4 Best Sights in Outside Glacier National Park, Glacier National Park

You've found the power center of Montana at this wacky roadside attraction, where the laws of physics don't apply, and mystifying phenomena prevail.

The impressive collection of Blackfeet artifacts at this museum includes clothing, saddlebags, and artwork.

On the banks of the North Fork of the Flathead River on Glacier National Park's western edge, this tiny community (population 25) has just one store, one restaurant and saloon, one camp store, and one hostel, yet it is a gem in the wilderness. You can see where a massive wildfire burned up to some of the buildings in 1988 and how quickly new growth has advanced. The entrance station, staffed in summer only, is the gateway to Bowman and Kintla lakes, as well as Logging and Quartz lakes, which are in the backcountry and accessible only by hiking trails. The bakery at the Polebridge Mercantile store is amazing, with huckleberry macaroons or bear claws and hot, gooey cinnamon buns.

Railroad history, local gags like a fur-covered trout, and fine black-and-white photo displays complete this eclectic collection housed track-side at the Amtrak station in the Whitefish Railroad Depot. While browsing in the gift shop, ask for a free historical walking-tour map of "Stumptown," Whitefish's nickname. Call to confirm hours before stopping by.