Bigfork

History There are reports of a homestead and orchard just north of present-day Bigfork as early as 1885. In 1892 Everit L. Sliter planted 500 apple, cherry, plum and pear trees on the east shore of Flathead Lake. He became the first postmaster in 1901 and platted the townsite at the mouth of the Swan River in 1902. The east shore has been a cherry-growing district ever since. In 1960 Firman "Bo" Brown and Margery Hunter Brown founded the Bigfork Summer Playhouse as a summer stage for University of Montana theatre students, and the arts have shaped the village since.

What to See The Bigfork Summer Playhouse runs a summer repertory of Broadway musicals in the village centre; it opened with Blithe Spirit and has not missed a season since 1960. The actor J. K. Simmons worked there early in his career. Sliter Park, on the river, is the base for the whitewater festival. The Bigfork Independent Film Festival, held in the autumn, shows films made in Montana.

Outdoors The Swan River's last mile, known as the Wild Mile, is class IV whitewater that ends in Bigfork Bay; a nature trail along its north bank gives a close view. The Bigfork Whitewater Festival, held on Memorial Day weekend (22–24 May in 2026), includes slalom, downriver, raft and paddleboard races. Wayfarers State Park, just south of town, has 30 campsites, including a hike-and-bike site, and Yellow Bay state park unit is about 14 miles south on MT-35. The Jewel Basin Hiking Area, in the north end of the Swan Range, covers about 15,349 acres with 27 lakes and about 35 miles of trails; it is reserved for hikers, with no horses or motor vehicles, group size is capped at 12 and dogs must be leashed. The main trailhead is Camp Misery, reached by Forest Road 5392 near Echo Lake, and the area is usually snow-free from early June to late September. Grizzly and black bears live here.

Getting There Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) is about 26 miles north-west. Kalispell lies across the valley to the west, and MT-35 runs down the east shore to Polson. The west entrance of Glacier National Park is about 39 miles away, via Columbia Falls and US-2. The nearest Amtrak stations are Whitefish and West Glacier.

When to Go Late May brings the whitewater festival on the Wild Mile at peak runoff. June to early September is theatre and lake season, and Jewel Basin is normally open from early June to late September. Cherries ripen along the east shore in midsummer. Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open from late June or early July until the third Monday of October; Glacier had no vehicle reservations in 2026, but non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person.