Are you and your family suffering from "nature deficit disorder"? Then spend time with us to “connect with nature” on a family outdoor vacation in Montana. Our lodging is in the center of everything neat for Western Montana adventure travel!

AIRPORT TRANSPORT:

For Missoula Airport pick-up, please reserve time and date with Ann. A fee of $100 for roundtrip will be charged on your B&B invoice

AUTOMOBILE DIRECTIONS TO BEAR SPIRIT LODGE:

FROM THE SOUTH (Missoula): Drive on Highway 93 North to S&K Technologies on the RIGHT side of the road (about 45 minutes). Turn right off Highway 93 onto the road (Old Highway 93) in front of the S&K Technologies entrance to their parking lot.

FROM THE NORTH (Glacier Park): Drive on Highway 93 South to S&K Technologies on the LEFT side of the road. Turn left off  Highway 93 onto the road (Old Highway 93) in front of the S&K Technologies entrance to their parking lot. (You will be passing St. Ignatius on the left, but this is easier than going through St. Ignatius).

THEN PROCEED: Continue to first intersection.Turn right on Toweepah Road heading East at 25 miles an hour. It then becomes 35 miles an hour after city limits. Obey the speed limit, because the police sit out there a lot.

Continue about 2-3 miles on the road, which becomes in name, St. Mary’s Lake Road.  You will see an A-frame house on the left. Next immediate intersection at the gravel pit, turn right, and go south about a mile. Turn left at next intersection, which is the continuation of St. Mary’s Lake Road heading east.

Proceed 1-2 miles until you see a Curve sign on the right, and a Dead End sign and a left turn. (A 3-fork intersection where Foothills Rd runs into St. Mary’s Lake Rd.) Our address is 38712 St. Mary’s Lake Road and the sign is a little black bear nailed to a tree with the numbers 38712. Take the middle road (street sign says Dead End) about 6/10ths of a mile, going straight east. Looks like you are driving right into the woods.  Continue on the one-lane road all the way to the end of the road, and you will see a 2-story wooden sided house, which is Bear Spirit Lodge.  Come up and park by the house.

If you have any problems, call us at 745-3089. Or, go to Rod’s Harvest Foods in St. Ignatius and I will come to get you. Thank you!

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS & RECREATIONAL PURSUITS:

We are eager to tell you about great places for you to go experience this beautiful part of Montana. We have explored a lot of western Montana ourselves and can show you pictures and give you directions. We are located near the Salish Kootenai Indian Reservation on the old Salish Silverthorne property. The Bear Spirit Lodge is right in the middle of everything and central to Western Montana, Missoula, the National Bison Range, Flathead Lake, and Glacier National Park.  For those of you who are interested in cultural experiences as well as nature, Bear Spirit Lodge is part of the multi-cultural community that has developed over the last few years in Mission Valley.

We are close to the famous 120-year-old St. Ignatius Mission Church, the Garden of 1,000 Buddhas being created at the Ewam Center of a Tibetan Rinpoche in Arlee, and the nearby Amish community.  You can visit the Amish Mission Market Store and sample some great Amish country cheeses, or buy Amish handcrafted furniture only a couple of miles away from the Lodge.

Bear Spirit Lodge primarily offers a place to relax, rejuvenate, and feed your spirit.  However, if you want to combine your retreat in nature with touring activities, here are a few suggestions & the time it takes to get there:

	Glacier National Park (2.5 hours)
	National Bison Range & Visitor’s Center: wildlife viewing & information (30 minutes)
	Ninepipes Wildlife Refuge: part of the Central Flyway or migratory birds; waterfowl viewing & fishing (20 minutes)
	The People’s Center: cultural info. & Living Museum of the Salish & Kootenai tribes (30 minutes)
	St. Ignatius Mission Church - a registered national historic site:  historic mission & extraordinary religious paintings (10 minutes)
	Flathead River & Kerr Dam: canoeing & whitewater rafting (40 minutes)
	Mission Mountain Tribal Wilderness & Mission Falls: hiking, backpacking, fishing, swimming, & canoeing (tribal recreational permit required for a fee)
	Horseback Riding & Golfing (20 minutes)
	Trading posts, stores, gift shops, art galleries, & museums (10-45 minutes)
	Bitteroot Valley (1.5 hours)
	Amish Mission Market Store (10 minutes)
	Blacktail Mountain Ski Resort (1 hour)
	Arlee Tibetan Garden of 1,000 Buddhas (30 minutes)