Montana

Seeking to Silo in Montana – FLYING Magazine

Published

2 years ago

March 18, 2024

Seeking to Silo in Montana – FLYING Magazine

Montana’s Flathead Valley is a widely acclaimed summer and winter destination, known for its pristine clear water lakes, ski resorts, and—most notably—Glacier National Park.

The Silo House fly-in rental in Kalispell is conveniently situated near the area’s attractions but benefits from its tranquil location at Sky Ranch Airport (MT95). The increasingly popular accommodation is owned by Tom Bass and Susan Jasmann, longtime residents of the area who individually share a passion for aviation and horses.

“We opened the Silo House four years ago,” Bass said. “Two months later, COVID hit and every reservation was canceled. We thought we were going to go broke but actually did quite well during the pandemic because of what you can do here.

An aerial view of Sky Ranch Airport (MT95), which sports a 5,000-foot-by-220-foot turf runway. [Courtesy: Silo House/Tom Bass]

“Montana’s number one economic source is recreation, and people flock here because of all the things to do. People that stay at the Silo House for a week spend two or three days at Glacier [National] Park and the rest with all the activities Flathead Valley has to offer. There are places to ride horses, fly fish, hike, float the rivers, zip lines, rent RVs or boats, and many other things. Flathead Lake, which is only 2 miles from the Silo House, is 50 miles long and is about 6 miles wide on average.”

The fly-in rental features a unique architectural style. It is a memorable starting point for a pilot’s adventures in northwest Montana.

“One of the four lots we own was the original farmhouse for the section of land that MT95 is built on,” Bass said. “The farmhouse was 100 years old, and we took it down to the studs and doubled its size. The farmer’s original grain bins on the lot needed to be repurposed and the Silo House was born. All of the exterior is rock, barnwood, and silos. The interior is industrial modern with dramatic steel beams, lots of glass, stunning views, and custom wood furniture. With the patio, an acre of grass, and stunning views: This is the place you want to come home to at the end of the day. The initial goal of the house from day one was to be designed from the ground up as a vacation rental.”

The project’s website provides an overview of its amenities.

There are equestrian facilities on-site at the Silo House. [Courtesy: Silo House/Tom Bass]

“The Silo House has an open floor plan with plenty of room to entertain, with windows overlooking a wetlands pond and the dramatic Rocky Mountains,” he said. “There are two large bedrooms with comfy king-size beds, a round loft with three twins (for kids or adults), two bathrooms, and private study with a twin which is in the silo over the master bedroom. A round fully stocked kitchen is a phenomenal place to cook, and there is a stunning bar area. The beautiful rustic wood kitchen table comfortably seats 10.

“You can enjoy your cup of coffee in front of the fireplace or out on the beautifully appointed patio, which has an outdoor bar area and fire pit for both summer and winter nights. Also, bring your binoculars for sightings of all sorts of animal life, bird watching, and horses in the pasture next door.”

Bass contends that the unique project has continued to be successful, post-pandemic, for several reasons. More than anything, having a rental home with direct runway access is a rarity in northwest Montana. Pilots have taken notice of the ease of taxiing to their accommodation.

As a point of reference, Kalispell City Airport (S27) is 6 nm northwest, and Glacier Park International (KGPI) is 12 nm to the north of Sky Ranch Airport. When you land at the Silo House, your hosts will take you to one of several car rental locations and help with your luggage.

Bass, a Cessna 180 owner, offered an overview of some of the notable airstrips in the area. He is happy to help curate a list of “must-sees” for pilots visiting, both on land and the water. He has been to Alaska 15 times on floats and frequented many of the Idaho backcountry strips. If you need help in planning your dream flying adventure, he will be there to help you.

“I am familiar with all of the local runways around here, including backcountry runways,” he said. “There are four backcountry runways less than 40 miles away that all have great camping locations. Three of them—Schafer, Meadow Creek, and Spotted Bear—are a few hundred feet away from spectacular fly fishing spots. Flights over the mountains in this area will give you breathtaking views.

Spotted Bear (8U4) – 27 miles; 3,672 feet msl; 3,800-foot runway
Meadow Creek (0S1) – 35 miles; 3,993 feet msl; 2,800-foot runway
Schafer (8U2) – 38 miles; 4,854 feet msl; 3,200-foot runway
Ryan Field (2MT1) – 23 miles; 3,660 feet msl; 2,500-foot runway

Inside the Silo House, a purpose-built vacation rental a short taxi away from the private airport’s runway. [Courtesy: Silo House/Tom Bass]

“These backcountry strips are all in the mountains and should only be attempted by pilots with mountain flying experience. For those that are not seasoned backcountry pilots, there are instructors around here that seriously know what they are doing. They know what they’re doing because daily they help a lot of people who are flown into these strips as a place to start their hikes.”

A Diamond DA-62 sits on the grass at Sky Ranch Airport (MT95) in Kalispell, Montana. [Courtesy: Silo House/Tom Bass]

The well-manicured grass runway at Sky Ranch Airport is much less intimidating to the visiting pilot, sitting at an estimated 2,905 feet msl. According to Bass, 100LL fuel is typically available for guests so that they don’t have to fly to another airport to fill up.

“MT95 is the biggest grass strip in Montana,” he said. “It’s 5,000 feet long and 220 feet wide, but we have designated a 50-foot taxiway on each side. There are no obstacles, so it is easy to get in and out of.”

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Montana

Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

Published

46 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

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Montana

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.

Today’s Forecast:

Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12

It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.

The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.

MTN News

Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.

Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.

Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.

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Montana

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Warm temperatures and an “atmospheric river” of precipitation that flowed into northwestern Montana this week have generated a state of emergency in Montana’s northwesternmost county, Lincoln, as local waterways run unseasonably high.

Around 12 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service started issuing flooding watches as area snowpack sites reported 24-hour precipitation totals that were approaching record levels. NWS meteorologist Dan Borsum told Montana Free Press Thursday that the “rain-on-snow” nature of the recent precipitation has led to widespread flooding.

Borsum called the weather pattern “unusual” for mid-December, instead likening it to a warm April.

Zach Sherbo, the public health manager for the Lincoln County Health Department, said in a Thursday afternoon phone call that additional precipitation is expected through Thursday evening, so rivers could continue rising into Friday.

The Lincoln County communities of Libby and Troy have been hit the hardest by the deluge, which prompted emergency services personnel to issue a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. Residents are cautioned against unnecessary travel and those served by the Libby city water supply are under a boil-water order as a precaution in the event of water supply contamination. School has also been canceled for students in Libby and Troy, Sherbo said.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has identified a handful of bridges that have been compromised or are washed out as a result of flooding. It suggests residents looking for information on road closures and bridge conditions review an interactive map that is available online and linked in a press release posted to the Lincoln County Health Department’s Facebook page.

“It’s going to take a long time to recoup from this, just structurally, just with the bridges we’ve lost already and the condition that they’re in and going toward,” Sherbo said. “It’s a pretty big combined local effort right now.”

Justun Juelfs, the Kalispell-area maintenance chief with the Montana Department of Transportation said three stretches of state-managed roadways were closed or under monitoring status as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

An approximately 80-foot section of the Farm to Market Road south of Libby has washed out as Libby Creek carved a new channel. MDT is also monitoring erosion that is occurring along a U.S. Highway 2 bridge southeast of Libby and along a section of Highway 56 near Bull Lake. Juelfs encouraged motorists to review MDT’s road conditions report for up-to-date information on impacts to state highways.

The Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with sandbag-filling and distributing efforts and the Red Cross has set up a shelter for those in need at the Assembly of God Church in Libby, according to Sherbo.

The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services agency is also lending a hand with the flood response. In an email to MTFP, Anette Ordahl with DES wrote that a district field officer and a recovery coordinator are on the ground in Libby to offer assistance.

In a Thursday afternoon press release, Gov. Greg Gianforte noted that Sanders and Flathead counties have also recognized the flooding by issuing emergency or disaster declarations. Up to four inches of additional rainfall are expected across western and south-central Montana, according to a disaster declaration Gianforte’s office included in a 3 p.m. press release.

The National Weather Service reported Thursday morning that the Bear Mountain snowpack monitoring site, located just across the border in Idaho, received 6.5 inches of precipitation as of this morning, making it the third-wettest 24-hour period for the site in its 44-year monitoring history. The six-day precipitation total for Dec. 6-11 is 13 inches.

Borsum, with the National Weather Service, said the recent, unseasonable warm spell in western Montana combined with the “super strong” atmospheric river to melt early season snowpack and drive flooding. A similar rain-on-snow event in early June of 2022 led to widespread flooding in parts of south-central Montana that required extensive repairs to roadways and bridges.

Thursday, the Yaak River near Troy surpassed its official flood stage, running at more than 7,500 cubic feet per second. Its usual volume for this time of the year is about 200 cfs.

The Fisher River near Libby was also nearing flood stage. As of Thursday afternoon, it was running at nearly 4,000 cfs, more than 20 times its usual volume for mid-December.

Zeke Lloyd and Jacob Olness contributed to this reporting.

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