New hostel is geared for bicyclists

Robert and Beverly Lucke, owners of the Montana Bike Hostel, recently joined the Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

Located about three miles north of Glacier Park International Airport on Trumble Creek Road, the hostel has been in operation since last year, Robert said, offering a guest room for two, a cabin that sleeps six, several tent sites shaded by trees, with fire pits and shower facilities.

Robert, an avid road biker, points out that the hostel is not only within 20 miles of Glacier National Park and 10 miles of the Whitefish train station, it’s also at the crossroads of the northern tier cross-country bike route and the Continental Divide bike route that runs from Canada to Mexico.

“That’s a self-supporting bike race that many never finish,” he said.

Some of his guests ship their bikes ahead of time and fly in by commercial jet. The Luckes have the bikes assembled and ready to go when their guests arrive.

“We get people from all over,” he said. “We had people from Norway this year.”

The Luckes live on the property and often greet their guests in the morning with a cup of coffee before they leave. He says they provide a quality camping experience for bikers, with great views of Big Mountain.

Robert is retired from BNSF Railway after repairing and rebuilding tracks for 20 years, mostly out of Essex. The railroad took up all his time, he said, so he made a radical change after retiring, plunging headfirst into competitive road biking and Nordic skate-skiing. He recently placed 35th in world at the Masters World Cup cross-country ski race in Asiago, Italy.

Beverly is a bookkeeper at Ureco in Columbia Falls and also loves biking and skiing. They have two grown daughters — one is successfully farming in the Flathead, and the other recently graduated from Eastern Washington University.

The hostel is typically open in July and August. Lodging in the cabin is $25 per person, tent sites are $20 each, and a stay in the guest room is $50 per person. The Luckes also provide shuttle rides to the Canada border and other locations.

For more information, visit online at www.montanabikehostel.com, e-mail robertbeverlylucke@centurylink.net or call 406-755-2204.