The Bend Work Center was once a Ranger Station for the old Cabinet National Forest. The original log ranger cabin, which was constructed in 1911, is still on the site, ( which is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places). While there are several structures at Bend, the only one available for recreation rental use is the combined bunkhouse/cookhouse building. This building was built in 1923 to house Forest Service work crews and rangers and in 1984 was remodeled and modernized for Forest Service crew use. This building has four bedrooms in the basement, each with bunkbeds and mattresses for four. There are two bathrooms with flush toilets and a shower on the first floor along with a large kitchen and a living/dining area. The kitchen has two electric ranges, a microwave, a refrigerator and two sinks. Basic cookware is available.
Bend is located approximately 32 miles up the Thompson River Road (County Road 556 )from its junction with Montana Highway 200, five miles east of Thompson Ralls, Montana. Bend may also be accessed from U.S. Highway 2 by turning south on the Thompson River Road (County Road 556) between McGregor Lake and Lower Thompson Lake, approximately 40 miles west of Kalispell, Montana. There are no services available in the Bend area. After leaving Highway 2 or 200, area roads are low standard gravel or dirt and are often rough. Area roads also serve logging trucks and should be driven with care.
Winter travel is unpredictable due to snow and occasional freezing rain. Roads in the area are only intermittently plowed and road conditions are uncertain. Visitors may call the Plains Ranger Station at (406)826-3821 during business hours to inquire about local road conditions during the winter season. Conditions may make portions of the access road impassible or hazardous for certain types of vehicles. Roads accessing the Bend site are not regularly plowed. At times lack of snow plowing may require up to a 1 mile hike/ski/snowmobile ride to reach the gate at the site entrance.
The Bend area offers opportunities for a variety of outdoor recreation experiences including hiking, fishing, mountain biking, cross country skiing and berry picking, in season.
The Bend cookhouse/bunkhouse rental building is usually available for rent year round, except for the month of May, when it is reserved for administrative and educational uses. The building is also not available for rental use on the first Tuesday of every month. Within these limits, individual rentals are limited to no more than 5 nights per reservation.
