By Hope Good
West Glacier, just steps away from the western entrance of Glacier National Park has been a base for exploring the region for decades. Remote and almost inaccessible, the West Glacier area drew only limited attention by white settlers until the main line of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) reached the northern Rocky Mountains in 1890. When the GNR crossed the Continental Divide at Marias Pass in 1891, GNR president Louis W. Hill realized the splendid beauty that lay just to the north.
GNR established a station named “Belton” at the current site of West Glacier, and a small community slowly began to develop. By 1892, settlers Milo Apgar and Charlie Howe were offering rental cabins, meals, pack horses, guided tours, and boat trips for visitors who arrived in Belton on the GNR. Frank Geduhn offered cabins and services at the head of nearby Lake McDonald.
In 1894, businessman Ed Dow built a hotel in Belton to serve travelers getting off the train and destined for Lake McDonald. At the time there was no bridge across the Middle Fork so guests were rowed across the river.
In 1885 George Snyder homesteaded a tract of land off Lake McDonald and built his first primitive hotel on the site. Tourists got to his hotel, and accessed camps run by Frank Geduhn and Frank Kelly, by taking a small steamship from Apgar. Efforts to protect the region also began with the Boone & Crocket Club, founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887 and led by George Bird Grinnell. It was the United States’ first hunting and big- game conservation organization.
By 1897, Congress designated the area a forest preserve, and the first bridge was built across the Middle Fork of the North Fork River, connecting Belton to Apgar. In 1902 a group of volunteer college students joined Professor Lyman Sperry and started building a trail from Lake McDonald to Sperry’s namesake glacier. The project was funded by GNR founder James J. Hill, and completed in 1903.
In 1905 Charles M. Russell built a cabin and studio named Bull Head Lodge at the southern end of Lake McDonald. This was Russell’s summer home for the next two decades, where he hosted artist friends to paint and sketch landscapes and scenery of the park.
Glacier National Park, referred to as the “Crown of the Continent,” became the nation’s 10th national park in 1910 when President William Howard Taft signed the legislation into law. Its founding marked a significant milestone in American conservation efforts and set the stage for over a century of natural preservation and public enjoyment. Several key factors and individuals played crucial roles in bringing this natural wonder under federal protection including the efforts of Grinnell, Hill, and the Boone & Crocket Club. Taft’s decision to create Glacier National Park was part of a broader conservation movement in the early 20th century, continuing the efforts of his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt.
Between 1909 and 1913, the GNR constructed the Belton Train Depot and Belton Chalet complex under Hill’s direction. It was the first of the Great Northern Railway’s sprawling hotels to serve Glacier National Park. Hill drew upon the Chalet and American Rustic styles for his hotels to create harmony with Glacier’s natural landscape.
Between 1910-1915, the GNR constructed nine Swiss-style chalets. The sites were Belton, St. Mary, Sun Point, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, Sperry, Granite Park, Cut Bank, and Gunsight Lake. Besides stunning mountain locations, the lodges shared characteristics like gabled roofs, exposed beams, ornate decorative mouldings, balconies, and plenty of large windows.
In 1913, developer John Lewis built the Lewis Glacier Hotel on Lake McDonald. With locally available materials, native stone and western red cedar, it was decorated as a hunting lodge. Because no roads were built to the lodge until 1921, its front faces the lakeshore to greet guests who arrived by boat from Apgar landing. It was a community gathering point where artist Charlie Russell could sometimes be found telling stories in the lobby.
In 1930, John and Olive Lewis sold their hotel to the GNR, which renamed it the Lake McDonald Hotel. The railway later sold the hotel to the National Park Service, which began leasing the property. The name was eventually changed to the Lake McDonald Lodge.
The growth of tourist traffic through Belton increased substantially in the 1920s and 1930s, largely due to the improvement of automobile routes through the area. The opening of the Roosevelt Highway in 1930 along the southern border of Glacier, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road opening in 1933, drew more automobile traffic to the park and further reduced railroad revenue.
In 1936 the first new Model 706 buses from the White Motor Company in Cleveland arrive in the park. These Red buses are still on the road in Glacier today. The town of Belton was renamed “West Glacier” in 1949, to better reflect its geographic location and make it more identifiable to tourists. Today, West Glacier is a tranquil retreat surrounded by stunning natural beauty. There are many structures throughout the park that are on the list of the National Register of Historic Places, including ranger stations, mountain patrol cabins, fire lookouts, and concession buildings.
The Sperry Chalet was severely damaged by the Sprague Fire in 2017, consuming the log-framed interior structure and leaving only the stone masonry walls and chimneys standing. The chalet’s reopening in July 2020 marked a triumphant return from the ashes, showcasing the resilience of this iconic structure. The Granite Park Chalet and the Sperry Chalet are the last backcountry chalets standing in Glacier National Park.
The Belton Chalet, the first of the iconic lodges built by the Great Northern Railroad, has served as the original gateway to Glacier National Park for over a century. Known today for its elegant dining experience and culinary prowess, the chalet’s restaurant and tap house offer a variety of artfully-crafted dishes showcasing locally-sourced ingredients, local beer, spirits and craft cocktails. You can easily walk from the Chalet to West Glacier Village in the small townsite of West Glacier on the other side of the Amtrak train station.
Amenities available in West Glacier Village
Freda’s
Part local watering hole, part family- friendly dining experience with legendary burgers, ice cream and full- service bar for a post-adventure hangout.
National Pizza
Drop by for a delicious slice, salad or snack — the perfect post-adventure pick-me-up to satisfy both hunger and nostalgia.
Huckleberry Hut
Carries anything huckleberry you can dream of. Find made-in-Montana huckleberry lotions, teas, jams, and candies. You won’t turn purple, but you will be in huckleberry heaven!
West Glacier Mercantile
The most convenient grocery store on the west side of Glacier National Park. The store offers cold beverages (including the largest selection of beer and wine
in West Glacier), groceries, deli meats, sandwiches and other supplies perfect for your Glacier National Park adventure.
West Glacier Gift
Carries a wide range of souvenirs, trinkets, keepsakes and more to commemorate your trip to Glacier National Park. You’ll find it in West Glacier next to the West Glacier Mercantile.
Golfing to the Sun Minigolf
Fun for the w-hole family.
Glacier Raft Co.
Explore the Flathead River with West Glacier’s most experienced outfitters. From half-day floats to multi-night rafting expeditions.
From East Glacier to West Glacier, Montana, and up to Waterton, Alberta, Glacier Park Collection by Pursuit is a collection of inspiring and unique experiences, including iconic mountain lodges and charming historic gems offering exceptional hospitality and the perfect base camp for exploring Glacier National Park. With scenery that’s bold, dramatic, rugged and inspiring, it’s the perfect family destination.