LivinginMontana1 he is still alive 102
💝
I knew your grandfather. He was a nice man.
When I was stationed in Whitefish, Polbridge was part of our patrol area. There were a number of homes, but no electricity and but one phone on the front of the mercantile store. The mercantile had blocks of ice packed in saw dust in their basement from which the chipped enough each day to keep the cold drinks upstairs. When one entered the store the only thing one could hear was a wall clock ticking off the seconds.
Cool, NPS or Forest Service?
Ben Rover who built “Ben Rover Cabin” was my grandfather’s older brother. My parents and older brother used to visit there when my brother was a toddler. By the time I was around, he had moved to a veteran’s home in Spokane. Ben was a World War I veteran who had grown up near Kalispell, found Polebridge and loved it. He bought the Mercantile and ran it for several years.
You'd know Hazen Lawson at Square Peg Ranch, I bet.
Me and my daughter was in Montana last August visiting Glacier Natl Park for 4 days and we went to Polebridge. Love it. Montana also has some very beautiful lakes.
Montana is a beautiful state. I would love to live there but my research shows the property is too costly
You're right seems to be alot of ranches for sale? Wonder why?
Property costs all across Montana are unbelievable! Definitely for very wealthy people.
Buy in winter as prices drop except n ski country
Do you have a video on Victor, Montana. A friend lives there and he and wifey just love it....
Town?
Polebridge?
Town?
lived in Whitefish for 35+ years. no one ever referred to Polebridge as a 'town'.
Polebridge is an in Flathead County, Montana,
with the best bakery in NW Montana
but it is not a 'town'..............
When you said the most beautiful town in Montana I had my doubts as I am from Charlo (90 miles south) but we will let you slide.
I have family in Polson, this road trip looks right up my alley. Awesome, off the grid will be the new normal.
Not sure if that was a grizzly or a cinnamon black from that footage.
Been coming to Polebridge for years! Best bakery anywhere. Huckleberry is the magic word here. Enjoy but please don't spoil.
Thanks to videos like these, and the flood of out-of-state visitors during the pandemic, you can no longer get near the mercantile in the summer. The small park entrance there was so overwhelmed the last two years that they have now ticketed the entrance. For locals like us, we now avoid it because it is overrun and irrevocably changed. Before you visit Montana, please educate yourself. Travel lightly. Understand that there are wild bear everywhere. That bison will charge you. That our first responders cannot rescue tourists who over-estimate their outdoor skills while continuing in their assigned duties. That you can't just camp, light fires, and leave your garbage wherever seems appealing.
Todd, thanks for thinking that our videos are so good that they have been the cause of the crowds in Polebridge. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the Blackfeet Tribe closing the entire east side of the park 2 years ago and funneling everyone to one entrance. I'm also sure that the lockdowns in the big cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland had nothing to do with the crowds either. My wife, who was born in Whitefish, finds it humorous to hear the complaints of people who have recently moved here!
Everybody is going everywhere.
Transplants are common in all states
When I moved to Wa State in 1982 there was a huge banner over an I5 freeway overpass stating
“Out of Staters GO HOME and leave us alone “
Montana still has a very low population count considering how large it is
Mi
You don’t own the whole state. Relax. I live in CO (from MT), you haven’t seen anything yet. Don’t waste your life worrying about crap you can’t control.
I moved here from California in 2021.
I won’t be leaving, and I’m quite enjoying myself. I’m a Conservative, and left CA partially because of the politics. Anyway, your whining is rather pathetic.
Just spent time in Montana...BEAUTIFUL!!! Red Lodge is a cute little town. Lots of open roads in Montana!!!
My favorite road in the entire nation is the norhteast entrance of Yellowstone to Red Lodge. It is very pristine, remote, and you feel like your on top of the world! Absolutely breathtaking!
When Tom Ladenburg owned the Polebridge store, they used to have an old crank phone in it. It would give you a shock when you cranked it. My late husband would be coaxed by his father and Tom, to turn the crank. They thought it was so funny when he got a little shock. That was back in 1963.
My Nana was Rose Greene. Did you know her? I know her and my great grandfather Dudley were good friends w the Ladenburgs. My Great grandparents owned the old Haycreek cabin at that time.
PS I spent every summer of my childhood up there, and I remember that phone! Lol
Lived in northwest Montana all my life. Went to Polebridge once. Once was enough. The washboard dirt road beats you to death and there's really nothing when you get there. There's much better places to visit in Montana.
You are ignoring NATURE, then.
We stayed at Polebridge last July to visit Glacier. Our cabin owner bought his property in 2016 or so with 12 acres for $250k, his property faces the mountains of Glacier with the Flathead Forest behind him. He built another cabin for $250k that he lives in while renting the other 2 and he said now his property is appraised for $1.5 million. Most beautiful area I ever visited where you feel like you are away from everything. People rely on solar power and propane for power. I love Montana but those long hard winters aren’t for me, lol.
Poll bridge is a great little junction, on the way to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Bowman Lake... Thank you for the video.
And the coldest! I actually swam in that freezing cold Bowman Lake.
I was there three weeks ago and saw those same four sheep. They've been there just around Camas road for weeks. Wish FWP would capture them and place them with some adult sheep. Gotta have a Sticky Bun at the Merc! Great tip about not being able to access the park from there. Last year they had to post Rangers full time to redirect RVs cause it was crazy. Saw the biggest griz and single cub a few miles past the Merc on that trip. Bet she weighed 700 lbs or more.
Many places more beautiful places in Montana
My wife and I were in Polebridge last week (late August of 2022) and it is awesome. We visited the mercantile and it was a cool little store. My wife had a huckleberry bearclaw and loved it. I bought a fresh loaf of jalopeno cheese bread, and just finished it last night. We spent time next door at the Northern Lights bar & grill. The food was great and so was the beer. If your in or near Glacier NP, Polebridge is IMO "a must see". The lady that owns the bar and grill was a pleasure to spend time with. It was on a Friday evening so they had live music. Two guys played and sang bluegrass & country music and really put on a nice show. We had lots of fun and we will be back. We stayed in "fairly" nearby Hungry Horse and the cafe attached to the Sinclair station made great omelettes. I apologize, but I don't recall the name of it.
Nice...but that was NOT a Grizzly.
Hi. Can you do Hamilton please.
Yes, please!!
Thanks for bringing us your video! I use to live about ten miles up that road from Columbia Falls back in summer of '85 to spring of '86. I use to live close to what is now the Big Creek Outdoors Recreation center, but on the east side of the road.
I saw my first salmon run ever in the north fork River from the Camas road bridge. I also had my first bear encounter in October of '85. I was about 50 yards away from it when I had noticed it sitting under a big pine tree. Luckily it didn't seem too interested in me, but I did keep my eye on it until I was far enough away to turn around and hurry my stride. The paved road looks a bit better now than it did back then, so does the gravel road. The whole area appears more touristy now.
Thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Me too! My uncle used to own the Conoco station on hwy 2 in C.F. My family is still there.
I am from kentucky and have been to Pole Bridge a few times and fished in Coal Creek ate at the restaurant and shopped at the store went to the road to the sun it is a very special place I hope to get back one day but being 75 I don't know if I will make it we stayed in Kalaspell
If you fished Coal Cr. in the last 45 years you were breaking the law.
In the 1970's Coal Creek was CLOSED to fishing. Not sure about when you were there.
Pretty country but not the most beautiful MT town.
Agree. More of a very small settlement than a real town. Hardly even a village.
We are in the Hamilton area. Love it!
Have you seen Bowman Lake?
Spent every summer of my childhood there. Best memories ever! My great grandparents owned the old Haycreek Cabin.
You might have known of Hazen Lawson from Square Peg Ranch.
I was in Polebridge on Wednesday. Huckleberry bear claw was amazing.
YES! It's sooo good
Before I played the clip & after I read the title, I thought: "They must be talking about Polebridge".👍
ME TOO! I'm serious.
Am I the only one who noticed that it was a color-phase black bear, not a grizzly. Honest mistake, no biggie, just pointing it out. Great video. Beautiful country.
I remember cross country skiing in Glacier in the 90's. Rafting and kayaking the North Fork. Things have changed for sure. Big bear country. Its a part of Glacier not often seen.
Ran into a grizzly driving up to pole bridge. my father and brother jumped out of the car with the cameras trying to get pictures I thought I was going to lose them for sure
Well, it is obviouse the Polebridge people are not quite that simple and nature-bound or they would realize quickly their real estate prices foretell the future of Polebtidge. How many people can you imagine who pay millions fo a multi bedroom Mansion to become part of this beautiful bucolic little town? What a shame...and the video creator seems to guess he better hurry and make a video "how it used to be a few years back!". Greedy politicians and town-fathers....tangle some green in front of these old folks and to hell with nature and Polebridge how it could be.... used to be...our god lives on Wall Street! Polebridge found gold in them there hills.....
I have a son in Spokane. One of his daughters names is Sophie Phillips. Few miles west near the Canada border I found on a contour map a lake name Sophie Lake and a Creek name Phillips Creek. The map had the two names so close together I copied the topo and sent it to him with some photos of Bowman Lake and Kintla Peak area. I told him they were just a few miles east of where his namesake daughter's geographical topo was.
Very scenic drive, but you need good tires and some ground clearance. During the height of tourist season, the unpaved portions are like driving on a cheese grater.
good point, and make sure you know how to change a tire.
Thanks for your video to the Polebridge area. I've been to Glacier Park numerous times, but never to that side of the park due to the dirt road. Would you recommend a truck or jeep? Your narrative. was appreciated too . . .
I have never been up to this side of Glacier Park. I have visited the park almost every year into my 20's and on and off through the next decades. My father is from Alberta, Canada so we always made the trek home to see the relatives and also enjoy Glacier National Park. My kids and I were in Glacier last summer, but now I want to go back up and see Bowman Lake. Thank you so much for the video. I am trying to find a way to move to Montana and retire there. :)
Crap Why didn’t I see that video last week when I was in Montana
I live in Montana Missoula Montana lots love light blessings to you in Jesus
So.
This town supposedly isn't on
the grid, and has no cell service.
Correct
Hamilton is better
I used to work up past Polebridge in the late ‘70’s. We would go down to the store and get some basic supplies every now and then. They would always have a big wheel of cheddar cheese of which we would always buy a chunk of. I saw it snow every month of the year while living there. Not sure that happens now with climate change.
Big thumbs down for the No Firearms Sign. Is that Mercantile in Montana or California, jeez.
No fireworks*
Might be nice for a summer place but talk about cabin fever in winter
Thank you, Will! As a fisheries intern with Montana Fish & Game in summer 1977, the bull trout research crew lived and worked out of a tent camp next door (opposite direction from your drive) so we'd spend evenings playing volleyball in front of the Northern Lights Saloon cabin, dodging the rocks, dogs and beers standing on the bare ground (and buying a beer if you knocked one over). The owners of that time gave me my CB handle, "Trapper" as I made a rare phone call to the Polebridge Merc to get a message to camp that one of our cohorts in taking the rig I'd driven with part of the crew hadn't left the keys in the other that he'd driven. Since my daughters got me into a smartphone after I retired from Alaska, ten years ago, I miss those days without so many distractions. Seems we've lost connections with neighbors and neighborhoods, and with God's creation since then...
You might have known Hazen Lawson, at Square Peg Ranch?
Thank you for the tour of Polebridge. Loved your history the stores, business, real estate prices. My love interest is an all state volleyball player so loved that story as well.
Hey check out the historical plate etc. William Adair. Ha. My name as well. My Brother John Adair almost bought town years ago. In fact he lived in area Whitefish. Love that place been a while since I was there. Great video. Gotta get back there soon.
I disagree...not much there
So beautiful. West glacier is beautiful too.
My dreams are crushed. You have to be a millionaire to buy a home up there. Any suggestions in what areas of Montana with affordable housing?
Every year, my family and I go up to the old homestead, and it’s nothing but out-of-state license plates.
California, Washington, Oregon, fuckin New Jersey?
Please stop.
This is a free country people are allowed to travel wherever they want if you don’t like it Russia might take you in….
Petarded: Gotcha! I understand completely!
Be prepared to go up there! There is no gas past Columbia Falls. Bug spray and sunscreen are great. Polebridge isn't always open so be prepared!
Beautiful thank you for sharing.
So the Mercantile is anti gun! No thank you, I’ll pass!
You're a loser
I lived with my Mom and step-Dad in Libby. My Dad and Step-Mom in Glasgow and Billings. My sister lives in Kalispell. My nephew in Great Falls. I would love to move back to Libby again. It is a shame they had all that espide problems.
Love Montana
It’s quaint and in a pretty setting but I wouldn’t consider it a “beautiful town” It barely qualifies as a town, period and I’m a small town person. We did enjoy a day there but it’s very touristy in the season.
Mt. Cleveland has a 4,000' face vertical in 1,300' horizontal. Like the Eiger.
You are right. Kintla Peak is almost as high as Mt. Cleveland just as beautiful. I took the boat ride down Waterton Lakes 6 miles to the base of that majestic mountain, 6,300 feet up right out of the lake. 4,100' to 10,400'. Do the math.
So glad I ran into your video. Grew up in Whitefish. This brought back memories of Sunday road trips my Dad took us on…many times visiting Polebridge! Hardly anything has changed from the 50s-60’s!
Take your pick. Someplace like Ekalaka, Opheim, Broadus where California and Hollywood has not screwed everything over! That is where the REAL Monana is any more! The scenic parts are too full of assholes!
Wonderful place to be living. I wish I visited decades sooner.
hippie commune
I was in Pole Bridge a few years ago. If I remember correctly, there was no commercial electricity, but there was telephone service. Go figure.
Ruff road,,,,,mercy but very beautiful....seems more isolated than really is...
Probably wouldn't want to drive my Corvette stop there my only question is is there cell phone coverage?
By the way, the bear @ 3.13 is a black bear! Not a grizzly! Sorry!😊
Forget the diet,,,get a bear claw,,,,,stunningly decadent yummy..
So many places in Montana and Wyoming with huckleberry and much it isn’t real
Cars look so out of place there! That's the kind of place that should have horses at the hitching rail & buggys & wagons going up & down the streets.
Been here and wow does it look different!
Where is the cleanest air (away from current and future oil & gas) industry? Thanks.
Not a Grizzly, but a brown phase Black bear.
I would love to live there. Do you know if they have property for sale that I can build on? Peace and bright blessings.
Yes there is. Email us at teammontanalife@gmail.com and we can send you what is currently available in the area.
Greetings from the BIG SKY. Lewistown.
do the folks use CB Radios or Ham Radios, or a satellite dish be used as a cell phone. . . or >?
Satellite
The place that attracts me to America is Montana.
Love to visit ur state at least once in my life time.
I love every part of the state. Each area has its own unique beauty.
The Californians have not quite ruined it yet
I'd like to have a place there
Don’t go there !!!!! You won’t like it.
Sign "No Firearms" are you sure that is in Montana?
I'm from Montana, andd if you run in to a road that is paved and then unpaved, it's usually because your leaving one county and entering another, and the county with the dirt road decided not to allocate money to pave the road that is dirt! Each county being responsable for their own roads!
All of the Northfork Road is in Flathead County.
*allocate, not "alagate"
I love Polebridge
Wish my son and I were there right now
love u visit if gas ever goes down.........50 yrs ago I drove thru with no daytime speed limit at that time, was doing 115mph and did not realize it ! An old Police Oldsmobile like a 68 maybe....
You can also go up to Pole Bridge from Gravescreek Way in Eureka Montana, but to people that don’t live here. This isn’t the ideal place for you to come. Another words we love our state the way it is and we don’t want any outside influence trying to control us.
No Bigfoot on the gravel road.
We stayed in a cabin north of Polebridge a couple of years ago. Great place for a home base, loved the town and the bakery! Lots of wildlife. Huckleberry bear claws….delicious!
Nice!
Was there in 1970 or 71. The actual pole bridge is what we drove over. Never forgot that place. Some of my cousins , two daughters and youngest son have been there
Thanks for the great video. Truly is God's country 🥰🏞️
That is a fun road. I have very fond memories of having fun in that area with my (now deceased) brother.
Are the friendly (Golden Retriever) dogs still hanging out/sleeping just outside the Mercantile?
Montana is boring.