A Pit Stop a Day (Day 4): The Many Glacier Hotel

June 30, 2010 By

On Day 4, we drove from Spokane, WA to Glacier National Park, which took us along Hwy 2 and Hwy 93.

94 years old, the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park opened to the public on July 4, 1915. The hotel was declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1976.

Located in the northeastern section of Glacier National Park on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake, the Many Glacier is a classic national park lodge in every sense: it’s rustic, beautiful, scenic, and imposingly elegant. Five stories tall, it contains a grand lobby, sprawling decks overlooking the lake, Swiss style architecture, and 214 guest rooms within two large chalets offering lakeside, standard, and value accommodations.

My family and I stayed at The Many Glacier for three nights (Sun-Tues). The hotel was near capacity when we visited in late June (not long after park opening), but The Many Glacier didn’t feel crowded at all. In fact, if you want to feel in the thick of things’, you’d be best suited in W. Glacier (on the opposite side of the park) and its surrounding villages. Many Glacier is a full 21 miles from the nearest visitor center at St. Mary (although only 1 mile from a ranger station where kids can pick up Junior Ranger kits) and over an hour’s drive (over the Going to the Sun Road¦a must!) from Lake McDonald.

So what is there to do at The Many Glacier? More than you can possibly fit in! (Our first full day at the hotel, we never touched our car.) The hotel sits lakeside, with beautiful views in every direction. Over 700 miles of hiking trails criss-cross Glacier National Park, many of which fan out directly from the hotel. We sampled six miles of them, and saw a moose, rabbits, and bighorn sheep! (On the Going to the Sun Road, we braked for a black bear cub!) Boat tours of Swiftcurrent Lake and other surrounding lakes depart regularly from the hotel’s dock. Also on-site is a stable (horseback riding starts at $40 an hour) and a kiosk at the dock where you can rent canoes, kayaks, and rowboats. At the front of the hotel is a departure location for the park’s famed Red Bus Tours.

The rooms at The Many Glacier are what I’d call comfortable with no frills’ (which was just fine with us). Standard rooms have a double bed and a twin, a full bathroom with tub, heating/air conditioning units, and a balcony. What they do not have: internet access, TV sets, hair dryers, mini-fridges, or coffee makers. Trust me, these inconveniences are worth bearing for the view alone!

Note: In addition to the above, there is no wifi or cell service at The Many Glacier (or anywhere within the national park). The Park Cafe in St. Mary has wireless access.

The hotel staff (as I’ve routinely found to be true in national parks) was, without exception, polite, friendly, helpful, and passionate about their hotel.

Date last visited: June 2010.

Distance off the interstate: 21 miles from St. Mary, 12 miles from Hwy 89.

Room Rates: Standard rooms start at $165 a night (double occupancy).

Food Services:

Breakfast at the Many Glacier is served buffet-style in their Ptarmigan Dining Room from 6:30 am to 10 am. The food is great (you have to try the Montana scrambled eggs) and the service is quick. Even better? The views: the floor-to-ceiling windows of the dining room look out over Swiftcurrent Lake. (Breakfast is also served at the Swiftcurrent Italian Gardens Ristorante one mile from Many Glacier.)

Box lunches are available from the dining room. (We opted to stock a cooler of lunch foods prior to arrival and make our own lunches.) Snacks, some groceries, and sandwiches can be found at Heidi’s, on the lower level of the hotel. The Swiss Lounge at Many Glacier serves appetizers and sandwiches starting at 11:30 am and afternoon fondue from 2-5 pm. (Fondue can also be ordered during dinner hours, and we can vouch for it…it was delicious!)

Dinner options include casual dining at the Italian Gardens, burgers at the Swiss Lounge, or the European-themed menu at the Ptarmigan Dining Room. (The same children’s menu exists at all locations within the national park. It offers a pretty decent selection and the servings are not tiny.)

Website: Many Glacier Hotel

Directions:

From St. Mary, take Hwy 89 north to Babb. Turn left and travel 12 miles into the national park to the Many Glacier.

From West Glacier and the western end of the park, take the Going to the Sun Road across the park to the east entrance. Leave the park at St. Mary, then follow directions above.

We paid our own way at The Many Glacier. While the hotel’s media relations specialist was aware of our arrival, the staff, from the dining room wait staff to the valet, had no idea I’d be writing a review based on my experience.

Up Next: We board the ‘Chief Two Guns’ for a Swiftcurrent Lake cruise in Glacier National Park!

Elwell Lakes Lodge review, CA

March 1, 2010 By

Hands’ down, Elwell Lakes Lodge and the surrounding Sierra Nevada region of Northern California is one of our favorite places on earth. As such, I’m afraid I’ll have a hard time being impartial in this review! Having grown up in the area and visited numerous times from childhood to adulthood, I cannot recommend it highly enough for an adventurous family vacation well off the beaten path.

Elwell Lakes Lodge review:

One of many family cabins at Elwell lakes Lodge.

The lodge, nestled high in the Sierras 25 minutes from the small resort town of Graeagle, CA, is located over an hour northwest of Reno, NV, and almost two hours north of Tahoe, and is comprised of approximately a dozen rustic guest cabins, seveal tent cabins, a recreation hall well-stocked with books and games, and a main lodge. Cabins are comfortable with furniture, linens for the beds, kitchens, and bathrooms. Most, if not all, have a front porch and a BBQ.

Best of all is Elwell Lakes Lodge’s location. Situated just past Lakes Basin Campground, it is literally a gateway to the numerous lakes that comprise the Lakes Basin Recreation Area. Directly from your front door is a well-maintained network of hiking trails leading to some of the most beautiful scenery in the Northwest. The fishing, swimming, and exploring can’t be beat. If you so desire, you could easily stay a week and not get back into your car once.

Nate and Cal, playing along the shore of Long Lake.

If you do choose to take a drive, our picks are to the wonderful mining town of Johnsville and Plumas Eureka State Park where your kids can see a stamp mill still standing, or (in the opposite direction) to Dowieville and the excellent swimming along the Yuba River. Nearby Salmon Lake and Sand Pond offer great swimming and fishing as well, and excellent golf is awaiting in Graeagle.

Most days, we prefer to make pancakes for breakfast, explore the lodge, and hike or swim (kids love the stockpile of Legos in the main lodge and the creek running alongside the furthest ring of cabins). They spent one memorable (to them) afternoon catching frogs. Be sure to bring a book or two, and plan to sit awhile on the main lodge deck overlooking the mountains.

Date last visited: Last weekly stay, July 2004. Last visit, July 2009.

Distance off the interstate: Approximately 35 minutes from Hwy 89.

Rates: Rates vary by cabin, ranging from under $600 to over $1000 weekly. (These rates include housekeeping and use of all lodge facilities and row boats on Long Lake). If you’re looking for a place with nightly rates, Gold Lake Lodge has similar style cabins, is nearby, and has a restaurant on-site. We’ve stayed there as well, and love both lodges.

Food Services: At the time of this posting, Elwell Lakes Lodge does not provide meals. The owners do host a fun pot-luck dinner once weekly in the large dining building, and every cabin comes equipped with a kitchen and stocked with pots, pans, dishware, and silverware. Otherwise, our dining recommendations are The Sardine Lake Lodge, just a few miles further up Gold Lake Highway, or for kid-friendly pizza and pasta, Gumba’s in Blairsden.

Website: http://www.elwelllakeslodge.com/

Nate looks for minnows in the shallow water of Sand Pond on a summer evening.

Contact Information: Phone: 530-836-2347 Mailing address: P.O. Box 68 Blairsden, CA 96103

Directions: From the town of Graeagle, turn onto Gold Lake Highway. After driving seven miles, turn right into the Lakes Basin Campground. Follow the signs to Elwell Lodge (stay left).

 

Mt. Shasta Treehouse Inn

February 8, 2010 By

111 Morgan Way
Mt. Shasta, CA

Treehouse Inn\’s large indoor pool.

My family and I have stayed at The Best Western Treehouse Inn in Mt. Shasta, CA several times, and while most chain motels are not worth a review, this one is an exception! If you’re traveling I-5 and need a place to stay the night, skip Redding (to the south) and Medford (to the north) if you can, and stay in Mt. Shasta. Not only is it a beautiful area in all seasons (if you can swing an extra day to ski or sled at Mt. Shasta Ski Park in winter or hike around the mountain in summer, you won’t be sorry!), but the motel is prettily themed in a log-cabin, wilderness décor, boasts a large indoor pool and hot tub, and serves a full (think eggs, pancakes, potatoes, danishes, fruit, yogurt and more) free breakfast.

Breakfast by the fireside.

Date last visited: February 2010

Distance off the interstate: Less than one minute.

Room Rates: Room rates at The Treehouse Inn are steeper than that of a typical Best Western (between $130-$150 per night), but you definitely get your money’s worth. The rooms are spacious with vaulted ceilings, mini-fridges, microwaves, and free wi-fi, and the pool is excellent. The breakfast is much more than your run-of-the-mill continental, too. Suites are available.

Food Services: There’s a restaurant on-site, but for dinner, we recommend the original Black Bear Diner, located just across the street. Say Cheese Pizza is located another block up West Lake Street, and offers lots of games for the kids and an excellent salad bar (pizza is a bit overpriced, however, in our opinion). (Find reviews of Say Cheese on Yelp.)

Website: http://www.bestwesterncalifornia.com/hotels/best-western-the-tree-house-motor-inn/

Directions: From Interstate 5, take the Central Mount Shasta Exit 738. Turn onto West Lake Street, then turn right onto Morgan Way.

View Larger Map

 

The Grand Canyon’s Maswik Lodge

August 19, 2009 By
Wooded quad unit at The Maswik Lodge

Wooded quad unit at The Maswik Lodge

 

 

 

The Grand Canyon offers a host of accommodations, but we found the cabins at The Maswik Lodge to offer that perfect balance of convenience, location, and affordability. Located in the heart of the Grand Canyon Village, we were only one-fourth of a mile from the South Rim and shuttle stop. Just to the right was The Bright Angel Lodge (and the start of the Bright Angel Trail), numerous gift shops and lookouts over the rim, and the impressive El Tovar hotel.

The lodge itself is comprised of several sections, including traditional motel-style units in two block buildings, a main lobby, registration, and dining area, unattached cabin units, and quad-style units. The latter two were located just adjacent to the registration building across from the parking. It was wooded and pleasant. Our quad unit had only two downfalls: noise heard through the shared walls, and a lack of air conditioning (a legitimate addition to the ‘con’ list, as we were visiting in July). The price, however, was right at a rate of $90 a night.

We had two double beds, a nice bathroom with shower stall, TV, phone, and ceiling fan. Wireless internet service was available in the lobby and dining building, as well as at an internet kiosk (pay as you go).

We had the chance to try out the Maswik’s cafeteria for both dinner and breakfast. With four separate food stations and many other ala carte items, it was a nice change from table service with kids in tow. Entrees ranged from about $4-8. Finer dining was within walking distance at either The Bright Angel’s Arizona Room or El Tovar. (The Bright Angel also houses a nice ice cream parlor accessible from the Rim Trail.)

Date last visited: July 2009

Distance off the interstate: Whoa boy. The Grand Canyon Village within the national park (South Rim) is located only 60 miles North of I-40, but allow extra time for traffic through the park, especially during the summer months.

Hours and Admission Prices: Remember that there is a separate entry fee for the national park, regardless of where you’re staying. It’s currently $25 per car.

Website: www.grandcanyonlodges.com For reservations, call: 888-297-2757.

Directions: From Flagstaff:

Take Interstate 40 West to Williams.
At the Arizona Highway 64 junction turn North.
Proceed to the South entrance of Grand Canyon National Park.
Driving time is approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes; 89 miles.

Driving from Las Vegas, Nevada
Go south on US Highway 93 (over the Hoover Dam) to Kingman, Arizona.
Go East on Interstate 40 to Williams.
At the Arizona Highway 64 junction, turn left (north) and proceed to the south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park.
National Park Service entrance fees apply.
Driving time is approximately 5 hours 30 minutes; 273 miles.