Riverhouse on the East Fork of the Bitterroot

One night free when you book 7 or more nights.

Are you going to finish your coffee on the deck while watching elk graze across the river as the sun peeks over the Sapphire Mountains, or are you going to step off the deck and catch that 18-inch Westslope Cutthroat feeding at your feet? Life is full of tough choices.

The Riverhouse is first and foremost OUR vacation home. That's why you'll find lots of comments like this in our reviews:
"It is obvious the owners CARE GREATLY about their space"
"Every single considerate option was included"
"The house was immaculate"
"The owners go above and beyond in their commitment to their guests"
"They appreciate their guests and care about the quality of their stay"

Whether your day is filled with fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, downhill skiing at Lost Trail Powder Mountain - 16 miles away, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, discovering the 8 different Yellowstone TV show filming locations in the owners Yellowstone Filming Locations Drive Guide (the Train Station location is 1 mile from the property), browsing antique shops, exploring small town Montana, visiting The Big Hole National Battlefield, tracing Lewis & Clark’s steps without leaving the property (what a great history lesson for young and old alike), exploring The Nez Perce Trail (also on the property), horseback riding, enjoying a good book, wonderful drives on the backroads of Montana, or a napping on the deck while listening to the river gurgle at your feet... you’ll love coming home to The Riverhouse and an evening that’s likely to include sites of big horn sheep, deer, elk, bald eagle golden eagle... maybe a bear bedding down for the night in a tree across the river.

Then s’mores at the campfire next to the river and the sight of more stars in one night than you’ve likely seen in a lifetime. Leave your 'Sounds of Nature' white noise maker at home, crack the sliding door, and nod off to the sounds of the river just 33 feet from your King Size 'Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed' in the master bedroom. Or choose the 2nd bedroom upstairs and open the slider and nod off to the sounds of the river.

You might be treated to owls hooting the evening away or Coyotes singing you to sleep from "Coyote Gulch." Yes, that's the name of the ravine across the river.

YELLOWSTONE TELEVISION SERIES:
if you're a Yellowstone fan and love the scenery you'll absolutely love The Riverhouse. The Yellowstone - Dutton Ranch (real name - Chief Joseph Ranch) is 13 miles from The Riverhouse. One location on the owner's Yellowstone Film Locations Drive Guide is a mile north of the house, another is a mile south. One of those is the filming location for the infamous Train Station. You'll want to take a half day to discover the valley using the Yellowstone Film Locations Drive Guide as your guide. You can't miss the Yellowstone, Dutton, Chief Joseph Ranch it's on highway 93, thirteen miles north of The Riverhouse.

CANCELLATIONS:
VRBO's options don't include customizing cancellation policy. Our cancellation policy is not as strict are the option says.

Here’s our Cancellation Policy.
All payments made to reserve The Riverhouse are non-refundable unless we are able to re-rent the time you have reserved. If we are able to re-rent the time you have reserved, we will refund your payments up to the amount of rent we receive in re-renting the house for the time you were reserved.

The Riverhouse is a unique experience, away-from-it-all, yet in the middle of everything the Bitterroot Valley the Bitterroot Mountains and southwest Montana have to offer. So close to all of the activities you want to experience in the Bitterroot Valley and the surrounding area, yet once you enter the grounds, you’re away from it all - ready to enjoy the river, the mountains directly across the river, the wildlife, and the peace and serenity of The Riverhouse.

Whether you're looking for relaxation, wildlife viewing, fishing, or hiking you can do it all and more right here at The Riverhouse and still be only minutes away from everything the Bitterroot Valley, Bitterroot Mountains and Sapphire Mountains have to offer.

If you're the adventurous type, you'll want to wade across the river and hike to the top on Coyote Peak or take your four-wheel vehicle and drive up to the top of Sula Peak to take in the awesome views of the Bitterroot Valley and the surrounding mountains.

You'll love the extra touches that make The Riverhouse your home for a few days, a week, or a month. Touches like:
* The huge deck that starts 18 inches from the riverbank.
* King Size Sleep Comfort Sleep Number bed in the master bedroom. Ever wonder what it was like to sleep in perfect comfort? Find out while you're at the Riverhouse.
* Fitted bottom sheets. Don't you hate it when you stay in a hotel and you're ready to jump into bed and you end up remaking it because the bottom sheet comes untucked?
* Large soft snuggly bath towels.
* Snuggly comforters – Grab a comforter and a deck chair for cozy star gazing.
* Themed decorating that highlights local history and the great outdoors of Montana (The Lewis & Clark trail, Nez Perce Indians, Big Sky country, and of course fly fishing.
* Enjoy the themed bedrooms. The second bedroom with the deck overlooking the river has a cowboy and cowgirl theme. The 3rd bedroom has a Montana wildlife theme.
* Give yourself a history lesson and study the wall maps and artwork that show that Lewis & Clark went through the property and had lunch just up the river from you. The Nez Perce trial runs right through the property.
* Outdoor fire pit
* Comfy deck chairs
* The balcony off the 2nd floor bedroom with its wonderful view of the river and Sapphire Mountains. You'll very likely see deer, elk and big horn sheep from the balcony.

When we started looking for a vacation house as a fly-fishing base in Montana and our Realtor sent us information on The Riverhouse, I literally said, “O-MY-GOD Patty, you have to see this.” It's location, RIGHT ON THE EAST FORK, with its great dry fly fishing... and its close proximity to a half dozen world class rivers and dozens of great creeks blew me away!

Then we found out about Lost Trail Powder Mountain skiing 16 miles away - all of the great wide Montana sized trails (if you're used to skiing the mega resorts with huge crowds you won't believe how much room you have to yourself).

The history... RIGHT HERE! The wildlife, right on the property, in the river, and across the river - and all that the Bitterroot Valley and surrounding mountains have to offer... The minute we drove onto the grounds of The Riverhouse, Patty and I knew this was our second home.

When we bought the Riverhouse I expected to spend a lot of time fishing those other world class rivers and streams close by (see the list below), but after fishing up and down the river right off the deck, I seldom go anywhere else. I’ve fished all of the famous rivers in Montana and scores of creeks, and it doesn’t get any better than up and down the river right here at the Riverhouse.

FISHING - NO HOOT OWL WARM WATER CLOSURES!!!!!
In the 20 years we've owned the Riverhouse the river has never been closed because of warm water. When the water temperature in rivers gets to 73 degrees, The Montana Department of Wildlife closes rivers all day or in the afternoons due to warm water. The fish don't recover well after being caught in warm water. This doesn't happen on the East Fork of the Bitterroot. The elevation at the Riverhouse is 4,000. We're a FREESTONE river. That means there is not a dam above us to warm the water. Even on the hottest summer days the temperature gets into the 40s at night. The water coming to the house comes from even higher and cooler temperatures. The East Fork has not had any "hoot owl" warm water closures in the 20 years that we've owned the house.

NICE COOL NIGHTS FOR SLEEPING ALSO.

Please remember, it is always illegal to keep any cutthroat trout on the East Fork - and to keep this one of the best places to fish in the world, please practice catch and release with all fish.

Remember what Lee Wulff said in 1938, “A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once. Releasing the fish is your gift to other anglers.”

If you need a fishing guide, just ask us.

NEARBY WORLD-FAMOUS RIVERS AND STREAMS
Like I said above, you'll likely catch more fish around The Riverhouse.
* West Fork of the Bitterroot - 7 miles
* Bitterroot - 7 miles
* Big Hole - 45 minutes
* Grasshopper Creek - 90 minutes
* Rock Creek via Skalkaho Pass - Closed in the winter - 1 hour, 45 minutes
* Beaverhead - 1 hour, 50 minutes
* Ruby - 2 hours, 15 minutes

We're sure you'll love The Riverhouse like we do.
Questions? email or call.
Please call between 9am and 9pm pacific time.

Keith & Patty Lee

P.S. I've started mountain biking since we bought the Riverhouse. My favorite ride is to drive to the Crazy Creek campground, 4 miles away, and then bike up a mile or two and fish. It is beyond awesome.