Field guide: Bigfork and Flathead Lake, Montana

Montana needs no sales pitch. Just ask Drew Hollinger why he's spent most of his life around Flathead Lake and the answer is refreshingly simple. "The lakes."

Born in Kalispell and raised just outside Bigfork on neighboring Echo Lake, Drew has spent the last 25 summers operating the Flathead Wakeboard Academy, where he teaches people of all ages how to wakeboard, wakesurf, and foil. Along the way he's watched kids become professionals, families buy their first boats, and visitors arrive for a long weekend only to start looking at real estate before they leave.

That's not uncommon here. Bigfork and Flathead have a way of quietly convincing people to stay.

While Glacier National Park draws much of the attention, locals know the rhythm of northwest Montana is found a little farther south, where mornings begin on glassy water, afternoons drift away in quiet coves, and the day usually ends with a dock, some cold beers, and nowhere else to be.

“There's other beautiful parts of Montana, especially in the Bozeman and Yellowstone area. But there's not really any lakes there. We really have it all here.”

While most visitors experience Bigfork and Flathead from the shoreline, locals experience the lake by moving through it. And there’s no shortage of hidden gems in the surrounding area, including Swan Lake, Foys Lake, and Whitefish Lake.

"People get so consumed by Flathead," he says, "they don't realize there are all these other incredible lakes around it."

But for Drew, Echo Lake is home. It’s where it all began and it’s become Drew's outdoor classroom for tourists and locals alike. First-timers get hooked while experienced riders return to fine-tune tricks or simply spend another afternoon on the water.

It's also where Drew discovered wakeboarding himself.

His father, an old-school slalom skier, wasn't interested in buying Drew a wakeboard. Ironically, one arrived anyway as a thank-you gift from a family friend. Drew was eleven years old.

By fourteen, he was coaching.

Twenty-five years later, that love for the water has never left him..

"What never gets old," he says, "is watching someone do something they didn't think they could do."

Some students arrive hoping to stand up for the first time. Others eventually become professionals, like Joey Gurr (whom Drew taught many years ago).

Many simply leave with a new appreciation for the lake, and for some a growing suspicion they may need a boat of their own.

Drew laughs that after some family lessons, dads often joke: "Well... those were the most expensive lessons I've ever taken."

A few months later, they'll text Drew a photo of the boat they just ordered.

More than a playground

If Drew helps people fall in love with Flathead, Coby Gierke is working to make sure they can keep falling in love with it for generations to come.

As Executive Director of the Flathead Lakers, a nonprofit that has spent nearly 70 years protecting the watershed, Coby leads an organization of more than 1,500 members focused on water quality, ecosystem health, and preserving the character of one of North America's cleanest large freshwater lakes.

For all its beauty, Flathead isn't simply a place to recreate and play. It's a place people have spent generations protecting.

"People want to live here because it's beautiful,” says Coby. “The challenge is making sure growth doesn't come at the expense of what brought everyone here in the first place."

That stewardship extends far beyond the shoreline.

Every spring, local students visit the Flathead Lake Biological Station to learn about water quality and the science of lakes. Community members gather at local breweries to hear researchers discuss everything from fisheries to watershed restoration. The Flathead Lakers also work alongside the Salish and Kootenai Tribes, whose stewardship includes one of Montana's most productive lake trout fisheries.

One of the organization's biggest priorities today is preventing aquatic invasive species before they ever reach the lake. New environmental DNA testing is helping detect invasive mussels earlier than ever, while outreach campaigns encourage every boater to do their part.

"Clean. Drain. Dry. It sounds simple, but that's exactly how you protect a lake like this."

Families fish these waters. Kids learn to wakeboard on them. Tribal communities have stewarded them for generations. It’s the kind of region that everyone cares about, and locals like Coby work year-round to ensure all those experiences remain possible.

Around here, conservation isn't separate from recreation. It's simply part of living on the lake.

The water is everything

That's the simple thread connecting every conversation we had in northwest Montana. And when you visit, you’ll notice it right away."Life revolves around the lake,” says Coby. “It revolves around meeting your friends and going out on the boat for the day."

For Drew, the lake is where he teaches and connects. For Coby, it's preservation, sustainability, and reminding us that the best places stay special because people choose to care for them.

Maybe that's the real takeaway from Flathead and Bigfork. Come for the scenery. Leave with a little more appreciation for the people who share it and protect it.

If you go…

Spend an afternoon on Echo Lake Flathead gets the headlines, but locals know Echo is where calmer water and easy summer afternoons shine.

Cruise the Flathead River at sunset Ask Drew where he'd point a photographer, and this winding stretch is top of the list.

Grab a drink at Spinnaker Tiki Bar This eclectic, laid-back stop in Lakeside is known for strong drinks, happy hour, and some of the best burgers in the area.

Explore Wild Horse Island Wild horses, bighorn sheep, hiking trails, and some of the lake's most iconic views. A must visit.

Play in Woods BayOne of the best places to hang, swim, and test drive the Arc Sport.

Photos by Jason Thompson.