The Flathead National Forest is seeking public input on an operating permit for the Holland Lake Lodge, which is under contract with a potential new owner. The comment period comes two years after a previous sale was derailed by strong public backlash against a proposal to dramatically expand the resort south of Condon. 

The potential buyers, Eric Jacobsen and Thomas Knowles, have stated that they do not plan to expand the resort beyond its current footprint. The two men are part of a Utah-based investment firm called Gratitude Railroad. Jacobson grew up in Great Falls and spent time at Holland Lake growing up. The lodge typically operates from June to October. A resort has operated on the shores of Holland Lake since the 1920s, and the current lodge was constructed in the 1940s after the original one burned down. 

In 2022, a developer based in Utah, POWDR, entered into an agreement with the lodge’s current owner, Christian Wohlfeil, to dramatically expand the resort. The plan involved demolishing 10 structures and constructing new ones, including a 13,000-square-foot building known as the “Bob Marshall Lodge,” which would feature 28 rooms. The expansion aimed to increase the capacity at Holland Lake Lodge from 50 guests per night to 156. 

But the backlash against that plan was swift, largely led by a grassroots group called Save Holland Lake. One of the group’s concerns was that the expansion would attract more tourists and lead to increased development in the oft-overlooked Swan Valley. “As this project goes, so goes the valley,” Seeley Lake resident Bill Lombardi said at the time. “This valley is still the old Montana we love, and this development is the exact opposite of that.” 

In late 2022, the Flathead National Forest rejected POWDR’s proposal, mainly because it sought to expand the resort beyond the 10.53-acre footprint that is allowed by the current permit. While POWDR officials vowed to try again, those plans never came to fruition. 

In 2023, the resort was again placed on the market, and in October 2024, Jacobsen and Knowles entered into a purchase agreement. At that time, Jacobsen told Montana Public Radio that he wanted to “preserve and protect the lodge and the lodge experience in harmony with nature and the community.” The proposal submitted to the U.S. Forest Service states that the prospective owners have no plans to expand the lodge, emphasizing that “only minor maintenance of existing facilities is proposed, focused on public and employee safety.”

The U.S. Forest Service plans to issue Jacobsen and Knowles a 20-year permit, and a public comment period is open until May 7. In a press release announcing the public comment period, Forest Supervisor Anthony Botello stated that he looked forward to working with the prospective owners. 

“Holland Lake Lodge has provided a unique recreation opportunity for national forest visitors for one hundred years,” Botello said in a press release. “The resort has served as a destination for forest visitors to enjoy the Flathead National Forest, and I look forward to working with the new owners and community to continue this opportunity into the future.”

Stewards of the Swan Valley, a non-profit based in Condon dedicated to protecting the area’s natural and cultural resources, stated in a press release that it hoped the U.S. Forest Service would do everything possible to ensure that the lodge’s new owners would not harm what makes the area special. 

“Any new business there should be respectful of our land, the clean air and water, wildlife and open spaces that make Montana so special,” wrote Grace Siloti, president of the group and owner of the Mission Mountain Mercantile, and Fred Clark, vice president of the non-profit. “The previous attempt to triple the size of the lodge and create a destination resort at Holland Lake met strong public opposition. The public has spoken, and will again, and wants to ensure our access to this public land and keep it safe from overdevelopment.”