Whitefish, Montana may just be one of America’s best-kept secrets. Sure, there are cool and charming mountain towns like Telluride and Aspen, but Whitefish should top your “To Visit” list. It is a welcoming resort town in northwest Montana where you can surely get your “Rocky Mountain High” on. It’s the gateway to Glacier National Park, which has been coined the “Crown of the Continent” and a global treasure. 

Here you’ll discover jagged peaks, lakes, and glacier-carved valleys at every turn. The region is a refuge for wildlife endangered in most other places, like grizzly bears, lynx, fisher, gray wolves, and bull trout. You’ll also find bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and elk. Plus, thousands of species of wildflowers that grow nowhere else in the world are found here. So come for a visit and take some time to smell the flowers and pick a handful of fresh huckleberries, the local indigenous fruit, while hiking to your heart’s content. The 700 miles of hiking trails and a drive along the famous ‘Going-to-the-Sun-Road’ keeps tourists’ schedules full for days. 

Another gem in this neck of the woods is mystical, magical Whitefish Lake that is 7 miles by 2.5 miles and 222 feet deep. It is home to Whitefish Lake State Park and City Beach. Who knew you could go to the beach in the middle of the mountains of Montana? 

Downtown Whitefish Montana

Downtown offers up the main street full of folksy shops, art galleries, and local eateries, bars, and coffee shops. Don’t miss a Montana roasted cup of Joe, locally brewed beer, and of course anything made with the local delicacy, huckleberries. How about an elk burger washed down with huckleberry wine? And try one of the great homemade pies at the town’s favorite breakfast spot, Loula’s Café in an old Masonic Temple, and choose from many fruit-flavored pies (huckleberry or huckleberry combos with peach, raspberry, or blackberry). 

Take a short walk to the restored Great Northern depot and locomotive (listed on the National Record of Historic Places) and learn a bit about the logging and railroad history of Whitefish. Don’t miss Jalisco Cantina, for gourmet Mexican in a stylish indoor/outdoor setting on the outskirts of town. And a few minutes further outside of the town, you can explore endless mountain bike and ski trails at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Mountain biking is supposedly a right-of-passage here in Whitefish. 

What makes the town even more special, are the people (population approximately 7,800). Here small-town friendliness meets urban chic while outdoor lifestyle rules. Whitefish is easy to reach so there’s no excuse. Amtrack stops daily in Whitefish and Glacier National Airport is only 15 minutes away.

The Firebrand

Once you arrive, where should you stay? One multi-generational family-run hospitality company, Averill offers the best of both worlds with its two unique properties. One is right smack dab in town, The Firebrand Hotel while the other is sitting alongside the majestic Whitefish Lake called The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Guests at either hotel can hop on their complimentary shuttle to take you to and fro.  

If you prefer a more urban contemporary boutique hotel, then The Firebrand is the way to go. Its Rocky Mountain character is expressed through granite stone and massive timbers. This is contrasted with metal and glass design elements giving it a more contemporary feel with western accents and a big lobby fireplace. The 91-room hotel has a hip lobby bar and rooftop lounge with a hot tub overlooking downtown Whitefish and the Rockies in the background. It also has a spa, 24-hour gym, and a popular Sunday brunch. The bar /restaurant serves up some of the best appetizers imaginable with a local twist like duck wings with huckleberry sauce and huckleberry mud pie that is out of this world. They also offer complimentary bikes, snowshoes and airport pick-ups. Overall, the vibe is casual, hip, and friendly, while being walkable to everything this cute town has to offer. 

The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

In contrast, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake is more like a return to summer camp or your favorite childhood lake lodge. It is Montana’s only AAA four-diamond-rated resort. It’s inspired by the grand lodges of days gone by. With the pristine lake as your backyard and fireplaces in your suite, you’re all set for starters. But The lodge offers so much more. Guests are greeted by a big stuffed grizzly in the lobby and a baby stuffed bear on their bed. 

There’s a variety of accommodations to choose from at the Main Lodge, Viking Lodge, and adjacent condos plus nearby luxury homes. The fitness center is 24/7, yoga is complimentary, and the pools are both indoors and outdoors with hot tubs.  There is a tiki bar which is the only outdoor lakefront bar in Whitefish, plus Boat Club Bar, Boat Club Dining Room & Deck as well as a Coffee Dock with Montana-roasted coffee and famous huckleberry muffins. 

Last, but not least is the main attraction at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake is the lake.   The Marina at Whitefish Lake offers almost everything for boating and water sports activities. “The Lady of the Lake” gives tours in a classic wooden boat while “The Laurie Jo” serves up a nice champagne sunset cruise. Boat rentals go from paddle to power including pontoon cruisers, ski/pleasure boats, jet skis, kayaks, paddleboards, and complimentary canoes. Evenings can even include S’mores by the fire. Who said you couldn’t go back to summer camp as an adult? 

Year-Round Resort Town

Best of all, you can visit Whitefish year-round, each season offering up its own set of activities. The local Chamber of Commerce puts it this way, “Pick your pleasure – from hiking and biking to boating & cycling, from skiing & skating, to floatin & fishin”. Culture is here too with an array of artistic performances at Whitefish Performing Arts Center. The town also has a calendar of special events including highlights like Huckleberry Days, Brewfest, Octoberfest, Feast of Whitefish, Whitefish Halloween (David Letterman named Whitefish one of the Top 10 best places to celebrate Halloween), and Whitefish Winter Carnival.

Whitefish summer activities to add to your list when you’ve exhausted the 700 miles of Glacier National Park hiking trails are mountain biking, whitewater rafting, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, zip-lining, ski gondola rides, rodeos, wagon rides, floatplane tours, helicopter tours, brewery & distillery tours. In Winter, Whitefish Mountain Resort reigns supreme. So add downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snow biking, dog sledding, ice fishing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sledding, snowboarding, sleigh rides, and even night skiing to your packed sports agenda.  With over 3,000 acres of powdery slopes, you can ski for days and even nights!  

Whitefish Mountain Resort

Whitefish Mountain Resort is ranked No. 3 Best Resort in the West by Ski Magazine for the 2020-2021 season and No. 2 for Value and No. 1 for Local Flavor. It’s a perfect ski destination for all levels of skiers from beginners to experts to ski, snowboard, and apres ski. The views are absolutely breathtaking, and the slopes have one-of-a-kind ‘snow ghosts’ unique to this area. 

The ski resort has been around 70 years and has held its wacky Winter Carnival for 60 years. There’s a free S.N.O.W. Bus (Shuttle Network of Whitefish) that offers rides between the slopes and town during the day and evening. The Bierstube is Whitefish’s oldest apres-ski bar since the ski area’s inception in 1947. A local tradition at Bierstube includes handing out Frabert, a three-foot-tall, stuffed monkey to the “Clod of the Day”. Hellroaring Saloon & Eatery is a classic ski bar and restaurant located in The Chalet, the oldest building on the mountain.

The local slogan here is “Ski the Fish”. With 3000 acres, 105 runs and 14 lifts, and 320 inches of snowfall annually, there’s certainly room for all from the Base elevation of 4,464 feet to the Summit at 6,817 feet. 

Whitefish has grown from a sleepy mountain town to a full-blown resort destination. With the combo of some of the best scenery America has to offer and an abundance of year-round outdoor activities, Whitefish is a town not to be missed. See ya ‘round the mountain.