Lodges of Glacier National Park

Jack Conter

Staff First of all, let me give a special call out to Derek Espinoza at Vacations by Rail for being our very supportive customer service rep who we booked our vacation with. He also helped us find a hotel right next to the train station in Seattle where we started. Mary Klepper was our tour guide. She provided excellent communication via text throughout the trip and also gave us a detailed daily itinerary tri-fold guide at the beginning for the 24 seniors on this trip. Our bus driver Kevin was also excellent and he used the most comfortable tour bus we have ever been on. Amtrak Empire Builder You can start this tour from either Chicago or Seattle. We elected Seattle because we had never been there and spent two days visiting the Needle, the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum, eating lunch at Elliott’s Oyster House, and touring the city on a Hop On / Hop Off bus tour. Please note there was also a free city shuttle bus that basically takes you on the same route. We selected a sleeping room car on the train. The room was very nice but the bathroom was very tight and small and water squirted out of the faucet from the high water pressure ever time we tried to use it. When the room was set up to sleep my wife tried to sleep in the upper bunk but the mattress was very uncomfortable and it felt like a tomb being so close to the ceiling. I would recommend people try the roomette or coach car. East Glacier Lodge We really enjoyed the East Glacier Lodge. It was over 100 years old and built with huge Douglas Fir trees from Washington State. The lobby was fantastic and just peaceful to sit in and admire the craftsmanship needed back then to build it. They had the large fireplace going on cold mornings and entertaining guitar musicians at night. The buffet breakfast was great. The dinner food was expensive which you would expect at a Lodge. Some people complain about the dated bathrooms but what do you expect from a historic Lodge experience. They also complain about no TV, but why miss a chance to check out from the news for a few days and immerse yourself into this peaceful stress free setting. While there we were taken to Two Medicine Lake where we saw a moose in the water while taking a mile hike on one of the lake trails. We also saw a mama bear and 3 cubs up in a tree on the way back to the lodge and Kevin graciously pulled the bus over so we could get out and enjoy the sight and take pictures. St Mary’s Lodge On the way to the Lodge we stopped in Browning for a tour of the Museum of the Plains Indians which was excellent, but the additional two hours spent in town was a waste of time. This was also a historic lodge with great room balconies overlooking the river. We went out on the balcony after dark to view the numerous stars we can’t see back home. We enjoyed a scenic river cruise on St. Mary’s Lake which was excellent. There was a mule deer sitting next to a waterfalls trail that the boat stopped at temporarily. An Eagle also flew by while on the boat. After leaving the lodge on the second day we took the beautiful and scenic Going-To-The-Sun road on a Red Jammer Tour bus. The views were just outstanding. Lake McDonald Lodge We spent one night here in a nice cabin and just absorbed the scenery and views by sitting on benches outside the lodge and at the lake. Very relaxing. Whitefish We stayed at the modern Grouse Mountain Lodge and had a very nice room. We ate a bison burger dinner at the Craggy Range Bar and Grill that the free shuttle from the lodge took us to in town. I had my last huckleberry ice cream in town.

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Maureen H

This was my first Vacations by Rail adventure. It was worth every penny. Once I arrived at Chicago Union Station, Jim, took care of everything. We each received a red paper from Jim giving us the itinerary (with times) for each day. He took care of the larger pieces of luggage, making sure that everything made it to our rooms and next stops. He was both a great communicator and a great listener. He made small changes to our itinerary that benefitted all of us like visiting a store with huckleberries. I spent time in the lodges included in the trip, taking in the history, amazed at what was accomplished 100+ years ago. I hiked and spent time in nature. I learned so much from guides and reading the material available in Glacier National Park and in the lodges. There were 33 of us in the group plus John our bus driver, and Jim our group leader. Jim provided a great deal of knowledge on too many topics to list. John went out of his way to teach us about the plant and animal life in the area. Members of our group shared photography skills and guided each other regarding great views, hikes, food, and other experiences that no one should miss. We learned about the fire damage that we could see, the changes in the glaciers over time, the building of the Going to the Sun Road, bear spray, the continental divide, and the relationship between the railroad and the lodges of Glacier National Park. The highlight for most of us was visiting the Museum of the Plans Indian in Browning, Montana. The curator talked about both the history and current life of the Plains Indian. The artifacts were fantastic. There were even local artists creating their art in a section of the building. I had the opportunity to speak with one about both the history his family and his wife's family. The Museum of the Plains Indian was a definite highlight of the trip. Traveling with a great group of people enhanced the experience. Vacations by Rail had us sharing meals with others in our group on the train from Chicago to Montana which bonded the group. I highly recommend Vacations by Rail Lodges of Glacier National Park. When you go, take hiking poles. There will be opportunities for tough hikes and not-so-tough hikes. Everyone there will help you find the hike that aligns with your ability. The view of the lodge below is from the Amtrack Station. There was and continues to be a relationship between Amtrack and the Lodges. The Going to the Sun Road is narrow in many places. The Red Jammer Buses required serious attention to driving. The driver told us what to look for at each turn of the road while he squeaked through some very tough places against oncoming traffic.

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Jerry Ward

Lodges were iconic and Glacier Park beautiful and scenic.Planty of time for various opportunities.

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Thomas Baxter

what a beautiful building!!!

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Max Porter

This trip was great. The accommodations were very good except for one that put a handicapped person on the third floor with no elevator and no air conditioning with the temperature in the 90's. The tour guide, Bill, was tremendous and he did a great job with the coordination.

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JAMES MILANO

Very good/turn director and coach driver excellent

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