Eat That: Glacier National Park

So there aren’t too many dinning option when you’re in a national park and there shouldn’t be. The point of being outdoors is to be…outdoors so my first suggestion is to pull out the fire wood and start cooking! However, I do have to add that a nice hot meal, that you didn’t have to cook, after a 11 mile hike is pretty darn awesome. So when you go to Glacier & hike up to Iceberg Lake you absolutely should give yourself a cooking break for the night and go here & eat that.

Many Glacier Hotel: The Ptarmigan Dining Room

Hubby and I went at Glacier National Park during peak season and decided to go to dinner on a whim (after our 11 mile hike) thus we were reservationless. The Many Glacier hotel was visible for a good portion of our hike so on the way back we schemed a dinner plan at the distant mammoth lodge in the foreground. The lovely hostess informed us we had about an hour wait; so with Caesar’s in hand we explored the exalted old hotel. In the main lodge area there was a roaring fire, history boards & pictures featured on the walls, and plenty of seating.

The night we were there the staff and some guest were actually hosting a variety show! I’m talking old timey people get up and sing or do stand-up! Some of the ‘acts’ were amazingly bad and some were surprisingly good but somehow the sweetness of it all felt like we had stepped back in time when people clapped, cheered, and sang along to people making fools of themselves. In fact, cell phones rarely work so there was no pinging, twittering, or texting. People were in the moment ; present with what was going on in front of them, and it was lovely. The hotel isn’t shinning, it isn’t super sterile nor clean, and it isn’t super luxurious, but it is awesome! A co-mingling place where history & beautify collide to make a world all its own.

There is also a beautiful deck that wraps around the backside of the hotel with Adirondack chairs for guests which is neat-o.

After our hour pasted we, a little drunk and very hungry, took our seats in the main dining room with a spectacular lake-front view.

The menu is small but features Montana inspired dishes. They have a great selection of local brews & wines.  Let me tell you upfront, this is not even close to the best meal I have ever had. In fact, I would give the food a 6 out of 10. However, the experience, location, and feeling of the place makes it one of the best dining experiences in my recent memory; a solid 9.5 out of 10 in my book. Be prepared for well seasoned & simple food. We ordered a green salad to share, the Montana bison with taters & mixed veg, and the local pan seared trout with quinoa & mixed veg. Sadly, we were too full for dessert.

As you can see, not the most spectacular plated dishes but our smiles are genuine none the less. Overall, we loved our experience at Many Glacier Hotel and would go back in a heart beat. So if you can, go here and eat that…any of that because when a place with this much history still maintains this kind of beauty it is a fundamental part of what makes American travel great.

Some pictures of our walk back to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. We stayed in a recently renovated cabin with a small bathroom. We adored the Inn & the bundle of money it saved us in comparison to the Many Glacier Hotel.