Pick Huckleberries at Reservoir Lake

If you live anywhere near the Pacific Northwest, you've likely heard of huckleberries -- if you haven't, what are you doing with your life?

These juicy little gems are worth every once it takes to pluck them from the bush. While there are plenty of places to pick huckleberries in Northwestern Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and even into California, we chose Reservoir Lake near Lincoln, MT.

The huckleberry is generally ready for harvest anywhere between mid- and late-July toward the beginning of August. A good year may yield large 1/2" huckleberries while other years they may be considerably smaller -- as they seem to be this year. But still delicious.

Just west of Lincoln, take Beaver Creek road (a winding gravel road that meanders through some pretty stellar scenery) all the way up to the lake. There's a nice pull-out area just off the road or you can take the single-lane track down closer to the lake where there's plenty of parking. Park wherever looks good, find a bush and start picking.

What to look for: the huckleberry bush strongly resembles a blueberry bush with medium-sized rounded leaves. While they can grow up to two meters tall, the bushes around the lake this year were only waist-high at most. The berries themselves look very similar to a blueberry but with more of a red tone.

What to do with your huckleberries: Eat them. Take them home, clean out the leaves and pieces of stem that are mixed in with the berries, and enjoy your bounty. If you pick enough, you can try your hand at jam, syrup, pie or cobbler. We just clean them up and put them in the freezer to enjoy whenever we like -- they are especially good in sourdough pancakes.

Keep in mind, people aren't the only creatures that love huckleberries -- black bears and grizzlies also savor this sweet little berry and are also found in the area. As you pick, remain aware of your surroundings -- while huckleberries are definitely worth wrestling a grizzly for, I wouldn't recommend it.

Once you've picked your fill, head down to the lake and enjoy. It's one of the most peaceful mountain lakes I've seen. Granted, it is small but that color! Take a dip or enjoy a spin on your paddle board if you happened to bring it along.