If you’re thinking about a trip to Whitefish, consider this your sign to go. We arrived with high expectations, and Whitefish easily surpassed them. The scenery is the rare kind that’s both calming and jaw-dropping: quiet lakes, dramatic peaks, and big sky in every direction.

We traveled with my husband’s whole family, 10 of us in total. The grandparents are in their 70s, the parents are 40-something, and the kids ranged from 4 to 12. If a destination can keep that group happy and well-fed, it’s doing something right. Here’s how we spent our week.

Day 1: Travel Day

✈️ Getting There: Flight: Nonstop on Alaska Airlines from San Diego to Kalispell

🚗 Car Rental: We used Avis, but any rental company works

🏨 Stay: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

  • It’s a bit dated, but the location, family-friendly rooms, and proximity to Glacier National Park made it the clear winner for a group our size

Dinner: At the hotel, followed by s’mores on the lawn and a rock-throwing session into the lake

📍 Whitefish Lake

Day 2: Whitefish Mountain Resort

Breakfast: Loula’s Cafe

Morning: Alpine Slide at Whitefish Mountain Resort

  • This isn’t a big buzzing summer mountain resort. It’s smaller, sleepier, and quieter

Lunch: Tiki Bar

Afternoon: Pool

Dinner: Abruzzo

Dessert: Clydesdale Creamery

  • Order the specialty milkshake, if you dare

Day 3: Downtown & Lake Life

Breakfast: Montana Coffee Traders

Morning: We strolled downtown for shopping and souvenires, then went back to the hotel to kayak on the lake

  • Kayaks are free through the Lodge

Lunch: Homemade in our room

Afternoon: You guessed it…pool

Dinner: Farmer’s Market at Depot Park, with food trucks, live music, and plenty of room for the kids to roam

Day 4: Glacier National Park

Breakfast: In our room

Morning: Hidden Lake Overlook Trail

  • We were on the road by 5:30 AM. Not ideal, but it paid off: Logan Pass had plenty of parking when we pulled in at 7:30 AM
  • We never planned to hike the whole trail. Our goal was to wander and take some photos. Somewhere along the way, “wandering” turned into the ENTIRE hike. Kids who had never walked more than one mile finished a 2.7-mile roundtrip without a single complaint
  • The early start provided perfect hiking weather. It wasn’t too cold and wasn’t yet too hot
  • On the drive back, we stopped at Lake McDonald to dip our toes, skip rocks, and soak in the famous rainbow pebbles

📍 Hidden Lake Overlook Trail

Lunch: Freda’s

  • Not recommended; food was very meh. It wasn’t part of the plan, but hungry stomachs don’t negotiate

Afternoon: Naps all around, then…the pool

Dinner: Boat Club Bar

Day 5: Wakeboarding & Rodeo

Breakfast: In our room

Morning: We rented a boat for four hours and spent it tubing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing on Whitefish Lake

Lunch: Tiki Bar

Afternoon: Pool. Are you sensing a theme?

Dinner: In our room

Evening: Brash Rodeo

  • Buy tickets ahead and arrive early for good seats
  • Bull riding, barrel racing, and cowboy hats - it was peak Montana.

Day 6: Travel Day

Got Older Kids?

If your kids are older or more adventurous, Whitefish has plenty more to offer:

If We Did Our Trip Again…

More Breweries. Our schedule and their hours never quite lined up, but these are on my list:

Bulldog Saloon. It’s been around since 1903, and its URL is fart-slobber.com. How can you not visit?! Missing this one still stings.

More time in Glacier. Next time we’ll spend an afternoon picnicking and swimming at Lake McDonald and strolling Apgar Village. This time, we simply didn’t pack enough food for our hungry crew.

Final Thoughts

Whitefish was one of those rare trips that worked for everyone, from the 4-year-old to the 75-year-old. We spent our days on mountains, lakes, and trails, with some very serious pool time in between. Ten people, three generations, zero complaints. Whitefish, you nailed it.

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