Western Montana & Missoula Real Estate Blog & Area Information

Mineral County, Montana is home to more than 42 pristine mountain lakes. This is no surprise when you consider that 82% of Mineral County is state and national forest service. Some of Mineral County's Lakes are close to the road, including Missoula Lake, while others are a hike.

Many of the mountain lakes are known for excellent fishing and there are few if any crowds. So when you go through Mineral County, stay awhile, and visit one or more of our many lakes.

Click here for a complete list of Mineral County lakes.

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

Earlier this summer we took a drive to Hoo Doo Pass near Superior, Montana. This is an amazing drive with breathtaking views from every side.

On the way you drive along a local favorite of fly fishermen - Trout Creek - which is rich in Trout, of course. The road leads you up a wide canyon. Along the way, you pass the trailhead for Heart Lake - a great day hiking trail.

Hoo Doo Pass is at the Montana / Idaho border and has a beautiful alpine feeling. There is also a trailhead for Hoo Doo Lake which I am told is one of the most amazing alpine lakes in the area - this will be on our list to do before summer ends!

Before going to Hoo Doo Pass or Hoo Doo Lake, be prepared for snow, these pictures were taken in July and as you can see from the bottom one, there is still snow on the ground.

Hoodoo Lake Trail (111) is a good trail for berry picking (late July, early August). Hoodoo Lake is a pretty alpine lake just under the top of the divide. Fishing is also supposed to be good at Hoo Doo Lake.

Length: 2.3 miles
Trail Begins: Forest Road 250 at Hidden Creek
Trail Ends: State Line Trail 738

Area Map: Lolo Forest Visitors Map
USGS Map1: Hoodoo Pass
Township 14N; Range 27W; Section 3

To get to Hoo Doo pass, you take Diamond Road East from Superior and follow it up Trout Creek.

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

Mineral County, Montana (MT) is an amazing place to live and work. We are surrounded by National Forest and the Clark Fork River flows through most of the County. Mineral County boasts 87 miles of river, 650 miles of streams, more than 45 pristine mountain lakes, 400+ miles of hiking trails. Not to mention the world famous whitewater rapids through the Alberton Gorge. Needless to say, Mineral County is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise

Want to learn more about Mineral County and its communities of Superior - the County Seat, St. Regis, Alberton, Deborgia, Haugan, Lozeau, and Saltese?

Then visit www.mymineralcounty.com, the only local Blog dedicated to the area. 

MyMineralCounty.com features information on local:

• businesses,
• schools,
• events,
• organizations,
• real estate,
• recreational opportunities, and
• more!

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

The Superior School System serves the towns of Superior, Tarkio, and surrounding areas. For information on the Elementary, Junior High School, or High School, visit the NCES - the National Center for Education Statistics.

The School is located at: 1003 5th Ave E., Superior, MT 59872 (406) 822-3600 and their website is located at: http://www.sd3.k12.mt.us/.

On their website you can find information about:

• faculty and staff,
• an events calendar, and
• lunch menu, and
• information on bus routes.

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

Haugan is about five miles from the Idaho border. The town was named for H. G. Haugan, land commissioner and comptroller for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. Haugan was established and maintained as a pusher station for trains ascending the Coeur d'Alene Mountain grade. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) Today, the area offers plenty of outdoor sporting opportunities, including big game hunting, hiking, biking, fishing, and horseback riding.

At the historic Savenac Nursery, visitors can learn the story of how millions of trees changed the future of our national forests. Established in 1907, Savenac was once one of the largest US Forest Service tree nurseries in the United States, producing 12 million seedlings annually to reforest national forests throughout the country. Although the nursery is no longer used to produce seedlings, the site remains intact it was designated a National Historic Site in July 2000. Today, visitors can wander along interpretive trails through forests that were once seed beds, explore an arboretum featuring gifted trees such as the Japanese larch, or just have a lazy picnic under Montana's blue sky.

Haugan is halfway between Missoula, Montana and Spokane, Washington. Haugan is also very close to Lookout Pass Ski Area, which offers great skiing experience. Early and regular snows that tend to be light and fun to ski. Lookout has 444 skiable acres and 23 runs, two terrain parks, and 25k of cross-country and snowshoeing. Lookout has a full-service lodge with food, bar, rentals, and lessons as well.

For more information on Haugan, contact Kevin & Monica Ray at Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or to search local listings, visit www.YourMT.com.

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Anthropologists from the University of Montana, in conjunction with the US Forest Service, will be visiting Superior this week and performing an archeological dig in the China Gulch area of Cedar Creek. They were also here in 1995 and discovered several things, including the U-shaped hearth in this photo.

Cedar Creek has a colorful history to say the least. In 1869, a Frenchman named Louis Barrette discovered gold and established Louiseville, named after his wife. By 1870, Louiseville was a booming mining town, but within 3 years it would be completely abandoned.

The Chinese who were forced out of Idaho moved into the abandoned mining camps and slowly began to take over Cedar Creek. By 1880, there were more Chinese in the area than white Americans.

The Mineral County Historical Society will be sponsoring a bus trip tonight, June 25th to the site of the archeological dig. On Saturday, June 28th, they will provide an additional bus trip and tour of the area and will allow individuals to see items found during the dig. For more information on the tours, contact the Mineral County Museum at 406-822-4626. For more information on Mineral County, Montana including the towns of Superior, St. Regis, Deborgia, Haugen, Saltese, Alberton, and Lozeau, visit www.mymineralcounty.com.

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

Join Us On Saturday, June 14, 2008

Noon - 4:00 pm

For a Tour of RiverRidge and FREE FlyFishing Lessons from

Professional Fly Fishing Instructor, Stacy Jennings!

At RiverRidge*, you'll enjoy private trout ponds, a relaxing nature walking trail, breathtaking views, and a Montana lifestyle, that is in one word...Superior! And with:

• Lots starting at $39,000 and
• Land home packages from $230,000

Fine Living has never been so affordable! Contact Kevin & Monica Ray at Access Realty at 406-207-1185 for more information.

Join Professional Fly Fishing Instructor Stacy Jennings from Missoula's Kingfisher Fly Shop & Stacy Jennings' Fly Fishing School.

From trout streams to blue water, Stacy Jennings has been fly fishing since 1976 and teaching fly fishing professionally since 1994. She instructs and guides to meet the needs of each client.

Directions: From I-90, take the Superior Exit, go East on Fourth to McKinley and watch for the signs.

*Pending final plat approval.

Offered by:

Kevin & Monica Ray

Access Realty

(406) 207-1185

www.RiverRidgeMT.com

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

Join us this weekend in St. Regis for Western Montana's Largest Flea Market! This is the 32nd Annual Memorial Day Weekend Flea Market in St. Regis - so it has become quite the event.

It goes from Dawn to Dusk Saturday, Sunday & Monday of Memorial Day Weekend with over 150 Different Vendors. You'll find just about anything you could want, from antiques to books to handmade crafts to collectibles.

There is always a good turnout and lots of great food. The breakfast is especially popular with pancakes, eggs, sausage & bacon.

To get to the flea market, Take Exit 33 for St. Regis off I-90 Follow Signs to Community Park.

Hope to see you there!

And, if you're interested in area real estate while you're in St. Regis, contact Kevin & Monica Ray from Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or visit us online at www.YourMT.com. We're your Western Montana Real Estate Specialists.

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

The snow is almost gone in beautiful Western Montana and hiking season is just around the corner! As a warm-up we decided to hike the Superior Vista Trail this evening. This trail was just formalized in the last year or two and leads up a mountain on the North side of the town of Superior. It is moderate to difficult in terrain with the first 1000 feet at 10% grade and the remaining hike at 15-20% grade.

The trail is marked with several signs with photos of Superior, the county seat for Mineral County, in the early 1900's and the historical sites that can be seen from the trail.

Once your high enough on the trail, there are spectactular views in every direction of the Clark Fork River that runs through the town of Superior from East to West, and the Lolo National Forest.

Mineral County, Montana is ideal for outdoor recreation. In the county, there are 87 miles of river, 650 miles of streams, and over 50 high mountain lakes. In addition, there are over 400 miles of hiking trails and more than 1,000 miles of off-highway roads. 87% of land in the county is either forest service or state owned so private land is at a premium. In September of last year, Mineral County land was the most viewed and searched in the country on the popular website Landwatch.com.

The county is quickly becoming a vacation destination and a place for second homes. If you would like to learn more about Mineral County, the local real estate market, or some great hiking trails, contact Kevin & Monica Ray at Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or visit us online at www.YourMT.com. For more information on Mineral County, Montana including the towns of Superior, St. Regis, Deborgia, Haugen, Saltese, Alberton, and Lozeau, visit www.mymineralcounty.com.

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Kevin & Monica Ray are real estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. For more information on Western Montana, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.YourMT.com.

JOIN US for a FREE Concert in Superior on November 9th!

The Mineral County Performing Arts Council (MCPAC)Presents an Evening of Music With Special Guests:

•|       Jodi Marshall  The Northwest's Renowned Jazz Pianist (Photo)

•|       Melody Anderson    Talented Jazz Vocalist & Performer

•|       Richard Conviser    Professional Violinist with the Missoula & Glacier Symphonies

•|       Donn Dale    A Flamenco Guitarist who will Transport You to Old World Spain

 Friday November 9th at 7:00 p.m. Performance to be at:

Superior Baptist Church  609 5th Street Superior, MT 59872

Free Admission!  Freewill Offerings Accepted

Free Coffee Social After the Concert

The Mineral County Performing Arts Council (MCPAC) was organized in 2007 as a public non-profit organization to foster cultural arts throughout Mineral County.  For More Information or to Help Sponsor, Call MCPAC President, Monica Ray at 822-5439, or 544-3098 (cell) or email at monica@youmt.com.

This will be our second event in Superior and we are really excited. The last concert was amazing with more than 120 people turning out for the concert.