Ultimate Montana Summer Guide: Glacier, Whitefish, & Flathead Lake

Fly into Glacier Park International Airport and you’ll find yourself 20 minutes from Whitefish and 45 minutes from Glacier National Park (West Glacier) and Flathead Lake. The air is crisp, the scenery is stunning, and the weather was a sweet relief for this Arizona native in July!

Glacier National Park

Best experienced over three days. We chose to stay within the park and made a reservation six months in advance to stay at the Granite Chalet. It is one of two lodges remaining where you can hike in & overnight.

The Logan Pass parking lot fills up by 6 am each day, so we opted to take the free visitor shuttle from the Apgar Visitor Center. It’s a lovely ride up Going to the Sun road to the infamous Highline Trail, a 7.5 mile hike to the Granite Chalet where we packed in & packed out all our food & clothing for two nights. The staff hosts coffee & hot cider every evening to ensure guests have an opportunity to mingle in the community room & kitchen.

It was a wonderful experience but it’s definitely glamping. No electricity (only propane), no showers, & a pit toilet. One of the highlights was being able to hike to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook after a night of rest! It’s an incredibly steep add-on to the Highline Trail, avoiding an 18+ mile hike in one day. To mix things up, we took the Loop Trail back to Going to the Sun Road. It’s a four-mile uphill climb to Granite Chalet, which meant it would be shorter and downhill on our way back to the Apgar Visitor Center.

Next time we plan to check out the Many Glacier area, including Ptarmigan Tunnel and Swiftcurrent Pass. You can even take a boat ride into Canada through Waterton Lakes National Park (passport required)!

Whitefish

Luxury meets Montana charm in Whitefish. The downtown area is a plethora of boutique shops, bars, & restaurants. The Whitefish River runs through downtown, where you’ll find locals paddle-boarding, kayaking, and floating the river.

The City Beach just north of town is a great place to swim & enjoy Whitefish Lake. We were amazed to see boats launching after 4:30 pm, this is because the sun does not set until after 9 pm in the summer. Rent bikes to explore all these areas on your first day & plan your week accordingly.

Kalispell

The big city in this area! Need a Costco run? Perhaps some toiletries from Target? Kalispell is where you’ll find the comforts of home.

Flathead Lake

The largest natural freshwater lake by surface area in the western United States. Bigfork is worth a stop for their charming downtown and shopping. Lakeside has an alpine slide nearby for the kids!

• Jalisco Cantina: Wonderful Mexican food restaurant north of downtown Whitefish, expensive but worth it. Pair your meal with one of their outstanding craft cocktails!

• Montana Coffee Traders: I’m sure the coffee here is good, but their breakfast menu is delicious! There was a line out the door when we arrived, highly recommend for breakfast or brunch. Multiple locations in the area.

• Gunsight Saloon: Located in Columbia Falls & close to the airport. We found ourselves here because it was the only restaurant nearby open until 9 pm. It turned out to be a gem, with an outdoor patio, good food, & live music. There was also an ice cream shop next door—huckleberry ice cream is a favorite in the area!

• Bonsai Brewing Project: Beer garden north of Whitefish for casual food & local beers. Great ambiance to enjoy the summer weather. Highly recommend renting bikes and making this your midway stop!

• MacKenzie River Pizza Co: Great rooftop bar in downtown Whitefish. Try the local beers while waiting for the weekly Farmer’s Market on Tuesday evenings. Live music & food trucks were in downtown Whitefish Tuesday evenings as well.

• Harbor Grille: Waterfront dining on Flathead Lake, casual but lively. It’s nice to walk through the marina or play cornhole by the water.