Lone Pine State Park is a fun destination, all year round!
The warmer months are a time to explore our state, and at Prairie Populist we’re joining the thousands of Montanans visiting the amazing lands, lakes, and historical sites that make up Montana’s state parks. We hope you’ll check back regularly and join us as we explore what these parks mean for the people of our state and how they help make Montana a place unlike any other.
Montana State Park managers face many challenges, including extensive trail maintenance needs. Brian Schwartz, manager of Kalispell’s beloved Lone Pine State Park, takes a personalized approach to trail upkeep. “I like to walk the trails every morning to get an idea of what shape they are in,” explains Schwartz.
In addition to the 7.5 miles of trails Schwartz maintains, Lone Pine also features an archery range and a visitor center where school groups come for outdoor recreation seminars. With many amenities to tend to, as well as books to balance and a budget to keep, Schwartz looks forward to his time on the trail.
Photographer, August Schield, takes you on a tour of Lone Pine State Park through this series of photos- follow along!
Brian Schwartz is the manager of Lone Pine State Park.
Schwartz carries a bag of noxious weeds up a trail that leads to the visitor center.
A bridge to an overlook where visitors take in breathtaking views of the Flathead Valley.
Park staff spend long days working in the park, but they get to take advantage of all the park’s great amenities at the end of the day.
A young girl finds herself bewildered by the interpretive features of an ecosystem map of Montana in the Lone Pine Visitor Center.
A live bull snake curiously slides around its cage while three young visitors marvel at the opportunity to see a snake so close.
A stuffed grizzly bear — part of Lone Pine’s living with wildlife series — greets folks entering the visitor center.
A park visitor aims for the target at Lone Pine’s archery range.
Brian Schwartz stands proudly atop one of his favorite spots in the park where he can look out over the city of Kalispell.
Want to see more incredible photos of Montana’s State Parks? Click here to see our other stories from our State Parks Series.
Photos by August Schield.
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