Base Camp Bigfork

Rentals from Base Camp Bigfork include life jackets, fuel, cooler storage, fishing gear, a bimini top, a Bluetooth stereo, GPS navigation, dockside assistance and on-site parking. Amenities vary by boat and by season, so confirm what comes with the boat you book.

Montana sets no rental age in law; the rental company sets its own. What the state sets is who may operate. Children 12 or younger may not operate a motorboat or a personal watercraft powered by a motor rated at more than 10 horsepower unless accompanied by someone 18 or older. Youths of 13 and 14 may not operate those vessels without a valid Montana motorboat operator's safety certificate or evidence of completing an approved boating safety course. So 13 is the youngest an unsupervised operator can be, and only with that certificate. Confirm the rental company's own minimum when booking.

Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (fwp.mt.gov)

Montana does not require a boating license or education card for most adult recreational operators. For motorboats and personal watercraft over 10 horsepower, children 12 or younger may operate only when accompanied by someone 18 or older. Operators ages 13 and 14 must have a Montana motorboat operator’s safety certificate or proof of an approved boating safety course, unless accompanied by someone 18 or older.

A person must be at least 18 to rent one of these vessels, so rental customers are not subject to the youth certificate rule or a temporary renter certificate requirement. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks administers boating education.

Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (fwp.mt.gov)

From Bigfork, you can boat from the Swan River through Bigfork Bay onto Flathead Lake, with Wayfarers and Yellow Bay adding lake access and destinations. The Bigfork Fishing Access ramp serves the Swan River and Flathead Lake. Bigfork Bay is the slow-water choice: the buoyed stretch from the bay to 100 yards west of the Highway 35 bridge is no-wake. Beyond it, Flathead Lake offers broad, open water. Wayfarers provides boating access beside a rocky shoreline, while Yellow Bay has a gravel beach and deep-water launch.

Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (fwp.mt.gov)

From Bigfork, boaters can make Flathead Lake day trips to Wild Horse Island, Yellow Bay and Finley Point. Wild Horse Island is accessible only by boat and offers designated landing sites, hiking trails and wildlife viewing. Yellow Bay draws swimmers to its broad gravel beach and has a seasonal dock. Finley Point offers a dock, picnic facilities and swimming, making it a useful shore stop when lake levels allow dock use.

Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (fwp.mt.gov)