Ultimate Guide to Wild Horse Island in Montana

Visiting Wild Horse Island is sure to be a highlight during your trip to Montana. Search for the remaining five wild horses, spot eagles and bighorn sheep, and hike some incredible trails.

We were virtually the only ones exploring the island, which made us wonder — why? Wild Horse Island is a gem in Montana you must visit.

Where to spot the wild horses? What else is there to see and do on Wild Horse Island? Here’s the complete guide to visiting Wild Horse Island in Montana.

Table of Contents Show

Why Visit Wild Horse Island in Montana?

Search for the wild horses. Are there actually wild horses on Wild Horse Island? YES. There are 5! Searching for them on the island is part of the fun. It’s not a guarantee that you’ll see them, but I’ll give you one spot to visit where you’ll have a good chance to see them (more below).

See abundant wildlife. Aside from the wild horses, there are lots of wildlife on this island, such as bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and mule deer. We felt like we were in a National Geographic documentary as we explored the island.

Hike incredible trails. There are only two trails to hike on Wild Horse Island, which traverse less than half of the island. But you’ll still see some incredible views. And the best part? No crowds. We didn’t run into any other people save for the six others on our boat shuttle.

author on the trail in Wild Horse Island Montana looking out at the trees and water

Quick Facts about Visiting Wild Horse Island, Montana

Location: Flathead Lake, Montana
How to get there: Boat shuttle from Big Arm
Cost: $45 per person for boat shuttle
Time on boat ride: About 25 minutes each way
Time on island: About 3 hours
(Day use only, overnight stays not permitted)

How to get to Wild Horse Island Montana

The boat shuttles to Wild Horse Island depart from Big Arm, a section on Flathead Lake. The boat ride takes about 25 minutes.

Where you’ll land on the island: You’ll land at Skeeko Bay on Wild Horse Island, although there is no dock on the island.

The boat you’ll ride in is pretty small and able to get pulled onto the shore. It’s a big step down, but the shuttle staff helped all of us off the boat easily.

What to expect on the boat ride: We were lucky to have a calm ride in the morning, but the wind picked up in the afternoon (13 mph) so it was a choppy ride back to Big Arm. (Hold onto your hats and brace for some water spray!)

If the wind is too strong, the trip could be canceled, unfortunately. I hope you’ll have great weather, though, on the day of your visit to Wild Horse Island.

Recommended Boat Shuttle

We booked a boat shuttle to Wild Horse Island with Big Arm Boat Rentals and Rides. You can’t book online, so you’ll need to call to reserve your seat (find the number at the website).

Shuttle is $45 per adult. Children 7 and under are $25. Children under 2 are free.

There are three departure times: 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. It’s advised to arrive 15 minutes early.

boat in flathead lake by the dock at big arm

view of island from the boat in the lake heading to Wild Horse Island Montana

Top Things to Do on Wild Horse Island

Hike
Wildlife viewing (though keep a safe distance)
Visit landmarks such as the Johnson Corral, Johnson Barn, and Johnson Homestead (all on the Heritage Trail 1)
Visit the apple and pear orchard (on the Heritage Trail 1)

trail with a house in the background in Wild Horse Island Montana

trail with wildflowers in Wild Horse Island Montana

Hiking Trails on Wild Horse Island

There are two trails on Wild Horse Island, aptly named Trail 1 and Trail 2.

We hiked Trail 1, the Heritage Trail, and a tiny part of Trail 2, towards Eagle Cove.

We turned around after seeing the horses in the grove. (Another traveler told us to look there for the horses, and they were right. More on that below, under “Where to Find the Wild Horses.”)

Trail 1: Heritage Trail

Length: 1.7 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 288 feet
Highlights: Johnson Corral, Johnson Barn, Johnson Homestead, orchards

Trail 1 is called the Heritage Trail because it features several abandoned structures, remnants of a 110-year-old homestead.

The Johnson family built the first house on the island in less than 11 days during December 1910. Soon after, they built a barn. Can you believe both still stand?

It’s unknown how long the Johnson family remained on the island, but you can visit the places where they once lived and worked on the Heritage Trail.

Although, be cautious about entering the structures. Inside the house were lots of birds, so I didn’t attempt to enter myself (too many birds for me).

The trail had some incline, but nothing too difficult. When you approach the Heritage Trail from Skeeko Bay, you can either go left or right. We decided to go right, and this avoided the major uphill section.

a small wooded house in Wild Horse Island Montana

Trail 2: Eagle Cove Trail

Length: 2.7 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 351 feet
Highlights: Eagle Cove

Trail 2 is the trail that goes past Eagle Cove.

Four people on our shuttle boat (half the group) hiked both trail 1 and trail 2 during the 3 hours we were left on the island. They were fast hikers, but it is possible to do this.

However, these four didn’t spot the bighorn sheep (perhaps they hiked a bit too fast), though they did see the wild horses and the eagles.

We hiked slower and took our time exploring the island on Trail 1 only, so I don’t have any first-hand knowledge about what Trail 2 is like.

Are there eagles in Eagle Cove? I’m not sure; we didn’t go that far. (There ARE eagles in Skeeko Bay, though, so you don’t even need to leave the landing area to spot eagles.)

Wildlife to See on Wild Horse Island

Wild horses
Bald eagles
Bighorn sheep
Mule deer

Tips When Looking for the Wildlife

Book the morning shuttle. I’ve found that animals tend to be more active in the morning, and this was true for us when we booked the morning shuttle to Wild Horse Island. Lots of animals were up and about.

Keep your distance. It’s exciting to spot the horses or any other animals on the island, and though it’s tempting to approach them, please keep your distance. The animals, including the horses, are wild. Give them their space so they don’t feel threatened. It’s also asked that you do not feed the animals either.

wild horses in Wild Horse Island Montana

Where to Find the Wild Horses

Do you see the brown circle I drew in the middle of the map below? The one with a brown arrow pointing at it?

I circled the area where we found the wild horses. It’s a shady grove near where the two trails meet.

All five horses were together, huddled under the shade of the trees. We heard they are almost always spotted together, like a tight-knit family.

Here’s why I think you have a good chance of seeing the wild horses here, too. There was a LOT of horse poop all around the horses under the grove, indicating they frequent this part of the island often.

Of course, it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find the horses here, but I do recommend you look!

I’ve seen other photos of the horses here in that grove or near the orchard (probably looking for apples), so the orchard is your next best bet. You’ll find the orchard on the Heritage Trail (Trail 1).

map of Wild Horse Island Montana — Map courtesy of Montana State Parks

wild horses in a grove in Wild Horse Island Montana

Where to See the Bald Eagles

The bald eagles may be the first thing you spot when docking at Wild Horse Island. They have a nest atop a tree, right on Skeeko Bay.

In fact, a bald eagle may fly over your boat as it did ours.

One even dropped a fish right into its nest; and we could hear the squeals of delight of the little eagle chicks.

Nothing makes you feel more patriotic or gives you that “I’m in America” feeling like a bald eagle soaring above you. These birds are massive (at least six feet) and just spectacular.

an eagle looking into its nest in Wild Horse Island Montana

an eagle sitting atop a tree in Wild Horse Island Montana

Where to See the Bighorn Sheep

I didn’t know there were bighorn sheep on Wild Horse Island, let alone that these sheep have broken world records as having the largest horns.

The bighorn sheep have no natural enemies on the island, so they thrive. Every so often, when the population gets too big, some of the sheep are sent off in a helicopter to be placed elsewhere. (We learned this interesting tidbit from a park ranger on the day we visited.)

Where to find these record-breaking bighorn sheep?

Another traveler helped us spot them in the meadow along the 0.5-mile part of the trail that is technically both Trail 1 and Trail 2.

The bighorn sheep were moving fast across the island, eating the grass as they went, stopping every now and then to fight with the others in the group. There were maybe 15 sheep altogether.

We stayed well enough away but it was still a bit scary to witness these sheep. I mean, their horns are huge, and there were so many of them! They could have taken us out easily. We saw them spot us in the distance, so they were aware of our presence. Luckily, they didn’t think much of us and carried on their way.

When you visit Wild Horse Island, the bighorn sheep can really be anywhere. Keep your eye out.

bighorn sheep in Wild Horse Island Montana

Other Wildlife on Wild Horse Island

Other birds and animals can be spotted on Wild Horse Island, including mule deer, falcons, and waterfowl.

The animals have truly taken over, and it was such a treat to see them enjoying their life on the island.

History of Wild Horse Island

There’s a lot of history that happened on Wild Horse Island, so I’ll try to sum it up.

Legend says that hundreds of years ago native tribes kept their horses on Wild Horse Island to prevent them from being stolen by other tribes.

At the time, they were probably able to swim from what is now Cromwell Island (which was a peninsula back then), a shorter distance.

Explorer John Mullan saw horses on the island in 1854, as documented in his journal, which may be how the island got its name.

Wild Horse Island was part of the Flathead Indian Reservation from 1872 until 1904.

In the 20th century, the government sold off and offered allotments of land to both native tribes and homesteaders. Some built homes and ranches and planted orchards on their properties; most abandoned their land eventually. The island, without a good source of water, proved difficult to live on.

In 1961, a man named Bourke MacDonald bought the entire island for $240,000. He had plans to build a hotel, stables, lakefront lots, and a marina, but he died in his sleep on the island in 1973.

In the late 1970s, the MacDonald family sold the island to the state to become a state park. It’s now a wildlife reserve that’s open to the public to enjoy.

Interesting Facts about Wild Horse Island and Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake was once three lakes but they were converged into one.
Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the continental U.S. west of the Mississippi.
Wild Horse Island is the largest island in Flathead Lake.
Wild Horse Island is 2,160 total acres.
Flathead Lake is home to its own lake monster, nicknamed Flossie (like Nessie at Loch Ness).
It’s still a mystery how the bighorn sheep were introduced to Wild Horse Island. There are photos of them on the island as early as 1939, but some think they were on the island long before.
Horses have been kept on Wild Horse Island at various times over the centuries. First by native tribes, then by dude ranch owners, then by homesteaders.

the orchard in Wild Horse Island Montana

Where to Stay near Wild Horse Island on Flathead Lake

I’d recommend staying in Kalispell, which is a 45-minute drive from Big Arm on Flathead Lake. While it’s a long (albeit beautiful) drive to the docks, Kalispell has plenty of hotel options and is a central location for visiting other nearby areas in Montana, such as Glacier National Park, Whitefish, Bigfork, and Columbia Falls.

We made a day out of our drive to Big Arm. After returning from Wild Horse Island, we continued to drive all around Flathead Lake, stopping in Polson and Bigfork, before returning to Kalispell. (We spent our other days in Montana at Glacier National Park and Whitefish.)

We stayed in Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell, an IHG Hotel, and would recommend it.

Kalispell is also where the airport is located, making it an even more convenient place to stay.

Recommended hotels in Kalispell:

author's mom hiking on a trail in Wild Horse Island Montana

Frequently Asked Questions about Wild Horse Island, Montana

Can you visit Wild Horse Island, Montana?

Yes! You can visit Wild Horse Island in Montana. Just book a boat shuttle for the day you’d like to visit.

Can you drive to Wild Horse Island?

No, there is not a bridge to Wild Horse Island, so you can’t drive directly to Wild Horse Island. You’ll have to drive to Big Arm and take a boat to the island.

How did the horses get on Wild Horse Island?

The 5 wild horses that remain on Wild Horse Island are descendants of the horses that were owned by homesteaders and a dude ranch owner in the early 20th century. They are feral/wild.

On the Heritage Trail 1, you’ll find an old, abandoned horse corral, where horses were once kept.

The horses were likely brought on the island via ferry.

Long before the homesteaders arrived on the island, it’s believed that native tribes kept their horses on Wild Horse Island to prevent them from being stolen by other tribes.