Standing on the banks of Flathead Lake, with the Swan Mountains lined like dominoes along the eastern horizon, 13-year-old Amy Grout made a promise. 

“I’m going to live in Kalispell one day,” she told her parents. 

The family had only spent a few days in Northwest Montana, as part of a cross-country road trip to their new home in Maryland, but Grout instantly felt at home among the snowcapped peaks and cool alpine lakes. The landscape reminded her of the Alaskan valley that had served as her playground for the past 10 years. 

“My family was always outdoors, camping, fishing, hiking, just being outside,” Grout said. “It was just life, you know.”   

On the East Coast, where tracts of public land were often few and far between, Grout’s enthusiasm for outdoor activities waned. It wasn’t until she took a mid-college trip to Minnesota that she remembered her love for camping and hiking. On her return, her parents reminded her of another love, cultivated nearly a decade earlier in the midst of a weeks-long road trip. 

Grout made good on her childhood vow and returned to the Flathead Valley as a seasonal intern at Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell. One summer turned into a 20-year career with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, managing some of the state wildlife agency’s most iconic and well-visited sites. This summer, Grout takes on a new role as the recreation manager for the entirety of Region 1, which spans the northwestern corner of Montana, including Lincoln, Flathead, Lake and Sanders counties. 

“I felt like I’d found my place,” Grout said of her initial summer with the state parks agency. “The land, the people, everything.” 

After finishing her final semester studying recreation tourism at Colorado State University, Grout took a full-time job ranger position, helping with the day-to-day operations in Thompson Chain of Lakes, Lone Pine and Lake Mary Ronan state parks. It was far from a glamorous job, Grout admitted, with much of her time dedicated to custodial tasks like cleaning bathrooms and taking out the trash. 

Still, she felt certain her efforts were creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to build memories in the outdoors. 

“Something as simple as a clean bathroom, a clean park is going to make people feel welcome and safe and build stewardship,” Grout said. 

If patrons see a park is clean and well cared for, they are more likely to take note of their own impacts, she said. Maybe they will think twice about throwing a cigarette butt on the ground or take a few extra moments to learn about the flora and fauna surrounding them. 

Kids quickly became Grout’s favorite visitors to interact with. Some appeared sheepish at first, especially if they hadn’t had much experience outdoors. They might flinch away from a pelt that Grout held out to them to touch, but, inevitably, she coaxed them from fear into a sense of curiosity. They ran a hesitant finger over the fur and beamed at their ability to overcome their own trepidation. They posed questions about the animal, or about the flora and rocks and water around them. 

After two years working as a ranger, Grout moved into a managerial position, overseeing the state parks, fishing access sites and wildlife management areas around Whitefish and Kalispell. When the recreation manager for the Flathead Lake district retired in 2015, Grout assumed the position, partially to shorten her daily commute from Ferndale and partially because she was hoping for a new challenge. 

Managing the wealth of state park units, fishing access sites and wildlife management areas surrounding Flathead Lake would certainly require a deft hand and a cool head. Flathead Lake State Park, which includes seven separate units around Flathead Lake, has long been one of the state agency’s most well-visited holdings, with upwards of 360,000 visitors flocking to the lake’s shores in 2025. 

Some came from Bigfork and other lakeshore communities, others traveled from out-of-state, and each one had their own ideas about what a perfect lake day entailed. Managing for those different uses often put Grout in the crosshairs of some dicey discord, especially as evolving technology has continually introduced new ways to recreate. 

“Everyone’s idea of recreation is different. Some people want to sit quietly in the woods. Some people want to do something like this and whoop and holler the whole time,” Grout said, gesturing at a photo of an electric surfboard called an eFoil on her computer monitor.   

The goal, Grout said, is to provide opportunities for everyone to engage in the type of outdoor recreation they enjoy. On Flathead Lake, where motorized watercraft are common, that often means more built-out boat launches and campsites. Other parks may prioritize launches for small watercraft or focus on maintaining quality habitat for wildlife viewing. 

Grout said that, as she moves into her new position as the regional recreation manager, she is looking forward to managing the state’s public lands with that broader perspective in mind.  

“I’m just really excited for this next step and the opportunities that exist out there,” Grout said. “I don’t even know what those opportunities are, but I’m excited.” 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.