Take a detour to discover the road less traveled—you’ll never go back. Not only will you find solitude and adventure, taking a detour often means a more responsible path forward, dispersing our impact by seeking new destinations. Sometimes all it takes is the right guide.
Our feature collection of Detour Guides across the U.S. starts with Sam Haverstock in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Utilizing a Toyota Tacoma, he accesses an off-road area of Western Montana that’s a world away from Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road. Haverstock guides chef and friend Ranga Perera, launching on a section of the Middle Fork Flathead River that’s overlooked by most park visitors. Follow the duo packraft and fly-fish on clear, empty waters, then read more guidance below to adventures in and near the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Go deeper with the full video, more Detour Guides presented by Toyota Trucks, plus the trails and the trucks to get you to the wildest corners of our country.
Meet Sam Haverstock. At 18, he signed up for a Grand Canyon guiding course to conquer his biggest fear: whitewater rafting. “The first two weeks were about the most terrifying two weeks of my life,” he says. By the end of the 26-day trip, he had learned how to read a rapid and found a new calling. A year later, Haverstock relocated to Montana with dreams of a wilder life.
That was 2007. He’s been in West Glacier ever since, managing Wild River Adventures and guiding everything from family floats to six-day wilderness expeditions into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Haverstock’s life revolves around the Flathead River drainage, where wild and scenic rivers flow undammed from Canada.
It’s a rare combination: great access, world-class trout fishing, and plenty of whitewater. Haverstock’s advice for visitors: “Think about what scares you a little, then go do it. You can usually find that in any direction you throw a stone out here.”
Go Beyond Glacier
Fish the Middle Fork of the Flathead
Sam’s top pick for a single day: a full-day fly-fishing trip high on the Middle Fork Flathead, floating about ten miles through boulder gardens and searching for Montana’s state fish, the black-spotted westslope cutthroat trout. The best months are usually July and August, when the water warms enough for dry-fly-fishing but the cutthroat are still hungry after the long, cold spring.
Paddle Middle Fork Whitewater
For legitimate rapids, hit the Middle Fork Flathead in May and June during high water for Class II–III runs. “If you want to bring the whole family, come in July and August,” Haverstock says. The North Fork offers similar conditions but runs from the Canadian border. Both are wild and scenic rivers with no dams.
Hike Apgar Mountain Lookout
Right in West Glacier proper, this 3.5-mile climb gains nearly 1,900 feet to reach a 1929 fire lookout tower with postcard views of Lake McDonald and the surrounding peaks. The trail passes through burn areas from massive wildfires, now sprinkled with young lodgepole pines and wildflowers. Start early, since most of the route is exposed on south-facing slopes.
Deeper Detour to Great Northern Mountain
At 8,705 feet, this is the highest peak in the Flathead Range and the tallest summit in the Bob Marshall Wilderness proper. “One of the most magical peaks out there,” Haverstock says. From below, the mountain looks impossibly steep, but there’s a hiking route that gets you to the top in a day. The summit offers views into Glacier National Park, the Great Bear Wilderness, and hundreds of peaks across northwest Montana.
Read more on Haverstock’s tips on how to handle Glacier-country waters.
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