Josh & Renée
Josh & Renée
GLACIER PARK
Hiking
Trail of the Cedars – short, easy walk on boardwalk through cedar trees on west side of park, past Lake McDonald as you head up to Logan Pass on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Avalanche Lake – 5 miles round trip to alpine lake, trailhead is at Trail of the Cedars, across Going-to-the-Sun road from Avalanche campground.
Hidden Lake -- starts at Logan Pass Visitor Center. Steady uphill walk 1.5 miles to the lake overlook, 3 miles to the lake.
Highline Trail – starts across road from Logan Pass Visitor Center. Trail follows west face of Continental Divide along the Garden Wall. Hike as far as you want and turn around, or hike 7.6 miles to Granite Park Chalet or 11.6 miles to the Loop.
Siyeh Pass – trail at Siyeh Bend, Going-to-the-Sun Rd. on east side, 10.3 miles to exit at Sunrift Gorge and Baring Creek.
Virginia Falls, St. Mary Falls – trailhead on east side just west of Baring Creek. Short easy hike in St. Mary valley, 1.2 miles to St. Mary Falls and 1.8 miles to Virginia Falls.
Iceberg Lake – trailhead at Swiftcurrent Inn parking lot in Many Glacier valley on east side. Striking aquamarine tarn, surround by steep cliffs on 3 sides, with icebergs floating in the lake in summer. About 10 miles roundtrip, with steady but not steep uphill hiking.
Grinnell Lake and/or Grinnell Glacier – starts at Many Glacier hotel, easy hiking around Swiftcurrent Lake, then Josephine Lake, then either go to Grinnell Lake which has milky turquoise blue water from glacial dust (3 miles one way) or hike up to Grinnell Glacier, one of largest glaciers remaining in Glacier Park, but now much smaller than it was.
Boat rides – Glacier Park Boat company
Boat tours on Lake McDonald until September 22, 2024.
Boat tours on Waterton Lake on the Canadian side of the Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park, usually operates until October 1st. Passport needed.
https://www.watertoncruise.com/2023.php
Watercraft Rentals
Paddleboards, kayaks, rowboats for rent on Lake McDonald
https://glacierparkboats.com/tours-rentals/lake-mcdonald#rental-1
Bus Tours
Red Bus Tours
https://www.glaciernationalparklodges.com/red-bus-tours/
Western Alpine Tour
Available June 22-September 29, 2024
Duration: 3-4 Hours
Start in great cedar and hemlock forests within the Lake McDonald Valley. Traverse the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road to the high alpine region of the park and stand on top of the Continental Divide.
Sun Tours
Bus tours of the east side of Glacier up to Logan Pass, interpretated from the perspective of Blackfeet tribal members. Full day and half-day tours until around September 30th.
Guided Hikes, Fishing Trips & Raft trips
On Your Own
Driving through or around Glacier Park.
Apgar - village on west side, on shores of Lake McDonald; meandering flat hiking/biking trails, gift shops, ice cream at Eddie’s Café, boat rentals.
Going-to-the-Sun road –
West side stops: Trail of Cedars, McDonald Creek, the Loop
East side stops: Sunrift Gorge, Sun Point, Many Glacier valley
Highway 2 around southern border of park – Goat Lick viewpoint, Izaak Walton Inn in Essex.
WHITEFISH
Whitefish Mountain Resort
Chairlift Rides
https://skiwhitefish.com/scenic-lift-rides/
Hiking
https://skiwhitefish.com/danny-on/
Zip-Line
https://skiwhitefish.com/zip-line-tours/
Alpine Slides
https://skiwhitefish.com/alpine-slides/
Aerial Adventure Park
https://skiwhitefish.com/aerial-adventure-park/
RESTAURANTS AROUND THE VALLEY
West Glacier
Glacier Highland – conveniently located diner in West Glacier. Nothing special, but better food at better prices than restaurants in the park.
Belton Chalet Grill & Bar – fine dining & full bar in rustic atmosphere, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, a bit pricey.
https://www.glacierparkcollection.com/lodging/belton-chalet/dining/#tab_cocktails___beer
Coram
Glacier Distilling Company Tasting Room – just a few miles west of West Glacier. Bride’s mother’s favorite – Little Cottonwood cherry, orange, ginger, & cardamom liqueur. Bride’s father’s favorite – Fireweed cherry bourbon
https://www.glacierdistilling.com
Also, under Restaurants - Coram, add Josephine’s - Speakeasy and Summer Kitchen, located behind Glacier Distilling Company. Very good food. Fine dining at reasonable prices with options to share a variety of dishes. Open until September 26th.
Hungry Horse
Huckleberry Patch – Hungry Horse, where you can get everything huckleberry, including huckleberry pie. (But best huckleberry preserves are Eva Gates in Bigfork, on the shores of Flathead Lake)
Columbia Falls
Backslope Brewery – open 11 am until 8 pm, 7 days a week. Great quality and variety: salads, soups, Labneh plate, Veggie burgers, Ginger bowl, Bulgogi bowl, BBQ Pork, Fried Chicken and more. And beer, of course.
Whitefish
Buffalo Café – Whitefish breakfast institution, open for lunch and dinner also.
https://buffalocafewhitefish.com
Loula’s – another good Whitefish breakfast and lunch restaurant, featuring homemade pies.
https://www.whitefishrestaurant.com
Abruzzo Italian Kitchen – Whitefish, dinner restaurant with full bar, pizza and pasta, and Groom’s favorite – Wild Boar Ragu. Reservations recommended.
https://www.abruzzoitaliankitchen.com
Wasabi –Known for its Sushi (one of the only places in the valley that the Groom, a Hawaiian native, will eat sushi), also features other Asian dishes. Reservations needed.
Bigfork
Echo Lake Café – great breakfast and lunch café on Hwy. 83 just outside of Bigfork
Swan Lake (Renée and Josh’s home town)
Laughing Horse Lodge – fine dining, owned by Chef Kathleen, dinner served outside in courtyard. Dinner is pricey, but if you need a reasonably priced place to stay a night or two before or after the wedding, this is the place.
East Side of Park
Two Sisters Café – located on highway between Babb and St. Mary village. Variety of handmade food - burgers, Vietnamese sandwiches, bison sirloin, BBQ
https://www.twosistersofmontana.com
And more . . . just ask.