Inherited land in PHILIPSBURG (Missoula, Kalispell: home, buy, school)

[Dizzydog]

Looks like we are about to acquire 40 acres in Philipsburg, MT.

We are from a big city and have always wanted a Sumer home away from the scorching heat here in Phoenix. This sounds ideal. Supposedly all utilities are to the lot and it's in a master planned division where all the lots were 20 and 40 acres.

Can anyone tell me what we are in for in this area of Montana?

We went to look at land a couple years back outside the Kalispell area like Kila and Whitefish and really liked it but the people we found to be a bit off for us. Something about them. Not sure that will be much different dowjn in Philipsburg. It also could have just been us as city slickers and we did not have enough time to adjust.

Anyway, we love fishing and hiking a LOT as well as Four Wheeling and Snowsledding. Not into Hunting. We are most definately conservatives and late 30's.

Thanks for any advice!

The land is actually dead center between Missoula and Philipsburg. It is wooded. Marshall Ridge to be exact.

[magoomafoo]

P-burg is awesome! Our school sports travels there for games. You have fantastic fishing as well as an abundance of 4-wheeling and snowmobiling recreation. It's close to Drummond and Deerlodge and not too far from Missoula. It's a very quaint (sp?) small town. Downtown is VERY colorful and by that I mean literally the colors downtown is painted. Can be a bit touristy but that's part of it's appeal. Close by are Gem Mountain and Discovery Ski Area (my kids love Discovery the most). Of course, my favorite part of P-burg is the candy store. Cannot get out of there without spending a small fortune, but it's so worth it. You are very lucky and will enjoy it.

[magoomafoo]

Almost forgot Georgetown Lake! Wonderful fishing both ice fishing and boating. It's beautiful.

[MTOlivia]

A summer cabin might work out. Marshall Ridge doesn't look to be an "accessible by road" in the winter area. Utilities likely mean just a power line or maybe phone too. Water to be drilled for by you or maybe for a cabin a cistern & hauling water. Septic sytem to be provided by you. If you like the area you might be money ahead to sell the lot & buy a summer cottage in town. It could be a pleasant place to summer. Philipsburg is a little old mining town with a small summer tourist trade. There is a sapphire jewelry store & old time candy shop. Philipsburg is remote & wintery even for Montana in the winter months. Summers are cool/cold at night because it's in the mountains with 70-80's daytime temps.

[Dizzydog]

Thanks guys. One thing we do like about the land is it has a river running through it apparently. We plan to get out there in the next few months and see what summers are really like there and go from there.

[bongo403]

Magoomafoo described P-burg well, it's a quaint little town, with cute shops, and a blue grass festival every year. Lots of recreation around, with skiing, the lake, fishing, etc. There are also a few old ghost towns in the area.

I wasn't familiar with Marshall Ridge, so I googled it and found a link to some property that I think is in the same sub-division. I can't get the link to work properly on here but if you google "lot 1 marshall ridge" it should be the first thing that comes up, from a site called "hotpads". Lots of detailed info.

If this is it, I'm not sure of what the "river" would be - there are a lot of seasonal mountain creeks in the area and sometimes they can look deceiving on maps, but I wouldn't count on anything big. There will be plenty of fishing within a short drive though.

The Hwy 348 they are talking about is also known as Rock Creek Road. It follows the same Rock Creek which is a world-renowned Blue-Ribbon trout fishing stream. The road follows Rock Creek from where it meets the Clark Fork River about 25 miles east of Missoula all the way to Philipsburg. It's about a 40-50 mile drive, but it's a dirt road almost all the way. I've done it a few times - truly a beautiful drive but it will take you several hours and most of it will be far from civilization (no cell service either), so just be fore-warned if you ever decide to try it, you'll want 4-wheel drive and be prepared. (I'm telling you this just in case you're relying on a GPS that wants to find you the "shortest route" so you won't be decieved ).

From the map on this site it looks like the land is fairly easily accessible from highway 1 which goes right through P-burg. It's about a 90-minute drive from Missoula if you stay on the real highways (I-90 and Hwy 1) and probably an hour from Butte.

If that link is it, it looks like you've got a beautiful piece of land... enjoy it!

[rambrush]

Wow That is a very nice area in my opinion, georgetown lake just never was my cup of tee. A lot of remote lakes to be had and you can get your fix of 4 wheeling just getting to them.
A tad different than the rocks we have here in Az plenty of muck and mud to be had.
Cold and crisp trout just waiting for us to arrive the end of July. Been a pretty heavy snow pack again this year, creeks and rivers going to be flowing heavy.

[Dizzydog]

bongo - thanks! that's it! i think it may just be creeks. I can't wait to see the land. going to make a trip out there in a couple weeks to visit it.

rambrush- u think it's really muddy in that area u are saying?

[rambrush]

Your area should be fine. We generally go into Storm Lake and it can be tricky to access at times.
Our property is south of Anaconda and 8 miles off the pavement. So we don't have year around access unless we buy a snow cat.
Just looked at the weather in Anaconda and it says 100% chance of snow tonight and 70% tomorrow. quite a change from Az weather.

[sky1949]

Let's put it this way...if you don't want it, contact me.