Whitefish to Lake McDonald

June 13, 2024

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Rich and I got up bright and early to greet Gen and Jim at the Whitefish train station. The train was delayed, so we wandered around the cute downtown area while we waited. Whitefish is an upscale tourist town, and reminded us a little of downtown Sonoma. St. Helena maybe.

Once they arrived and gathered their bike gear, we went to the Buffalo Cafe for breakfast. 👍😊 from all of us on the food. After breakfast, Jim, Gen, and I began the ride to Lake McDonald. Today was Rich’s driving shift, so he returned to the hotel to pack up our bags and drive to our hotel destination. About two blocks into the ride, I realized I forgot to get a picture of us all starting out. Bummer. Well, I will have to make it a morning ritual for the rest of the trip.

By the time we left, around 9:30 or so, it had warmed up significantly, and by an hour into the ride we had shed our jackets. The temperature remained in the mid 60s to mid 70s with a light breeze for the rest of the ride. Seriously perfect weather.

After leaving town, we traveled back roads through green pastureland, past estate-sized homes, and into forest. Everything just seems so crisp and clear and green to my California eyes. Traffic was light, so even though many of the roads didn’t have a bike path or shoulder, it wasn’t a problem.

The first bridge we crossed was at the middle fork of the Flathead River. The water was crystal clear. From there we had a short climb and a few rollers, but overall the ride was pretty flat.

When we reached Hwy 2, we veered onto the bike path and coasted all the way down to our left turn onto Road to the Sun and into West Glacier Village. We thought we might meet Rich and stop for lunch there, and while we were stopped on the path deciding what to do next, Jim and Gen’s friends, Kelly and Jacinto arrived. What great timing!

Rich wasn’t responding to my calls or texts, so I figured he was out of cellphone range. The last text I had from him indicated that he was at the park’s visitor center, so Gen and Jim and I headed that way while Kelly and Jacinto went on to the hotel at McDonald. When we entered the park, we asked about how far up the road was open. The answer wasn’t totally clear to me, but it sounded like it was open to bikes pretty far up and, at minimum to the loop. They also told us that bikes had restricted hours and couldn’t be on the road between 3 and 6 pm.

Rich wasn’t at the visitor center and, by this time, we realized that if we were going to get off the road by 3:00 pm, we needed to get going. So on we went. As we rode on the lakeshore, I marveled at the preternatural blue of the water, shimmering in the sun and framed by stark mountains in the background. We made quick time to the hotel.

The McDonald Motel is quite…rustic. Our room is small and we had some difficulty fitting our bikes and gear inside. Also, it has the smallest shower I’ve ever experienced. I couldn’t turn around without bumping my elbows. But, it’s pretty much the only game in town other than the much more expensive lodge next door, and I can’t complain about a dry roof, hot water, and a soft bed.

The four of us met Kelly and Jacinto for dinner at the Lodge restaurant. I thought it was quite spendy and the food bland—Rich and I both had the trout, which was served with a brown rice/quinoa mix broccoli. And I noticed that everyone at the table was salting our food. So I would give it a “meh” rating. But the service and ambience were both excellent and that helped. And the huckleberry pie ala mode made everything a-okay.

It’s time to get organized for tomorrow—we’ll be riding as far as we can up Road to the Sun.

Scroll down for a few pics and a video compilation of today’s ride.