SUMMER 2021
Cover: Pete Costain Terraflow Trails & Legacy Bike Park
Read the most recent stories online. Though we recommend finding a real-deal, print copy. It’s pretty.
Story Highlights
Editor’s Note: Living Here Will Make You Crazy
Editor's NoteLiving Here Will Make You Crazy KATIE CANTRELL I“don’t think this is an unfamiliar pattern for many of us who have moved to the valley somewhere along our way: the outdoor adventures we used to think were for extreme crazy people are now just a regular...
River Wild?
RIVER WILD? The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has protected the North, Middle, and South Forks for almost half a century. As our population grows and more people look to these rivers for fun, questions arise about how best to preserve their unique values and wild...
“Either You Guys Have Vision or You’re Completely Nuts”
Love Letter"YOU GUYS EITHER HAVE VISIONOR YOU’RE COMPLETELY NUTS" – Pete Costain, our unfortunate cover model for Go Local Summer 2021Probably a little bit of both. The folks at Highline Design Co. reluctantly stepped into the publication business. We never intended...
An Illustrated Travel Guide to Flathead Valley Recreation
SATIREIllustrated travel guide to Flathead Valley recreation We present six options guaranteed to raise adrenaline (and maybe even your hairline), fit for the whole family. Written by David Steele. Illustrated by Collin Hamman DAVID STEELECOLLIN HAMMANA few errant...
Go With The Flow
Go with the flow Pete Costain combined his lifelong love of mountain biking with his eye for the perfect line into Terraflow Trails.FEATUREPhil Grove Y ou know a flow trail when you ride it: There’s an effortlessness to it, the ability to float along the corners at...
Wilder-cred
Field NotesWilder-Cred A good day outdoors is the one that brings joy.Leah Carlburg I love to get outside. I started to say that I love adventure. But really, I do not love adventure as I will describe in this essay. I love to smell the woods and feel the sun and...
Contemporary Nomad
HeadwatersContemporary Nomad Reflections of a seasonal worker.Illustration by Isaac Passwater BENJAMIN ALVA POLLEY M ist fell on the river and wet our faces as Mike and I forded the North Fork of the Flathead, with January chunks of ice and slush bouncing off...
You Don’t Know Granola
HeadwatersYou don't know granola Camping isn’t what it used to be. And that’s okay.Backwoods Montana in the ’70s and ’80s. ANNETTE STREAN-CORNELIUS M any of the friends that I made in my two decades living away from Montana thought I was extremely outdoorsy. I...
More Than Moving Dirt
HeadwatersMore than moving dirt “The wilderness doesn’t discriminate, and neither do we.” The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation works to make the backcountry welcoming to all. STEPHANIE MALTARICH S ay the name “Bob Marshall” and most Montanans...
Rock Solid
CruxROCK SOLID Climbing all-stars Molly Bruce Higgins and Larry Bruce reflect on a lifetime of adventuring together. Molly Bruce Higgins & Larry Bruce | “The most delightful badass couple we could ever hope to chat with.” KATIE CANTRELL She was half of the...
Is It Worth It?
Field NotesIS IT WORTH IT? An outdoor addict weighs risk versus reward during an adventure gone wrong.Colton Born The sound of Charlie’s trekking poles rang in my ears, the electricity making them fizzle like a frying egg. The hair on the back of my neck, arms, and...
Maiden Voyage
Field NotesMaiden Voyage The long-overdue launch of the family fishing boat. (Cue downpour.) Meghan Hardt I t was just what we needed. Well, not exactly. I mean, Kirk wanted an aluminum fishing boat with a motor and what we got was a five-person inflatable boat with a...
The Flathead Lakers’ Bad Rock Canyon Conservation Project
Non-Profit FeatureGo Local donates 3% of each issue’s advertising revenue to a local nonprofit organization. This issue supports the flathead lakers’ bad rock canyon conservation project. THE FLATHEAD LAKERS’ BAD ROCK CANYON CONSERVATION PROJECT “[Bad Rock Canyon] is...
Montana’s Last Best Skies
HEADWATERSMontana's LAst Best Skies Since ancient times, humans have gazed upward at a sky sparkling with stars. Although over 80 percent of the world can no longer see the Milky Way or the Northern Lights due to light pollution, Montana still has many places to enjoy...
Turn, Turn, Turn
Business HighlightTurn, Turn, Turn For more than a century, Wheaton’s Cycle has kept the wheels spinning on Flathead Valley bikes.ANNA RICHARDE "W e’ve always been a family-oriented, full service bike shop,” says Hans Axelsen, owner of Wheaton’s...
Plein to See
SPARKPLEIN TO SEE Local artist Kenneth Yarus shares the process of painting in the great outdoors. ANDREW KROP "P lein air artist Kenneth Yarus combines his love of the outdoors with his artistic talent, painting his sweeping mountain landscapes...
The Sting
Field NotesThe Sting The last push up the Tally Lake bike trail hurts so good. Pete Thomas celebrating the sting of victory at the Tally Lake overlook. Pete Thomas A n overlook peers out over Tally Lake, Montana’s deepest jewel of water. The mountain bike trail...
The Business of Play
Business Bonanza!The Business of Play The outdoor recreation industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Meet a few of our local business owners with skin in the game. ANNA RICHARDE RIDING AND GLIDING AT GLACIER CYCLERY & NORDIC For Glacier Cyclery & Nordic,...