Flathead Lake Lodge
If you’ve familiar with Flathead Lake Lodge, chances are you’ve heard of a Week of Hope, an event we started in 2020 to celebrate our 75th anniversary. Each year since then, we’ve hosted critically ill children and their families here at the ranch where they can slow down and make memories with each other.
This year, we’re doing something new to help raise funds to support a Week of Hope. Meet Saddle Up For Hope.
A western-themed fundraiser, it will take place right here at Flathead Lake Lodge on Thursday, May 22, 2025, and will include a steak fry, auction, mouse races and barn dance. HopeKids (our partner organization in Week of Hope) will also be here to share more about the event and how it touches the lives of families from across the United States. Individual tickets, as well as sponsorships, are available and can be purchased here.
We hope you’ll join us and Saddle Up For Hope as we kick off our 80th season of Flathead Lake Lodge.
See you soon,
Chase
Last month, our crew left the snow-covered landscapes of Montana and headed to the sun for the annual Dude Ranchers Association Convention.
It’s an event we attend ever year where we get to rub elbows with other ranchers and take away key learnings and best practices. This year we took home something a little different, as Doug and Maureen Averill were inducted into the Dude Ranchers Association Hall of Fame. In true Doug fashion, he dedicated the award to Maureen.
To Doug and Maureen (or as we like to call them, Dad and Mom), thank you for taking such good care of this place. Thank you for raising me, as well as my brother and sister, to work hard and be kind. It’s an honor to carry on the tradition of Flathead Lake Lodge and I’m proud to be the third generation of our family to manage this ranch.
The award seems especially fitting this year, as 2025 marks our 80th anniversary. Founded in 1945 by Grandpa Les Averill, Flathead Lake Lodge is the epitome of a family tradition. Doug was raised right here at the ranch, and in turn raised our family at the ranch, too. And in true Averill family tradition, Kate and I are raising the fourth generation right along the shore of Flathead Lake.
With sincere gratitude and appreciation,
-Chase
While we know you’re most familiar with Flathead Lake Lodge as an all-inclusive guest ranch, we’re delighted to share that this winter we’re opening a seasonal restaurant inside the Main Lodge. Meet Quarter Circle Restaurant. 
We’ve had the restaurant in the works behind the scenes for a bit and we’re happy to have it officially share it with you! Chef Rob – who has been with us for over six years – is at the helm of the restaurant. For our inaugural season, the menu showcases Spanish-style tapas, colorful flavor-packed salads and delicious entrees, with many of the ingredients being locally sourced.
The restaurant came about as a way to connect with our community and offer something new for locals and winter visitors. We open December 5 and will have dinner service Wednesday-Saturday evenings. We look forward to sharing a new type of culinary and dining experience with you and can’t wait to break bread with you at Quarter Circle Restaurant this winter.
For the latest information, be sure to follow Quarter Circle on Facebook.
Cheers,
Chase
Here at Flathead Lake Lodge, we’ve been part of the Bigfork, Montana, community since 1945. And it’s no secret that we love living here, working here and playing here.
Bigfork is a wonderful community and we’re happy to hang out hats in this sweet lakeside town. As residents, business owners and members of the community, we believe in investing in the place we call home. So much so that each year, we commit to contributing 1% of our accommodations revenue to the Flathead Lake Lodge Community Fund. The fund supports causes, community projects and individual initiatives. Applications are currently open and due by October 31, 2024. If you’d like to apply for grant funding, the application is available here.
From our family to you and yours, thanks for being part of this wonderful community.
-The Flathead Lake Lodge family
Last month, we had the honor to host our fifth annual Week of Hope. And if you know anything about it, you likely know it’s the most magical week of the year here at Flathead Lake Lodge. While the event was originally started in 2020 to honor our 75th anniversary, it’s a tradition that we have happily and gratefully carried on. This year’s event, which was held September 9-14, 2024, welcomed 22 critically ill children and their families to the ranch to simply be. And as one of the ranch’s most-loved traditions, it’s an honor to give the gift of hope, connection and time.
A few highlights from this year’s Week of Hope:
-Seeing Week of Hope kids on horseback, many of them for the first time
-Watching friends be made and relationships formed
-The opportunity for guests to experience firsts with their families
After the week wrapped up, there was also an opportunity to ask the Week of Hope families to “caption the week” and here’s what they had to say:
-“God’s hands in action.”
-“Week of Hope gives me hope.”
-“Week of Hope revived my soul.”
-“Where our kids are just kids.”
-“Heaven on earth.”
-“Week of Hope felt like time was standing still – it was a week where I didn’t think about anything except the present.”
And as always, we have to express our gratitude to the organizations, donors and people who help bring Week of Hope to life. With that in mind, we want to offer our thanks to the following organizations that stepped in to support Week of Hope.
A huge Montana-sized thank you to the following:
–Outback Trading Company for donating cowboy hats for all the Week of Hope guests.
–Glacier Raft Company for donating scenic float trips.
–American Vision Photography donated 22 family portrait sessions and 4,900 candid photos.
–Logan Health donated nurses for 12 hours day, as well as an accessible van for transportation to and from the airport.
–Eva Gates Homemade Preserves gave huckleberry jam to each family.
–Bigfork Stagecoach Rides and Wrangler Springs offered complimentary stagecoach rides.
–Dream Adaptive for specialized equipment and volunteers to assist kids with kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.
–Backcountry Flying Experience for a plane ride.
Another thank you goes to our family season guests – at this summer’s weekly mouse races, we did a “split the pot” where half of the proceeds went to the winner and half went to Week of Hope. Most of our guests donated all of their winnings to Week of Hope, with $28,500 raised.
And lastly, a special thank you to our staff – you all are amazing and we’re incredibly grateful that you’re part of the Flathead Lake Lodge family. To our volunteers and locals – thank you for all you did to pitch in where we needed extra hands. And thank you to HopeKids for being our partners in gifting hope.
Until next year, with sincere gratitude,
-Chase
For the second year in a row, we’re excited to open the doors to the ranch early with our Locals Nights at Flathead Lake Lodge – Spring Dinners.
This year’s dinners will be offered six nights: May 9, 10 and 11 and May 16, 17 and 18. Per usual, Chef Rob is pulling out all the stops and has custom created four-course prix fixe menus for each weekend. This year, guests can also opt to add on a four-course wine pairing.
Here is what’s on deck for this spring:
May 9, 10 + 11
Course one: quinoa, tillett, kaniwa, amaranth, teff, poblano, blood orange
Course two: russett potato, surryano ham, smoked sherry aioli
Course three: duck breast, butternut squash, wild rice, apricot, broccolini, bourbon deme glace
Course four: Basque cheesecake
May 16, 17 + 18
Course one: burrata, garlic scape, heirloom tomato
Course two: halibut, red pepper nage, carolina gold, rice grits, succutash
Course three: roast chicken breast, potato, maitake, sauce grand mere
Course four: apple strudel
Need to Know
Tickets: $90 per person, including gratuity
Optional add-on of four-course wine pairing: $40 per person
Happy hour starts at 5:15 p.m. (cash bar), followed by dinner service at 6 p.m.
From our ranch family to you, we invite you to join us to celebrate spring in Montana. Tickets are available and can be purchased here.
See you soon,
Chase
Here at Flathead Lake Lodge, we’ve been a family tradition since 1945. With our location on the shore of Flathead Lake in northwest Montana and with nearly 2,000 acres of terrain, our guest ranch has plenty of room to soak up Big Sky Country.
And while we’ve been welcoming families for generations – as well as raising our own families here at the ranch – we were delighted to be named a winner in Good Housekeeping’s 2024 Family Travel Awards. Listed as a “Milestone Vacation Spot,” we were included under Unforgettable Adventures & Attractions.
Here’s what Good Housekeeping had to say…
“If you’re planning a trip with the extended family to celebrate a milestone anniversary, birthday or graduation, we have three words: Flathead Lake Lodge. Open May through October, the family-operated, all-inclusive guest ranch truly facilitates family bonding through its seemingly never-ending lineup of activities that you sign up for when you arrive for the week. (It also helps that the guest rooms don’t have TVs.) Although there isn’t an official camp, the supervised kids’ activities, broken down by age group, run morning to night. Well-planned meals, stellar service and a stunning lakeside location make this a true gem. Plan to stay in the area a few extra days to explore nearby Glacier National Park.”
And if you’re curious about what the tester thought, here’s a glimpse into the ranch in her own words.
“Every activity is outstanding,” said our reviewer, who visited with her parents, daughter and nephews and tried mountaintop yoga, horseback riding and flower-arranging class among many other things. “It’s so family-oriented and communal and everyone in our group had the best time, even my dad, who hates everything.” She also thought the food was delicious, noting “I loved that they had wine pairings with every dinner and that the kids had a separate meal and meal time if they wanted but could also eat with adults if they preferred.”
If you’ve been thinking about planning a family trip to Flathead Lake Lodge, we’d love to see you at our family-owned and -operated guest ranch.
During the summer, we offer weeklong stays (check in on Sunday, check out the following Sunday), while we also have a variety of packages in spring and fall. This spring, we have a new family-focused spring adventure package. Slated for May 29-June 2, 2024, it’s designed for the whole family with activities that include breakfast rides, horseback trail rides, archery, boat cruises, guided hikes, guided mountain biking, tours through the on-site elk preserve, yoga, music, steak fry and a barn dance.
Want to read more? Check out the awards here. In other exciting news, be sure to grab a copy of the January/February print issue of Good Housekeeping to read more about the ranch.
Until next time – happy trails,
Chase
Each year, we hire staff for the summer season and we’re happy to share that job openings for 2024 are live! If you’ve been considering spending a summer working in Montana, we invite you to apply to work at Flathead Lake Lodge, our family-owned and -operated all-inclusive guest ranch.
There are various departments and jobs that are open for the year, from working with horses to our kids program. A few of note: barn, children’s program, dining room, gift shop, grounds crew, guest services, housekeeping, kitchen, marketing, outdoor pursuits and waterfront.
If you’re curious about what it’s like to work at a guest ranch resort, we invite you to watch the video below and hear it about it directly from our staff.
And if you know someone who may be a good fit for Flathead Lake Lodge and our core values of fun, please share this link (or this blog post!) with them.
Until next time,
Chase
For more than 75 years, Flathead Lake Lodge has been part of the Bigfork, Montana, community. As one of the town’s largest employers and oldest businesses, we take our responsibility to community service and stewardship seriously.
Every season, we commit to contributing 1% of all accommodations revenue to the Flathead Lake Lodge Community Fund. Over the past five years, we have awarded more than $35,000 and look forward to continuing this tradition. We love this community and want it to continue to be the amazing place it is for years to come by partnering with you to make Bigfork even better.
Interested in applying? Complete and return this application no later than November 15, 2023.
From our family to you, thanks for your application.
-The Flathead Lake Lodge family
And just like that, our fourth annual Week of Hope was recently held at Flathead Lake Lodge. An event that got its start to honor our 75th anniversary in 2020, Week of Hope is now a ranch tradition that we look forward to every year. As you can imagine, this is an event that takes many hands to bring to life, from monetary donors to sponsors and vendors to staff and volunteers. We could not bring a Week of Hope to life each year and give the gift of hope to critically ill children and their families without the incredible people who help make it possible.
To learn more about Week of Hope, you can read our recaps from 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Here’s a peek at some of the folks who helped with Week of Hope (and to those who also gave monetary donations, please know that your help, donations and support are much appreciated):
Glacier Raft Company: Hosted a scenic float trip for 50.
American Vision Photography: Paul Andes took portraits and did photo shoots for each family, as well as candid photos throughout the week.
Dan Linn, Rideback: Due to Dan’s generosity, each year we have a Week of Hope video that captures the memories, family bonding and adventures throughout the week. This video is a treasured keepsake for everyone involved!
Outback Trading and M&F Western Products: Donated cowboy hats for all the kids.
Logan Health Children’s: Provided nurses and wheelchair-accessible van.
Eva Gates: Donated huckleberry jam.
In addition, our own TJ (who is our dishwasher at the lodge) has been keeping and recycling cans all season. He donated the money he raised to Week of Hope.
And while we could tell you all of the reasons this week is so special to us and to the families who attend Week of Hope, we though we’d share a few quote from the families themselves.
“You don’t know how much this touched our family; my son forgot he had cancer for 5 days”
“Thank you for all the memories and for being an agent of grace to all of us.”
“From Sept 11-Sept 16, Dave and I and the kids got to experience the most incredible time together, thanks to HopeKids and Flathead Lake Lodge. We celebrated Andre, spent time just being us and away from everything we handle in our day-to-days (appointments, therapies, etc..) and we’re introduced to and formed bonds with 15 families just like ours from the across the country. Friendships were formed; new adventures and experiences were had, and memories to last a lifetime. This vacation out to Montana was the most incredible experience and we are so forever grateful to have been given this.”
“My son has not talked or played with anyone for over a year until Garrett sat down next to him at breakfast camp.”
“We had been trying to get our child on a horse for years, he was not a fan, but Cotton won his heart, and we will be forever grateful for this week. I will never forget the feeling of having support.”
For more from the week, see the photo album here. From us to you, thanks for being part of the Flathead Lake Lodge family.
With sincere gratitude and a humble heart,
-Chase
This September, Flathead Lake Lodge will be the host location for the fourth annual Week of Hope, an event with HopeKids. Started in 2020 for our 75th anniversary, a Week of Hope is a tradition we’re honored to be a part of. For 2023, 16 critically ill children and their families will spend September 11-16 at the ranch where they can enjoy time together, experience new things and make sweet memories.
And while we could tell you how amazing this week is and how special it is to the families who attend, the ranch and our staff, instead we thought we’d introduce you to two of the families attending Week of Hope this fall.
Meet the Valle family
The Valle family will travel from north Texas to northwest Montana to attend a Week of Hope, with the HopeKid being Evan Valle, a 9 year old with MELAS. For the past six years, Evan has been hospitalized numerous times, does twice daily breathing treatments, takes multiple medications and more.
In the words of his family, “This week will mean the world to our family to be able to relax and enjoy each other’s company and meet other families. We don’t often have the opportunity to take a vacation and especially not of this magnitude. We have certainly never been to Montana! This will be a once in a lifetime option before Evan’s condition changes. A change of scenery will recharge and rejuvenate Evan’s soul. Thank you for the opportunity to experience this wonderful adventure. Hope is a powerful thing!”
Meet the Davenport family
The Davenport family will join Week of Hope from Colorado, with HopeKid Michael who is 9 years old. Since he was 1 year old, Michael has deal with complex epilepsy that includes thee types of seizures, as well as autism, asthma and more. He’ll be attending Week of Hope with his mother and older brother Eddie, who has also been dealing with health issues since 2020.
In the words of his mom Eileen, “I am a single mom with 2 amazing kids that struggle more than any kid should have to just to survive in this world. They teach me every single day how to be strong, have compassion, and to never give in to the chaos we deal with. Through all the hardships, HopeKids has been one of the biggest blessings by providing opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. Their dedication, patience, and hard work has truly given our family HOPE over and over again! Thank you to all the donors who help support HopeKids, your generosity helps families create unforgettable memories. This week will show my two boys here’s a world outside of complex medical care and judgment from others due to disabilities. It will provide memories other than needle pokes, invasive testing, and day to day struggles of ongoing medical hardships. Being chosen for Week of Hope creates an opportunity to enjoy the wilderness in all its glory, while giving a platform to encourage rest and peace in a way we have never had as a family unit. This trip is a silver lining to a grey cloud, reminding us that tough times consistently happen in life but there is also relief and sometimes it comes from complete strangers in unexpected ways. This adventure will allow us to connect with other families in different HopeKids’ chapters and allow all those selected to reset our souls to take on whatever life throws our way. The trip means an opportunity to spend quality time as a family unit, which is priceless and rare to come across. Last but not least, this trip means Michael can take pride in marking off Montana on his treasured scratch off map of the United States hanging in his room!”
Over the past few years, this week has touched the lives of many families. It’s a week that reminds us to slow down and soak up the moments, while always remembering that at the end of the day, family, love and hope are the most important things. If you’d like to help bring a Week of Hope to life this year, we invite you to donate here.
With hope and gratitude,
Chase