Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Renting a cabin on your vacation to Montana’s Glacier National Park can add privacy, self-sufficiency, and a rustic experience that you won’t find in a motel room. Rental cabins take you off the beaten path, and back to a simpler, quieter time. Cabins near Glacier National Park run the gamut from rustic, bring-your-own bedding outposts to family accommodations with all the comforts of home.
Go back to a simpler time in tiny Polebridge, Montana, on the western edge of Glacier National Park. The Polebridge Mercantile rents rustic cabins with simple furnishings, wood heat, propane lights and kitchen appliances. Bring bedding, cookware, water container and food. A midnight trip to the outhouse, accompanied by sounds of coyotes yipping and the North Fork Flathead River flowing, will remind you that you are far from home. Walk, bicycle, ski or drive into the park from your cabin.
For an even more remote experience, rent one of six U.S. Forest Service cabins and fire lookouts near Polebridge. Located seven miles north of Polebridge, Schnaus Cabin is a favorite among hikers and skiers, sleeping up to 12 people.
Polebridge Mercantile & Cabins
P.O. Box 280042
Polebridge, MT 59928
(406) 888-5105
Schnaus Cabin
8975 Highway 2 East
P.O. Box 190340
Hungry Horse, MT 59919
U.S. Forest Service cabin reservations. Search for Cabins and Lookouts near Polebridge, MT 59928, USA on http://www.recreation.gov/.
Rent one of the family-friendly cabins at the Lake Five Resort, just three miles from Glacier National Park, and you may have to negotiate with your kids for time to take in the park's scenery. Swimming, canoeing, fishing, volleyball, horseshoes, and a playground—plus private picnic tables, fire rings, and fantastic views—will occupy every member of your family. Most of the nine rental cabins sit lakeside. Fully equipped kitchens and supplied bedding make these cabins a breeze for a family vacation.
If your idea of a family vacation spot involves more seclusion and less punctuation by the sound of kids (young and old) playing in the lake outside your cabin, check into a cabin at the Glacier Wilderness Resort. Its year-round pool, recreation center, and private hot tubs provide plenty of kid distractions, while hiking trails invite exploration of the resort's 23 acres and surrounding wildlands. Cabins here are like a scaled-down version of home, complete with washer/dryer and satellite TV, but without telephones or cell service.
Near Glacier Park's less-crowded east entrance, enjoy the privacy and Rocky Mountain views from the cabins at Travelers Rest Lodge. These modern log cabins sleep a family of four on two queen beds, and access to Glacier Park's trails, fishing, boat launches, and wildlife viewing is unbeatable. Rent a tipi for a more rustic experience.
Lake Five Resort
540 Belton Stage Road
West Glacier, MT 59936
(406) 387-5601
Glacier Wilderness Resort
163 Highway 2 E.
West Glacier, MT 59936
(406) 888-5664
Traveler's Rest Lodge
P.O. Box 3
East Glacier Park, MT 59434
(406) 226-9143 (summer)
(406) 378-2414 (winter)
Go to St. Mary Lodge and Resort if you are looking for cabin accommodations inside Glacier National Park. Sit on the porch of one of the historic Glacier cabins and take in the views of the park's spectacular rocky spine. Let the tumbling waters of Divide Creek lull you to sleep at night. Built around 1937 (and fully renovated since) each one-bedroom Glacier cabin is equipped with a sofa bed for extra guests, and a small kitchenette. St. Mary also offers two larger cabins, as well as deluxe tipi rentals that make up for the lack of electricity in the tipi with comfy furniture and a private bathhouse complete with Jacuzzi tub. St. Mary Resort sits at the park's east entrance and is open during the summer only (May-September).
For an unrivaled Glacier National Park adventure, stay in one of Glacier's two backcountry chalets. Hike in to Granite Park Chalet or Sperry Chalet and spend the night in rustic lodges built in the early 1900s as attractions to lure rail travelers to the park. Unlike in a cabin, you will share facilities with other guests. However, for the seclusion and the thrill of being in Glacier's rugged backcountry that can make renting a cabin so appealing, these chalets are without rival.
St. Mary Lodge and Resort
Highway 89 and Going-to-the-Sun Road
St. Mary, MT 59417
(888) 778-6279
Granite Park Chalet and Sperry Chalet
P O Box 189
West Glacier, MT 59936
(888) 345-2639