Last days in Whitefish & Marion, MT

After almost a week in Whitefish we decided it was time to move on... we really loved it there and can't wait to go back and ski this winter hopefully! We had a great last dinner at Tupelo Grille- a southern/NOLA style restaurant that is one of the best places in town. We cooked most nights but had to try some dining out in Whitefish! Another highlight was the famous huckleberry ice cream... a must try in Montana and the best place to get it from is the ice cream store Sweet Peaks. Yum! We will start our diets someday! 

We originally were planning to stay in Libby, MT on the way to Sandpoint, ID but decided to stay over in Marion, MT at McGregor Lake which is near where Michael went to camp when he was younger. The only cabin that they had available had electricity but no water (so no toilets, sinks, or showers!!!) But we did have our own porta-potti outside the cabin! LOL! It was right on the lake and we had our own little dock that Michael was excited to park the jetski at! There was a cute little restaurant that we had dinner and breakfast at...soon we will do some real camping again but this was pretty close in my opinion!!!

Glacier National Park & Whitefish/Big Mountain cont...

We decided to brave the smoke and haze and head to Glacier National Park on Wednesday because we are so close in Whitefish (about 30min) and we bought a national park pass at Grand Tetons so we didn't have anything to lose! Pretty much everything is still open despite the three fires so we headed up the Going to The Sun Road. 53 miles long, it is the only road that crosses Glacier National Park and is a national historic landmark and also a historical civil engineering landmark. We heard to expect it to take at least 2 hours to get to the top due to traffic and people looking at the views and turning off along the way but it took us less than an hour each way! There are a lot of turn offs that you can stop at but we just stopped at a few due to the air quality and poor visibility. We'll definitely come back another time when there aren't any fires. 

We've been really enjoying staying at the little cabin and have been cooking every night! It's a nice change from all of the dinners out! We are having a lot of fun exploring Whitefish and after a week here are starting to feel like locals! LOL!

We have also had fun taking the jetski out on Whitefish Lake.. it's a really small lake compared to Flathead Lake but it's really pretty and clean. 

Big Mountain/Whitefish, MT

We are so lucky to be staying at a really cute cabin on Big Mountain for a few days in Whitefish that belongs to a friend of a friend of Michael's. We met her the other day & she was so generous to offer it to us. It's been in her family for decades and was the first cabin built (by them) when the mountain opened in the 1940s! Just walking in you can tell how much history is in it & how many people have enjoyed staying here. It's decorated in the style of an old ski house & it could not be more cozy & comfortable. We are so excited to stay here for a few days AND cook out guest home cooked meal in 3 weeks!!! The cabin is located just steps from the Big Mountain gondola. While Michael rode the Jet ski around Whitefish Lake I rode the gondola up the mountain! It was pretty hazy due to the smoke from the Glacier Natl Park fires but still a gorgeous view! Now I'm waiting for him to get back & preparing our dinner!!! Baked cod, roasted potatoes, & kale! Yum!!! We will stay in Whitefish/Big Mountain a few days as its a fun little town that is popular both in the summer & during the ski season.