Absolutely stunning property with attentive owner and cute cabins/campers right on the river. Don't…read moremiss this authentic Montana experience.

Stunning property, gorgeous, unique buildings. This whole place has such a beautiful feel, you…read moreleave feeling peaceful and recharged. A must visit! can't wait to get back!

Some places grab your soul from the moment you pull off the highway -- Kootenai Falls is exactly…read moreone of them. I rolled through here expecting a nice view, and got full-on nature theatre. The hike isn't brutal -- about half-a-mile from the road to the bridge or viewpoint, with picnic tables and restrooms at the lot. Enough challenge to feel good, not so much that it kills your afternoon. The trail that leads upstream to the main falls is short but dramatic: water rushing over rock terraces, multiple drops, including a 30-foot fall seen from the overlook. Downstream you cross that swinging bridge -- it creaks, it sways above the green Kootenai water, and it gives you a rush just standing there. Accessible but wild feeling: old railroad overpass, rocky descent sections, metal stairs, forest canopy, birds, moss -- all the good stuff. I went there in early summer; the river was high, mist in air, sun breaking through trees. The light hits the falls just right at golden hour -- reflections everywhere, water sparkle, shadows dancing. Ambience is pure Montana: no loud crowds, mostly locals, forest smells, river roar, the rustle of pine needles. Parking isn't fancy, but it's clean; restrooms are basic. Picnic area shaded, with enough space to sit, eat, soak it all in. Final take: 5 stars, no doubt. Probably one of those places I'll revisit again and again just to feel that rushing water, that bridge sway, that "whoa" moment when you turn the corner and see the falls looming. If you're in this part of Montana -- don't pass it by.

Kootenai falls and the suspension bridge are the perfect hike for everyone and I mean everyone!…read moreWhether you are not in the best of shape or you are traveling with kids or you have your dog with you, not only can you do this trail but you will thoroughly enjoy it. This is one of the best experiences I have had during my travels and I recommend it to everyone. We spent hours here enjoying the beauty of nature. The walk is gorgeous, The falls are gorgeous, the suspension bridge is fun and exciting! And when I say anyone can do this, the lady in front of was by herself with two children...she literally had a newborn baby strapped to her and was pushing a stroller for her toddler and they made it over the suspension bridge and all the way back up. The only caveat is that there are some steps which are definitely not dog friendly. They are kind of a twisted metal with spikes that is probably great for traction and melting snow, but would be very difficult on a dog's paw pads, so if you have a dog with you you will have to carry them down some stairs. However, we encountered multiple people with large dogs, so unless that's a problem for you, for some reason you can still do this hike with your large dog. Our dog is small so it was a breeze. Another thing you will see a lot of on this hike is smiling faces. This is a genuinely beautiful place where people are just really happy. I could not recommend this more highly and even if you're not super close, it is worth the drive.

Nice 5.5 mile out and back trail to the lake. Good workout with some elevation. Please note you…read morewill see logging which is a turn off for purist. The trail is smooth without major rocks. The creek is visible on the first section of the trail. If you want a short walk just hike to the overlook.

Fantastic location and staff. Off the beaten track and secluded. The fishing was tremendous and…read moreguides just as good. Try a horseback ride in between fishing and marvel at the fields of purple fire weed. The staff were cool and accommodated dietary needs. Oh and did I say the fishing was awesome? Can't wait to go back.

The Spotted Bear Ranch is an Orvis endorsed fly fishing ranch / bed & breakfast in Montana within…read morethe Bob Marshall Wilderness, closet town is Whitefish MT. The area is gorges, surrounded by pine trees, rough terrain through most of this area. The main lodge where the cooking and dining was located it over looked the South Fork of the Flathead River. The river has native west slope cutthroat and big bull trout. The fly of choice is the atomic ant, the water is so cold and pure in this area that rarely are there fly hatches, well at least the time we were there. The ranch backs into a National Forrest, where you cannot use any motorized vehicle, you can only hike or horse back into to fly fish. They do have a side road that will take the Fly fishing guides up half way up the river, where they will set in a float boat to fly fish. The guides here are very good, they know there stuff. I witnessed some of the best casting in years here. On a lunch break we stopped, and out of the boat one of the guides was backed up to a cliff that rose two hundred feet above him, yet he could make these cast out to the front and his back casts where going straight above him. That brought tears to my eyes, in true joy seeing that, I thought I could cast. Now if you have ever gone through an Orvis home decorating catalog, which is what the inside of these cabins, was filled with, Orvis lamps, bedspreads, towels to soaps, just unbelievable. IT reminded me of something Ralph Loren would put together. If you do go here, set aside a few days to go up to Glacier National Forrest, well worth it. The food was very great, but what I remember was the beauty of the area, the great customer service from the ranch hands, guides and staff. The fly fishing was just more than very good, it was off the chart. Thank you Spotted Bear Ranch, what a great spot for a guy to spend time with his dad! Thank you!

It's been a while since a review was posted. The other reviews are still accurate. There are only…read more2 cats running now so the lodging is better and less dense than last time. Our group of 11 had an amazing time. Great powder. The guides and food were excellent. We spent 2 nights and skied 2 days. Highly recommend if you are used to steep powder skiing. Bring extra snacks and booze.

Epic ski trip. We spent 3 days skiing with FWA. The guides were great. They added a fourth snow…read morecat, which we were the first to ride in. The area is huge and we skied 9 runs each on the first two days (~10,500 ft of vertical) and 11 runs on the last day because we had a fast group. The terrain isn't super steep but there is a lot of variety. Most areas have trees which in most cases are well spaced. It snowed about 18" two days before we got to Fernie and the guides found us fresh tracks everyday. No small feat as they run 3 or 4 cats everyday with 12 people each. The snow was great everywhere except for the very lowest elevations at the end of day 2 and 3. Each day had one or two "sporty" traverses or ski outs, but just about everyone was able to handle them. There was only one very short hike (maybe 50 meters). Be warned though, this is backcountry skiing in deep powder so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who isn't very comfortable skiing anything inbounds at a west coast resort and who isn't in decent shape. You will be tired at the end of the day and there will be 11 other skiers/boarders who want to make the most of the day.

So fun! We rented a float tube , a SUP, and a beach chair - reasonably priced since we didn't bring…read moreany beach gear. There was some sand and grass with shade trees. We got a spot, had a picnic and went out on the lake! Then we got ice cream sandwiches at the snack bar. Everyone was cool and friendly. There was a big roped off swim area: actually 2: a shallow area for little ones and a big deeper are with a swim platform. Great afternoon to chill out after crowds and traffic in Glacier NP.

Was surprised with how much I loved this little beach. I got a sandwich nearby at Wich Haus (the…read moremost amazing smoked chicken thigh sammy) and decided to come here to enjoy it on the beach. There were picnic tables and a beautiful lake with some mountains in the background. Just overall pristine and beautiful. The water looked so clear and inviting, I went in for a swim. Being mid-September, it was pretty cold, but I had a refreshing swim on the beach. No lifeguards or anyone telling you where you can and can't swim which is my kinda open water swimming. Loved this city beach -- highly recommended!

What an awesome mountain! Lots of steep terrain and 4.5 ft of snow at the top of the mountain. Our…read morefamily had a great time. The rental gear was good quality and a good price. Lift tickets are really good value for the experience.

My son and I spent several days fishing the Elk River Valley in Mid Aug 2019. Although we had…read morecaught many cutthroat and even some small bull trout on our own, it was not until we fished with the folks at Homewaters that we took our results to the next level. The day that we spent targeting big bulls with Curtis Lamey was epic. Jeff had used his network to gather intel and ID water that was producing bulls and Curtis lead us on a great adventure pursuing them. Curtis is an absolute pro with decades of experience. Of course he really knows all of the productive waters - both local and afield - right down to stretches that the bullies haunt. He is very personable and engaging and he has a great way with his clients. He took us on a great hike in postcard-like surroundings and he guided us on beautiful waters up and down the river until we found the fish we were coveting so much. Once we located fish, Curtis gave expert advice and worked tirelessly at changing flies until we found the right offering(s). In the end, we both walked away with photos of double digit bull trout, ticks on our bucket lists and great memories of an epic day of fishing in the Rockies. Of course my son and I highly recommend Jeff, Curtis and all of the professionals at Homewaters, without reservation. Joe Serensits, Oakville On.

I left a fair review on the home waters google review page and it was deleted. Jeff runs a bunch of…read morenames for his companies Home water / dry fly heaven / freestone angler. None of those companies have a poor review and here is the reason why but ask yourself why have so many names, what is there to hide. Well a lot really. I organised with Jeff to fish on his jet boat on the bull river. Jeff sold me on his jet boat getting away from other guides. On arriving in Fernie i caught up with Jeff and he told me how well the bull river was fishing. 5 days later and Jeff had changed his tune the bull river was low and clear and not fishing well he wanted to fish the town pools. I hadn't travelled 175000km to fish with a chump through town so pulled the pin. Jeff blew his lid, I received some out of control texts. I was in the local super market car park watching him go bat shit crazy luckily he didn't know I was watching his behaviour, I didn't feel safe in Fernie with that personality type so left Fernie as quickly as I could as I had fears for my safety. When I arrived in a nearby town I was shown pictures of huge bull trout being caught in the bull river. Plain and simple Jeff had not been honest as to why he pulled the pin on the days I had booked with him. So let's go back to jeffs google reviews Jeff claimed on his review page that I had not actually booked with him nor paid a deposit. Unfortunately for him I kept our emails which confirmed my deposit and Jeff's not wanting to take a deposit. When I posted those on Jeffs website reviews he had my review deleted. Straight up deleting reviews is not honest to your potential clients who are researching who to fish with in Fernie. Getting caught out and exposed to you peers and competition on your own website is embarrassing but Jeff made his bed he needs to accept his character traits not hide them. Trying to deceive your clients and potential clients catches up with any poor business. Jeff's competition have seen Jeff's posts and weighed up the evidence go and have a chat with any other guiding operation and save yourself the stress of dealing with this fake guide. None of Jeff's companies are members of tourism Fernie or fishing BC but other guides in town are my advice go and seek them out. There is no place for a guiding business that tries deceive anglers.

Nice friendly staff. Kayaks and canoes available to use until 9pm. I think one hour you get plenty…read moreof exercise. The views are beautiful. Make sure to wear big spray due to mosquitos. Wear your sunscreen there is no shade. Great spot to canoe or kayak!

Rented again. Staff was ultra friendly and accommodating again. Now that peak season is…read moreapproaching, they're open till 9 PM. This time we rented jetskis and we got some solid equipment. The jetskis were new, well maintained, and beastly. Really fast, handled superbly, and absorbed anything we threw at it. Love it.