Izaak Walton Inn in Montana

A whistle stop outside Glacier National Park

By Hilary Meyerson

Photo at right: Blue skies and untracked snow at Glacier National Park. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Price

You can’t visit Whitefish, Mont. without a trip into Glacier National Park. You simply can’t. Most folks hit this epic national park in the summer, but the winter months should draw the traveler as well.

Instead of crowds gawking at the majestic scenery, and driving the awe-inspiring Going to the Sun Road, you’ll find a stark beauty, snowy landscapes and few people. A trip into the park can feel like a deeply religious experience.

We were lucky to rest up the night before at the nearby historic Izaak Walton Inn in the hamlet of Essex before our arduous cross-country trek into the park the next day.

Visitors Center at Apgar

Before checking into the Inn, we drove from Whitefish to the visitor’s center at Apgar, the small town that serves as the hub near the west entrance at Glacier National Park. There are only a few services or amenities open here, but you won’t need much.

On weekends, rangers lead snowshoe walks, gratis, from there. The general store across the way is open for hot beverages, snacks or trinkets. Bring your own snowshoes or rent them at the visitor’s center for a modest $2 a pair.

Our park ranger leader was actually a student intern, living at the park for the winter months. He helped our small group of snowshoers strap on our shoes for our trek through the woods. We had less than 10 people, ranging from kids to senior citizens.

The pace was modest, and was more about appreciating nature than a cardio workout.

Our first stop was a beaver dam on the Lower McDonald Creek. Our guide gave us the history of the dam (since the 70s!) and then reached into his pack for some visual aids—a beaver pelt of a former resident. The rest of the hike followed this model: we’d stop and look at trees, then get a lesson with help with some materials from the magic backpack. We got to stop at an oxbow on the creek, and gaze out over the snowy landscape before returning to the visitor’s center.

Skiers eager to hit 33 km of Nordic trails outside the Izaak Walton Inn. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Price

Izaak Walton Inn

Back in the car, we had a scenic drive to our next destination, the Izaak Walton Inn. Nowhere will you get a better understanding of the importance of the railroad to this area than at the Inn. Named after the English author of the 17th-century treatise, “The Compleat Angler,” it is a destination for serious relaxation and exhilarating outdoor fun, all in a train-themed package.

The Inn was built in 1939 adjacent to the trail line for railroad personnel and is filled with railroad memorabilia, which today attracts train buffs from throughout the country. It is still the only “whistle stop” along the cross-continent rail route served by Amtrak. The restaurant, called the Dining Car, serves up fantastic local fare—an unexpected gourmet experience at this isolated outpost. Save room for dessert—the cobble duo (huckleberry and Flathead cherry) is worth the wait.

There is more to eating at the Izaak Walton Inn, however. It’s a Nordic paradise. Right outside your door is a web of 33 kilometers of groomed trails. The jagged peaks and forested mountains all around provide stunning views. When you’re done for the day, lay those skis against the wall of the Inn’s porch, or the porch of your own cutie cabin or caboose, and kick back.

In addition to the main lodge, the Inn offers sleeping accommodations in vintage locomotive or caboose cars that have been repurposed as lodging. Kids of all ages will be delighted by the chance to sleep in these old railway cars and the whistle of the trains passing on the nearby tracks throughout the night provides the perfect nighttime lullaby.

Backcountry Touring

Another benefit of the Izaak Walton Inn: Glacier National Park is right across the street. Even better, they have an in-house backcountry expert guide who will take you on a guided tour.

Our guide met us in the basement of the Inn to look over our gear and clothing choices. What he found wanting, he replaced out of his giant gear closet where extra gaiters, jackets and gloves were located. Then we were sized for backcountry touring skis. Skis were freshly waxed, lunches were packed and we were bundled into the Inn’s van for a ride to the west entrance to the national park.

We found substantial snow when we reached the top of 5,280-foot Marias Pass on the Continental Divide. Pulling over and hopping out of the van, we sprinted across the highway (with a slightly scary run across the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks) and onto the trails.

After just a few glides, we were deep in the woods, somewhere in Glacier’s one million acres. Our guide claims he’s never given the same tour twice—and why would he? The joy of these guided tours is that you will likely be somewhere no person has been in months. We got some pointers on climbing hills and handling the terrain, but mostly we just skied in silence, as the snow fell around us, quickly burying our tracks.

After a climb, we came to an open clearing on top of a hill where we could truly appreciate how deep the powder was. The kids whooped and hollered as they descended the hill in the freshest of powder, only to turn and climb it again. We played in the woods and in the snow for several hours before reluctantly returning to the van.

Leaving the Inn

After returning from our guided snowshoe trek, we packed up our gear and headed to the Inn’s train platform for our return home.

The Empire Builder stops at the Inn twice daily: eastbound at 9:30 a.m., and westbound around 4:30 p.m. As the massive train chugged into view, we soaked in the views one last time before climbing aboard for the 16-hour ride back to Seattle.

If You Go

Izaak Walton Inn: www.izaakwaltoninn.com

Glacier National Park: www.nps.gov/glac

Amtrak Empire Builder: www.amtrak.com/empire-builder-train

Hilary Meyerson of Seattle is the former editor of OutdoorsNW and an avid winter-sports enthusiast.

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