Welcome & History of Lone Pine

Welcome to Lone Pine State Park!

"It is our intention to have this tract preserved for recreational purposes for the public to enjoy; also, for educational purposes, that the public may more fully appreciate the benefits of timber, soil, and wildlife conservation." - Ernest and Hazel White

As the second oldest state park in the system, Lone Pine boasts a wide variety of recreational and educational opportunities, as well as a rich historical connection to Kalispell.

Park Details:

• Elevation: 2,959 feet to 3,644.

• Acreage: 270.

• Year-round visitor center.

• Facility rentals: classroom, picnic shelter, and overlook (inquire via phone or in person).
  

Recreational opportunities consist of:

• 7.5 miles of trail for hiking, running, and snowshoeing (rentals available) with options for mountain biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing.

• Archery range.

• Wildlife viewing & sightseeing.

• Photography.

• Volleyball.

• Bird watching (free field guides available).

• Day-use picnicking areas with fire pits.

Educational opportunities consist of:

• Adult, children, and family programming (see Facebook for program schedule)

• Children's activities.

• Interpretive displays on trails

• Visitor center interpretive displays

History:

• 1941: Ernest and Hazel White donated 162 acres to the state of Montana.

• 1947: Lone Pine is added to the Montana State Park system.

• 1969: Boy Scouts help rehabilitate Lone Pine State Park after years of vandalism.

• 1975: County and adjoining land-owners provide a new blacktop road, which serves the park from the highway to the park gate.

• 1981: Kalispell Rotary Club develop House Bill #460 to improve Lone Pine State Park and the Foys Lake property. Improvements include:                                                                                    -Road enhancements.                                                                                                                    -Caretaker facilities.                                                                                                                      -Visitor Center.

• 1984: Kalispell Rotary Club donates proceeds from its All American Boys chorus performance to the construction of the footbridge.

• 1984: Grand opening of Lone Pine State Park Community Center.

• 1998: Lone Pine Trail constructed by a private contractor, Settle Services.

• 2003: Interpretive Conservation Education programs are developed for students K-12.

• 2004: Valley View trail and parking lot are developed for public use.

• 2007: Fish, Wildlife, and Parks acquire 40 acres of land through easements; park acreage sits at today's total of 270.

• 2009: Montana Conservation Corps is contracted to build two trails: Bearly There and Raptor's Rest.

• 2012: Unveiling of the wolf display.

Contributors: Ernest and Hazel White, Montana State Parks, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, AmeriCorps, Boy Scouts, Kalispell Kiwanis Club, Board of Land Commissioners, Flathead County Parks and Recreation, Lex Blood, Michael Britton, Kalispell Rotary Club, Renewable Resource Development Fund, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Flathead Wildlife, Inc., Trout Unlimited, Flathead Chapter of American Society of Foresters, Flathead Valley Archers, Lone Pine Natural Resource Education Coalition, Eagle Scout Troop 33, Beta Sigma Phi, Preceptor Epsilon Chapter, Timber Harvest and Thinning, Sandy Van Riper, Flathead Land Trust, Peterson Elementary, Flathead Audubon Society, Wildlife Return, Watershed Conservation District, Flathead National Forest Service, Montana Conservation Corps, and the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.