Glacier National Park - Part 3: Whitefish, Montana
Cody: We tend to talk about moving to the places we visit on our travels. For the first week of this trip, it was different. Glacier and the surrounding area is beautiful and a wonderful place to visit, but neither of us would have considered moving there. I think because of the seasonal nature of Glacier (the Going to the Sun Road is only open a few months a year), there aren’t a lot of good restaurants or amenities you’d want in a place to live. Everywhere offers the same mediocre cheeseburgers, fries, and anything they can think to put huckleberries into. I don’t mean this to be negative about Glacier, it’s amazing - just not somewhere you’d want to live year-round. Whitefish, about 35 minutes from West Glacier, is different.
On our first short venture into Whitefish on Day 3 I said to Alex as we were approaching town “that’s a ski resort, and by the looks of it a pretty decent one!” It looms over the landscape only 4.5 miles from downtown, and has 3000 acres of skiing, and 2,300 feet of vertical. Combine that with being so close to the mountains for summer, outdoor climbing, and how cool and walkable the downtown is - Alex and I couldn’t help it and found ourselves Zillowing places in Whitefish by the end of the trip. Honestly, considering you’re 30 minutes from Glacier, 12 minutes from a big ski resort, and the town itself is really nice, it’s pretty reasonable. So, if we’re in Whitefish 10 years from now, come visit us! Now we just need to teach Alex how to ski.
Alex: After a week of long hikes, we had a few quieter days in Whitefish before returning home. One of the days we hired a guide and had a fun time top roping 5.7-5.9 climbs near Mount Marston lookout. It was a great climbing area, nestled in the woods next to a peaceful stream. We were able to climb a good variety of routes – some boulder-style starts, slabs, chimneys, and cracks. The last time we climbed outside was at Lamb’s Knoll in Utah. It’s a bit scary at first, but I always forget how much I enjoy it.
We stayed in an AirBNB, and it was nice to be in a comfortable place with a kitchen and bathroom all to ourselves. Luxury! We cooked some of our own meals, but we also went to some great places in the downtown area:
Folklore Coffee
I really liked the ambiance of this quiet coffee shop. The decor was simple and cozy, and I felt at peace without any loud music or crowds. We went here twice. I enjoyed lattes, while Cody tried their London fog and Montana fog teas. We also split a sourdough cinnamon roll during one of our visits that was delicious.
Arn’s BBQ
We stumbled across a food truck park as we were wandering around downtown Whitefish. We shared a brisket. I had potato salad, and Cody ordered a lemonade. It was a nice outdoor seating area, but there were so many yellow jackets flying around. We decided to relocate and finish our lunch sitting in the van.
Jalisco Cantina
Our climbing guide, Cole, recommended this restaurant for us. It was a nice place serving upscale Mexican food at affordable prices. I had chicken tacos and Cody had carne asada salad. (Cody: Really, Alex? This picture?!)
Sweet Peaks Ice Cream
We also went here twice. The first time, Cody and I arrived around 8 pm, and the line was out the door. Many of their specialty flavors were already sold out. Cody indulged in a cupcake ice cream flavored milkshake, and I had scoops of espresso and mint chip ice cream. Yum! On our second trip, we shared scoops of salted caramel and nabbed one of their specialty flavors, “Going to the Sun Road,” described as “house-made honey sponge candy swirled into sweet cream, a mountain ride to the sky during a summer sunrise.” These flavors were also amazing. I really liked the specialty flavor with its crunchy bits of honey candy. Cody was a big fan of the salted caramel (He even said it was better than the salted caramel that we had at Salt and Straw in Seattle. I disagree with this, although it was still very tasty.).
The Toggery Montana
A clothing store and gift shop. There were so many cute things that I didn’t need! I had good self control, so I am only left with good memories of pretty beanies, socks, polka dot mugs, soft sweaters, etc. …
Thanks for the wonderful trip, Montana!
