Sportsman Lodge

About Us

Welcome to the Sportsman Lodge

 

My family and I purchased the Sportsman Motel in 2021. This was a 2-year process for us by way of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Our journey with the Sportsman Motel in Melrose MT started over 7 years prior to purchasing the motel. It all began with our oldest son Cody, who was deployed with the Army at the time, wrote me a letter. In his letter, he reflects on the passion he and his brother Marcus (also serving in the Army National Guard) and I have for the outdoors. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, I have developed a love of the outdoors for as long as I can ever remember. We have always wanted to go west to Montana. In Cody’s letter, he spoke of a small town in Montana called Melrose and about one of the best Rivers to fish in the country, The Big Hole, running through Melrose. He spoke about staying at the Sportsman Motel. Almost immediately upon his return to the states after his deployment, we booked our trip to the Sportsman Motel.

We have been coming back every year, multiple times a year, and staying at the Sportsman ever since. We fell in love with the town, the great people of Melrose and of course the World Class Fishing and Hunting.

In 2018 I approached the previous owners of the Sportsman about buying it. I brought my wife Bonnie out so she can experience what the boys and I have come to love. Bonnie grew up in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania area and although she had been a city girl at heart, she has gained the love and appreciation of the great outdoors through my own lifetime passion. We have relocated here from Pennsylvania to Montana living our greatest dream and want to help bring the same joy to others.

No matter what you are in search of — hunting, fishing, camping, or just being one with nature – The Sportsman Lodge in Melrose, Montana is your ideal outdoor paradise and home away from home.

For fishing, Sportsman Lodge is in close proximity to some of the best and most famous streams in the country. Our rivers are legendary. If you’re looking for fly fishing or trout, there’s nothing better than a stay in one of our cabins on the water.

The hunting here is as good as it gets anywhere. If you’re after the big game, trophy-class elk, mule deer and whitetail are out there. You’ll also find black bears, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and antelope. If bird hunting and waterfowl are more your style, there are strong sage, sharp-tailed, and mountain grouse, as well as migratory ducks and geese. Melrose is home to a beautiful diversity of habitats and wildlife!

Sportsman Lodge has accommodations for everyone. Our cozy cabins can serve as your mountainside oasis coming completely furnished with various bedroom options and each with a kitchen, living room and bath. Our cabins by the river offer outstanding access for fishing.

Our RV park boasts seventeen, full-service hookup spots allowing you to enjoy our Montana views with all of your creature comforts. Or if you’re looking to get a little closer to nature, it doesn’t get any better than camping out under the vast and wild Montana sky.

Roaming around this part of the country can’t help but impress. In Melrose, while the surroundings are peaceful, the ability to explore the outdoors awakens a strong sense of adventure.

Melrose is a small town on the Big Hole River. Between our 8 rooms, 6 cabins, 17 RV sites and grass tent spaces, we can suit any traveler looking to experience the best of the outdoors.

Family Values

Cody, the eldest son of Ken and Bonnie:

“I can remember my first fly rod given to me by my grandfather while we were fishing the Cranberry River in the mountains of West Virginia when I was 11 years old. Absolutely clueless with what to do but that’s when the addiction started. I can also remember sitting in my tree stand in the hills of Pennsylvania when I was a sophomore in college seriously brain storming how to make a living doing what I love, the outdoors. When I was a junior in college I got news I was getting deployed over seas for a year with the Army. During that year spent all my spare time researching Montana and came across Melrose Montana for the destination when I got back to the states. After our first trip to the Sportsman we fell in love. Years later my family bought that same lodge and now I get to chase those same dreams I was wrestling with when I was younger. Not many people get to say they are living their dream, but I am that exception.”

Marcus , the youngest son of Ken and Bonnie reflects on his journey to Montana:

“I’ve been hiking and camping since I was five years old. I have been all over the East Coast, visiting several National Parks. I started venturing out to the West over 5 years ago, visiting the national parks out here. But when I stayed at the Sportsman Lodge in Melrose, MT it just felt right. It felt like this was where I was supposed to be. Through my multiple trips to the Sportsman Lodge in Melrose, MT I started realizing what the true meaning and purpose in my life was: that is my love for Melrose MT, the Big Hole River and all the great people of the amazing little village. This is why I chose to move here! Living life differently, but perfectly to me!”

“I spend my free time hiking the trails of Humbug Spires and floating down the Big Hole River. I am very appreciative of my grandfather who exposed me to my passion for the outdoors. I am 21 years young and I will never look back.”

Relax,
Riverside

Plan Your Trip