Flathead Lake to Wild Horse Island: a Montana kayak and hike in 4K

Legend has it that the Salish and Kootenai tribes used the island to pasture horses to keep them from being stolen by other tribes. A handful of wild horses still inhabit the park today. The island boasts an old growth Ponderosa pine forest and abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. Along with the wild horses...bighorn sheep, mule deer, bald eagles, falcons and waterfowl are frequently observed. Bears are said to frequent the island as well. Wild Horse Island (Flathead Lake State Park) is accessible only by watercraft. So we launched our kayaks for the 2.5 mile paddle from Dayton, Montana to Skeeko Bay on Wild Horse Island. Once on the island, there is a four mile hiking loop that takes your from Skeeko Bay to the Johnson homestead, up to the lookout, over to Eagle Cove and back to Skeeko Bay.