Whitefish
Resort Area · Whitefish, Montana
A railroad town of about eight thousand at the foot of Big Mountain in the Flathead Valley, twenty-five minutes from Glacier's west entrance and served by the Amtrak Empire Builder, which still stops at a 1927 chalet-style depot in the middle of town. It has a ski hill above it, a lake below it and a main street of independent shops and restaurants that has held out against becoming a resort strip. It is where a good many people actually stay when they say they are going to Glacier.
520 East 2nd Street, Whitefish, Montana, 59937, United States
A working town, open year round, with two seasons and two shoulder periods. Whitefish Mountain Resort runs roughly late November to early April for skiing and mid-June to early September for summer lifts; April, May and November are quiet shoulder months when many businesses close. Lodging books out completely for July and August and for peak ski weeks. The Amtrak Empire Builder stops in the centre of town daily. Glacier's vehicle reservation system, where in force, is booked separately on recreation.gov.