Anyone who loves to travel is well aware that this year is not the best time to do so. With international travel restrictions in place, it is hard to please that travel bug inside of us. So I decided to explore my own country as millions of travelers do every year in the good ol’ U.S.A. I wanted to go somewhere I have never been before with scenery I don’t get every day. I live in Florida, a very flat piece of land. Yes we have a lot of beaches but you can’t really explore the great outdoors since most of our nature is brush that you can’t walk through. I wanted to go to a National Park with beautiful mountains and valleys. I decided to go to Glacier National Park in Montana.
If you are going to travel during Covid-19 you must decide what the safest way to get there would be for you and your party. Since Montana is pretty far from Florida I flew. If you are going to fly, be aware that some airlines do not socially distance passengers. I flew American Airlines to Kalispell, Montana and the flights were full each way. They also didn’t serve any foods or drinks but handed out mini snack bags on your way to your seat. I went during a holiday weekend so I am glad I got a car rental before they were booked solid. If that happens to you, know that you can alway rent a U-Haul as I saw several people doing that.
Half the day was gone when I got there. Once I got the rental car I drove all around the city of Kalispell and down to Flathead Lake. Kalispell is not much of a tourist town so don’t expect much attractions or even tourist shops. The next day which I consider my first day there I went into Glacier National Park. Everyone tells you to go super early before everyone else gets there but I am no morning person. I got to the park around 10a.m. and decided to drive to the farthest point first and work my way back. During corona the farthest point on Going-To-The-Sun-Road is Rising Run which is located half way of Saint Mary Lake. Working my way back I stopped at Logan’s Pass to see if I can find parking at the busiest parking lot in the park. I did! Hooray! Not realizing I was going to do a really hard hike soon after at Hidden Lake Trail. That trail had me beat.
Day two of my trip I went to Whitefish Mountain Resort which ended up being one of my favorite things about my trip. They have mountain biking, a tree obstacle course, alpine slides, and my favorite, zip-lining. I’ve been zip-lining several times before but this one topped them all. There are six lines, each one faster than the other, with the most beautiful scenery. One reason why this zip-line stands out is that their equipment makes it so you don’t turn around during flight, which is very annoying when your flying backwards the whole time. So being able to face forward the whole time was a perk! They also had a photographer on site shooting you and your loved ones for a reasonable price. I got the zip-line package which included three trips down the alpine slides. There was a slower scenic route and a faster one. After the slides I went up the mountain on their ski lift. They normally have a restaurant up there but due to covid they had fewer food options but the views are still the same. Going down the ski lift was a highlight of the vacation as the views are breathtaking.
After Whitefish Mountain Resort I explored the town of Whitefish. If you are looking for a more tourist town this is the place for you. They have local merchandise stores, tourist shops, and amazing restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Day three of my trip I drove to Polebridge to eat their famous Huckleberry bear claw dessert at Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery. It not only has bear claws but plenty of amazing desserts and hot sandwiches. They have a small merchandise store inside which you might want to take advantage of since I don’t believe there is any other store around the area. Beware: the road the get their is cobble stone and unless you have an SUV you’ll be driving 15mph the whole way making your drive even longer. A 1-hour drive turned into a 2-hour drive.
After Polebridge I went back into Glacier Park from the side entrance that is near the town. I drove to Lake McDonald Lodge which is closed off to non-resort guests but their gift shop and walk-up cafe is open to all. After, I hiked Trail of the Cedars and from that trail to Avalanche Lake Trail. The hike to Avalanche Lake was not as bad as Hidden Lake Trail but still ended up being pretty tough on this non-hiker. But the views! Definitely worth the hike! The prettiest spot in all of Glacier if you ask me.
Day four I went canoeing at Lake McDonald. You can rent canoes and kayaks at Glacier Outfitters in Apgar Village inside the park. The lake is so big that canoeing for an hour only got me about 1/5th of the way. The views were so surreal. The lakes in Glacier Park are so turquoise-blue and super clear. After canoeing I explored Apgar Village which has some tourist shops and Eddies Cafe where I ate lunch. I had huckleberry lemonade and a sandwich with huckleberry aioli, yum! I love a good sandwich. I tried their huckleberry ice-cream outside at their walk-up window, delish.
Day five I went horseback riding with Swan Mountain Outfitters. I almost ended up not going horseback riding because I couldn’t get a reservation. I really wanted to horseback ride inside the park with the amazing views, however they were able to fit me in on their ride outside the park. It was the coldest day there with the average in the 40’s. I picked the half-day ride which was about 3hrs. We stopped in the middle to take a break at an overlook which was beautiful. They were pretty strict about not filming during the ride and not having any strap-on cameras. I had my GoPro on my wrist but they didn’t say anything about it. They mainly just want your hands to be free to hang on and have nothing fall off the horse to spook them.
My overall trip to Montana was refreshing. I loved being in the great outdoors. The weather in September was hard to dress since it would be cold in the morning and dreadfully hot midday. Make sure to bring a change of clothes in the car for those occasions. And don’t forget to bring sunscreen as the sun is very intense on these mountains. I hope to come back another time and experience the other side of the park that the Blackfeet Indian Reservation closed due to covid. Maybe I’ll see more wildlife and possibly a bear!
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.