In mid-January, Seeley Lake Lion Rich Westin walked out onto the Lions Park pond to check the ice. "I made it about 60 yards onto the ice, and the further I got, the thinner it got," he told the Seeley Swan Pathfinder. The pond had already become the backup site. Winterfest's hillbilly curling had been planned for the lake itself, then moved to the much smaller pond, then postponed until safe ice formed.
Each winter event in town depends on one of three things: snow, lake ice, or people showing up. Last season tested all three. Every snow race on the Seeley Lake calendar was canceled, while a road half marathon and an ice-fishing tournament on a late-forming lake both went ahead. The 2026-27 dates are now posted, and sorting them by what each one needs is the most practical way to plan the season.
What a warm winter took off the calendar
The cancellations came one after another. By mid-February, the Pathfinder reported that the OSCR ski marathon and the Seeley Lake Challenge Biathlon had both been canceled for lack of snow. Seeley Lake Nordic Club President Chris Lorentz said the OSCR had rarely been canceled in its 44 years, but conditions left it unclear whether the course would be safe.
The Skiesta, the youth race hosted by Seeley Lake Elementary, was scheduled for February 14 and was canceled because of conditions. It had been called off once before, in 2021 because of COVID, but never for weather. Race to the Sky was canceled as well. Race secretary Pam Beckstrom told the Pathfinder it would have taken another 12 inches of snow and favorable temperatures to run it. KTVH reported that organizers cited hard, icy trails that posed a danger to the dogs, along with extensive windfall cleanup.
The Seeley Creek trails had trouble even before the snow shortfall. A December windstorm left more than 150 trees down across the system. As of the December 18 update on Nordic Pulse, most had been cleared from the main system and Area X, and Roller Coaster still needed work. The best coverage of the season came late. On March 15, after 8 to 10 inches of new snow, the groomer called it the best snow of the year. By March 20, after a major melt-out, the club's grooming report said the season was likely over.
"I sincerely hope that it's a one time thing," Youth Ski Program Director Bridget Laird told the Pathfinder about the Skiesta. "Even without the races, we've had a great year."
What ran anyway, and why
Two events went ahead in the same weather, and both show what an event needs to survive a thin winter.
Run Wild Missoula's Snow Joke Half Marathon ran in Seeley Lake on February 28, 2026, and the timing service posted 515 finishers. It is a road race. A half marathon needs plowed pavement and runners, and it ran in the same weeks that ended the ski season.
Winterfest was the other. Seeley Lake's long-running festival came back last winter after nearly a decade away. KPAX reported that a committee expanded it from two weeks to two months and pulled events from different groups into one calendar. Organizer Mike Weigel told the station, "Usually, this time of year we've got three to four feet of snow and it's 20 below," and said some events were changed on a day's notice. Wendy Leetch of the Seeley-Swan Chamber of Commerce said the aim was to have things to do "whether there was snow or not."
The pike tournament shows how the ice events worked out. Seeley Lake had not frozen solid enough by mid-January, so it stayed tentative for January 25. It did run that day at Tamaracks Resort, and organizers paid out $800 in prizes. Eight pike made the final count, and many of the anglers spent the day jigging for perch instead. Registration was capped at 29 people because the U.S. Forest Service requires fishing tournament applications by August. Organizers said they intend to hold the tournament again to raise money for the Chamber and its events. That August deadline means the size of this winter's tournament was decided months before anyone could check the ice.
The 2026-27 calendar, sorted by what it needs
Here is the posted schedule as of late October, grouped by the condition each event depends on.
Event | Date | Depends on | What happened last winter |
|---|---|---|---|
Festivities at the Foundation | Dec. 16, 2026 | People | No weather issue to report |
OSCR, 44th running | Jan. 30, 2027 | Snow | Canceled for lack of snow |
Seeley Lake Biathlon | Feb. 6, 2027 | Snow | Canceled for lack of snow |
Race to the Sky | Feb. 12–16, 2027 | Snow | Canceled for lack of snow |
Snow Joke Half Marathon | Feb. 27, 2027 | People and plowed roads | Ran, 515 finishers |
Winterfest pike tournament | Not yet posted | Lake ice | Ran Jan. 25 at Tamaracks |
The snow events fall within about three weeks of each other, from late January through mid-February. In a normal year that is when Seeley Lake has the most snow on the ground. It also means one dry stretch could affect all three at once, which is what happened last season.
The OSCR returns on the traditional last Saturday in January, starting from the Seeley Creek trailhead. It offers 44K, 20K, 10K and youth 5K races. The Seeley Lake Nordic Club says local loggers are at work near the course, so the 44K will follow a "fresh, surprise route." Routes will be posted once the club sees how far the logging has progressed. Pre-registration prices go up December 15, 2026. Race-day packet pickup is at the Yurt, and the post-race feed and awards start at 2 p.m. at the Community Hall. The race name has changed meaning over the years. It started as the Ovando to Seeley Citizens Race and now stands for "Over Seeley's Creeks and Ridges."
The Biathlon is set for Saturday, February 6, 2027, at the Seeley Creek Nordic Ski Trails. The Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Club runs it with the Wilderness Sportsman Club.
Race to the Sky lists February 12 through 16, 2027, on its official site.
Snow Joke starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2027, at Seeley Lake Elementary. Runners park on the surrounding local streets, so expect the blocks near the school to be full that morning. Runners have to clear the highway portion of the course by 12:15 p.m. Run Wild Missoula is adding a shuttle this year. It loads in downtown Missoula at 8:45 a.m. and boards for the return trip from Seeley at 2:15 p.m.
Festivities at the Foundation begins at 4 p.m. on December 16 at The Foundation Building. The Seeley Lake Community Foundation event has seasonal arts and crafts and a hot-cocoa bar, with a community potluck at 6 p.m. It needs nothing from the weather beyond passable roads.
Winterfest has not posted a 2026-27 schedule yet. Last year's schedule was released in the Pathfinder on December 4, 2025, so an early-December announcement would follow the same timing.
On the trails between race days
Most winter days in Seeley Lake have no race. For those days, the trail rules matter more than the event dates.
From December 1 through March 31, the Seeley Creek Nordic trails are for skiers only. The club says the rule protects the groomed surface and reduces conflicts between users. It directs dog walkers, hikers, snowshoers and bikers to the groomed snowmobile trails, which the Seeley Lake Driftriders maintain. If your winter walk usually starts at the Seeley Creek trailhead, it moves to the snowmobile trails in five weeks.
The ski system covers 26 kilometers, from rolling beginner and intermediate loops to steeper expert trails. From December through March, as snow allows, the club grooms all or most of the original Seeley Creek trails almost every day. The Skyline Addition to the north is groomed weekly when there is enough snow. Since 2021 the club has had the use of a PistenBully 100. The club says that if a foot and a half of snow falls overnight, the trails can be ready for skating and classic skiing by that morning. The groomers are volunteers, and they post conditions on the club's grooming page and on Nordic Pulse. The Lodges on Seeley Lake is sponsoring the Nordic Pulse visual grooming report for a second year.
Those reports are the best way to judge whether the late-January and February race dates will hold. Last winter, the December 18 update was already reporting more than 150 downed trees from the windstorm.
The dates that come first
Several dates arrive before the first race:
- December 1: Seeley Creek Nordic trails become skier-only through March 31.
- Early December: Last year's Winterfest schedule came out on December 4.
- December 15: OSCR pre-registration prices increase.
- December 16: Festivities at the Foundation, 4 p.m., with a potluck at 6 p.m.
- January 30: The OSCR, with the 44K route posted once the club knows where the logging stands.
Laird's hope that last year's Skiesta cancellation would be a one-time event depends on the weather in January and February. Festivities at the Foundation and Snow Joke need much less from the weather.
Winter in Seeley Lake brings the same practical questions every year, like getting a cabin ready to close up, getting to town in a February storm, or deciding when to put a lake place on the market. If you're working through any of them, the team at All Montana Real Estate knows the Seeley-Swan in all four seasons and is glad to talk it through with you. Contact Us whenever it suits your schedule.
