Bethie

My husband and I will be traveling between Coeur D'Alene and Kalispell in June. have 3 nights and most of 3 days to spend here.Should we do 2 nights in Kalispell or 2 in Coeur D'Alene? Is Kalispell close enough to enjoy Glacier? How about Whitefish? We are 60ish but adventurous. Also nice places to say without costing a fortune. Thanks

bigtyke

While en route, stop at Wallace and take a tour of the silver mine

bob_brown

I don't think it will take you long to drive from Couer d'
Alene to Kalispell. There is not much in between except forests and a few towns.
Kalispell is close enough to visit Glacier; so is Whitefish, which is amazingly upscale. Big Fork is another neat little town to visit as well.
I spent the night there in the Timbers Motel I believe it was. Closer to Glacier the motels are more expensive and not so great.
It is nearly 250 miles from Coeur d'Alene to Kalispell, but you can make it in 5 hours is my guess or perhaps less.

You can certainly drive from there to Glacier and visit Glacier in one day.
You do have to go through Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, and Libby, but they are not huge towns that really slow you down.
Whitefish appeals to me more than Kalispell. It has some nice shops and restaurants.

John

Hello from Northwest Montana
Kalispell is 31 miles from Glacier park;Whitefish about the same.
For more information
www.travel.state.mt.us/
www.discoveringmontana.com
www.nps.gov/glac/home.htm
www.whitefishmt.com
www.kalispellmt.com

Hopefully Going to the Sun Road in the park will be open in June.

Bethie

Thanks everyone. That helps. If we stay in Whitefish anyone have a motel, hotel,to recommend?

dixon

The Grouse Mountain Lodge is highly rated, but it is pricey.
The Chalet Lodge is a little cheaper, but Whitefish has realized its popularity and charges accordingly during July and August.

My ealier estimate of the distance was a little high; I must have misadded.
The distance on my Triple A guide is less thawn 210 miles from to Whitefish.
I think you could make that in 4 hours or less barring a delay for construction or a mishap.

The observation about the road being open is a very valid comment. Last year in early July the Highline trail was closed because of snow; the Sun Road itself was open. I was told that the opening of the Sun Road was one of the latest on record.

There is a web site where you can check the status of the road. There is one section called the Big Drift that gives the snow plows trouble. Often snow is dangerously deep there. In some of the pictures I saw, the snow pack must have been 50 feet or so.

dixon

Ohh. 58 is conservative. The web site says 98 feet of snow depth in the Big Drift. The road usually opens during the first 2 weeks of June, but the range is from May 16 to June 23.
The depth of the winter snow pack is the critical factor but many variables come into play.

John

DIXON is quite right on the Big Drift. The average the past few years has been 80 feet. Much depends on of course the amount of snowfall but the amount of wind and it's severity has a lot to do with the drift. Also,IF the sun ever comes out that naturally also plays a huge part.
For road closures in the park check the web site I mentioned in my other post.
www.nps.gov/glac/home.htm

Come on out and hike the park!!

John

Hello again from Northwest Montana
The quickest route from C'oeur D"alene is as follows;
Interstate 90 out of C'oeur D'alene to St.Regis Montana.
Pick up Highway 135 at St. Regis and follow to highway 200 north.
Just before Plains Mt., pick up highway 28. Follow this all the way to highway 93 north.
Highway 93 north takes you into Kalispell.

Mileage is approx. 200 miles and you should be able to drive it in 3 1/2 hours doing the speed limit as most of the way will be 70mph limit.

bob_brown

the Interstate route would be a little quicker than the route through Libby.
Also, the roads leading to the Flathead Lake should be relatively free of traffic after you leave I 90.

This route also leads fairly close to the National Bison Range, which is worth a look if the bison are out and about.

Speed limits in Montana even on state roads are often as stated. In fact some of those roads cannot be safely driven at 70 mph, at least not by me.

John

BOB BROWN Who suggested going to Libby????

Highway 28 is as straight as an arrow and can be easily driven @ 70 if not faster!!! As a matter of fact at 70 you may be holding up traffic!

cfaulkner

There are several ways to get from cd'a to kalispell all depending on how much time you want to take and what kind of scenery you want to see. cd'a to kalispell via sandpoint and libby is the most remote you may come across. The scenery and the roads are unforgettable. The scenery beautiful(Kootenai Falls, watch for deer, even moose, elk); the roads rough and narrow (frost heave and log trucks). Expect this trip to take you 5 hours minimum. The quickest way would be from c'da by hwy 90 to missoula and north on 93 to Kalispell. I 90 is interstate standard and 93 is a fair hwy by MT standards. The by-route through St. Regis is nice along the river (and adjacent to the Bison Park) but the hwys are not as quick as 93 because they are windier. If you know the roads there is no time difference. However, that said, never expect to drive the roads as fast as the locals. For locals, driving 93 during summer can be frustrating because of all the slow tourists, but no one will ride your bumper or rage at you - they are all used to it. Check with others (or Chamber or Hwy Patrol) re: upcoming reconstruction on Hwy 93. Guaranteed it will be happening.

Whitefish is a nice area, quaint town, in a boom with Big Mtn both summer and winter. There is always something happening so check with Chamber and locals. I've stayed at the Grouse Mtn. It was clean, quiet and nice but I felt it was way over rated. Then again, I wasn't paying for the room.

C'da is great for window shopping, spending time at the lake; But you can't beat two days exploring Glacier. As previously noted, Going to the Sun is 50-50, but Lake MacDonald is lower, as are plenty of other accesses. People are wonderful, scenery magnificent, weather unpredictable - bring layers as you can get snow or a heat wave.

You will enjoy it thoroughly and start planning your next visit.

P.S. For a break try the Mission at St. Ignatius on Hwy 93 or anywhere along Flathead Lake. Polson has a lovely park/picnic area and lake access

Bethie

Thank you everyone John, Dixon,Bob, big Type and CFaulkner for sticking with me on this. Are now finalizing plans and your suggestions were very intstumental. Will let you know what transpires. Hope your winter hasn't been as wierd as ours here in Maryland. Looking forward to June big time!!Wish I could get ANYONE to answer my questions about N.Dakota that well.I guess people near Medura and Fargo are hibernating until Spring!!! Thanks again guys.