Lodging without reservations (Missoula, Kalispell, Whitefish: hotels, home, school)

[62mike]

We are flying into Missoula on September 12th and starting a GNP roadtrip.

We prefer visiting different sites and towns and not being driven by reservations.

Do you think this time of year we would be able to find vacancies when needed? We dont mind driving a few miles back to a town especially if it's more affordable than a lodge then get on the road again the next morning.

Thanks.

[Parnassia]

You might call some hotels/motels within your budget that are located in towns you're more likely to pass through. They could give you some idea of their vacancy rates at that time.

[62mike]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

You might call some hotels/motels within your budget that are located in towns you're more likely to pass through. They could give you some idea of their vacancy rates at that time.

Thanks. We love to stoo in little towns and shop and eat. Are there many from Missoula to GNP or are they few and far between?

[NW Crow]

Sept. 12 will probably be lighter volume in Missoula than the weekend before because of holiday and start of Univ. of MT fall classes the weekend before. UM activity might still be an issue.

Families with kids home for back to school will probably reduce near GNP activity, except for the people targeting getting away from them and heat. Still some of the most popular accommodation will fill up first.

Between Missoula and GNP, the most common stops will be Polson, Bigfork, Kalispell and Whitefish on west and more questionable / little on east.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

As you drive north on 93 from Missoula, give yourselves time to visit the Bison Range (formerly the National Bison Range) with a free-ranging bison herd managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Go west on 200, and north on 212 by Dixon to Moiese. It's a relatively short drive.

Also, give yourselves a couple of hours in Polson for a visit to one of the most amazing museums in the entire West, the Miracle of America Museum. One man's collection of everything imaginable over a lifetime, from Old West and WWII memorabilia, to cars, aircraft, and entire buildings! Overwhelming, but really well organized. Check the website first: https://miracleofamericamuseum.org/

[Zulu Kono]

Nobody can say whether or not there will be any vacancies, but I've gotten
some pretty good deals on hotel rooms when I didn't have a reservation.
When you just show up in the evening to a place that has rooms available,
they'd rather make something off a room than let it sit empty overnight.

[jmgg]

Whenever I look for lodging in SD, ND, WY, or Montana, I try to stay off the reservations.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by 62mike

We are flying into Missoula on September 12th and starting a GNP roadtrip.

We prefer visiting different sites and towns and not being driven by reservations.

Do you think this time of year we would be able to find vacancies when needed? We dont mind driving a few miles back to a town especially if it's more affordable than a lodge then get on the road again the next morning.

Thanks.

You are going to get screwed...........not a lot of options in some of these towns.


MAYBE since school started in most places then you might be able to get in. I did 2200 miles in Montana/Wyoming last summer and everything was booked solid.

I stayed at Glacier National Lodge (nice but very old, like staying at a summer camp)and they had no vacancy, jam packed. They had a bar/restaurant but it looked mediocre. The town had 3 bars/restaurants and 2 of the 3 were borderline biker bars. We ate at the same Mexican place 2 nights in a row. ZERO to do in that area after dark.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

You are going to get screwed...........not a lot of options in some of these towns.

MAYBE since school started in most places then you might be able to get in. I did 2200 miles in Montana/Wyoming last summer and everything was booked solid.

I stayed at Glacier National Lodge (nice but very old, like staying at a summer camp)and they had no vacancy, jam packed. They had a bar/restaurant but it looked mediocre. The town had 3 bars/restaurants and 2 of the 3 were borderline biker bars. We ate at the same Mexican place 2 nights in a row. ZERO to do in that area after dark.

Things aren't quite as busy this year. Everybody was on the road last year, trying to put the lockdown memories behind them. We encountered a family who had traveled from South Dakota to Noxon (on 200 close to the Idaho border) in one day without finding any available hotel rooms. Another family had paid $300+ for a room--at a Motel 6! This year we had no problem finding hotel rooms, and the prices were only slightly higher than the 2019 level. But getting rooms at GNP might still be an issue in September.

In terms of old lodges and nothing to do at night, well, that's what you get in remote parks with traditions. We stayed at the Lake MacDonald Lodge years ago, in the annex, and the rooms were so tiny that the bathroom door had a cutout so the door could open around the sink! Take it with a grin, and provide your own entertainment. You can't complain about the scenery!

[Zulu Kono]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

I stayed at Glacier National Lodge (nice but very old, like staying at a summer camp)and they had no vacancy, jam packed. They had a bar/restaurant but it looked mediocre. The town had 3 bars/restaurants and 2 of the 3 were borderline biker bars. We ate at the same Mexican place 2 nights in a row. ZERO to do in that area after dark.

On the Blackfeet rez, it's best to stay in your hotel after dark.