West Glacier, Montana 2021 {07.22.2021}

Happy Thursday friends! I hope your week has been going well so far and you're gearing up for a fun weekend ahead.  We're making our way to visit friends for the weekend and will be heading to Mackinac Island for the day on Saturday.  I am excited to go to the island as it's been quite some time since we've visited.  AND we've never been with these friends, so that makes it even better.

Today's post is going to be focused on our trip to West Glacier, Montana.  I'll have a few quick reviews of places we went and share {way too many} photos from our trip.  When my friend, Sarah, told me she was getting married in Montana I was a bit incredulous because it was so far away, but when I started researching where we were going, I got very excited.  I have never been to Montana, so it was also a way for me to check another state off the list (because I have a goal to see every single state).  I'm over half way through the list, but for some reason I'm missing the entire middle of the country.

West Glacier, Montana

According to glaciermt.com, "Adventures in and around Glacier National Park often begin and end in West Glacier. As the western gateway to Glacier National Park, West Glacier has been dubbed 'guide central.' Local guides offer hiking and fly-fishing trips, whitewater and scenic rafting excursions, backcountry camping and trail rides. This bustling community has Montana-minded shops, great local dining and numerous accommodations, as well as a golf course with great views and affordable rates."

I would have to say that they have the description perfectly.  There was a ton of things to do in and around the area that we stayed and it was only 30 minutes from the Glacier Park International Airport and right outside the entrance to Glacier National Park.  Right in the town there was putt putt golf, a restaurant and a few gift shops.  They also had a motel, camp ground and a few small cabins for people to rent.  If you want a place to say that's central to the park and white water rafting, I'd definitely check out the motel.  It's not anything fancy, but it's a good place that's centralized to everything. 

Belton Chalet

While visiting West Glacier, Justin and I booked a room at the Belton Chalet.  Built in 1910, this hotel boasts historic charm with great views.  If I'm being honest, I did not love my view at all (for which I paid more money).  Because the hotel is historic, there is no a/c which might not matter most of the time, but when we happened to be there it was in the 90's and very hot.  I also was not aware of the lack of a/c prior to our arrival.  

The room was definitely historic and had the little details that made it feel cozy and charming.  I really appreciated the original wood flooring and the details on the sink.  If you enjoy historic hotels and seek those out, I would definitely recommend this hotel.  If you are more into the modern scene with a tv, internet and a/c, I might look elsewhere.  I should also add that this served as part of a train station and the train will wake you up when it goes by multiple times a night.

Glacier Outdoor Center

While we were there, I also had the opportunity to stay at The Lodge at Glacier Outdoor Center.  The Lodge had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a loft which had a queen sized bed.  It also came with a full kitchen and living room area.  The Lodge also had reliable internet, tv with cable and air conditioning.  For the price difference, I wish I had booked our stay at one of the cabins here versus staying at the Belton Chalet.  But oh well! Thankfully Sarah let us crash with her the night of the wedding.

The Outdoor Center/Glacier Raft Company is also where Sarah's wedding was held.  The venue was a beautiful outdoor pavilion at the top of the hill.  I loved being able to look out the window and see mountains no matter which way I looked.  Their ceremony site was the top of the hill with the mountains in the background.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Once the photographer posts the photos and I get permission from Sarah, I will be sure to share them on the blog.

Glacier National Park

Besides watching my best friend marry the man of her dreams Glacier National Park was my favorite part of this trip.  Glacier National Park was not on my radar of places to visit until after we started chatting with Justin's mom about our trip to Montana and she told me that Glacier National Park was her favorite place she has ever visited in the United States.  In order to get into Glacier National Park you have to have a national park pass and a Going-to-the-Sun road pass.  We were not able to get a Going-to-the-Sun Road pass, so we were limited to go into the park after 5pm.  We figured the drive would take about 2-2.5 hours and we'd have at least an hour drive back (because it's a big loop) and we grossly underestimated the time it would take.  We went to park right before 5 pm and waited until about 5:30 to get into the park.  

Once in the park it became very apparent that we would want to make a ton of stops along the way  because there were so many beautiful views throughout the park.  Honestly, my pictures do not do the park justice.  I'm going to just share a bunch of photos below so you can see a little piece of what I am talking about.  

Heaven's Peak is about half way through the drive and it was actually not the peak elevation that we got to while driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  At this point in the drive we went around the bend which felt like we were driving through one of those circular garages.  It's quite the turn.  As we got higher and higher into the mountains, I got a little bit nervous driving and Justin's fear of heights really kicked in.  I don't think we ever thought about the fact that there would be a 1000ft drop at points on the drive.  And it's not like normal roads - there are no guardrails.  Just little rocks to prevent you from flying off the edge (see two photos up - that's one of the rock walls).   

There were several waterfalls along our drive, but the Lunch Creek waterfall was my favorite that we saw.  There was a little path up to the waterfall where you could take a few photos.  I think the most surprising part to me was the temperature difference at this location.  It was easily 10-15 degrees cooler from the water that was running off the glacier.  

My next favorite stop was Logan's Pass.  At this stop, there was still snow so we were able to get up close and personal with the snow that was melting off of the mountains.  At Logan's Pass you can do a longer hike up into the mountains, but I didn't have the right shoes on so we just walked around the visitor center area.  While we were here we saw prairie dogs and mountain goats.  It was neat to get up close and personal with a prairie dog as it barked? Squeaked? What sound does a prairie dog make? Either way it was super cute and there were a ton of them.  My only exposure to prairie dogs has been at the zoo so it was fun to see them in a more natural habitat. 

I think that pretty much covers everything from Glacier National Park.  I wish I had a lot more time to spend in the park than we did, but I am so glad we took the time to go and see everything.  My advice to anyone thinking of going? If you cannot get a pass go in before it opens so you can spend the entire day visiting the park.  There were so many things I would have loved to do but didn't get to because of the time constraint.

Well I think that is everything I had for my trip! There are easily 300-400 more pictures just from Glacier National Park and I've already planned to print a bunch of them to put up in my office and around the house. 

Question of the Day: What location has been your favorite to vacation?

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