Glacier Park Lodge — Hotel in Browning

Came here solely to hike East Glacier Park and spoil the lady. This was during the weekend following 4th of July so I expected busy and expensive for the stay. We stayed in the "annex" portion of the lodge in a garden level room. Outside Temps were high 80s to high 90s for the two days. Inside the room was a small sleeping area, bed, desk nightstand, and small bathroom that was an after thought. The beds were nicely made with that rustic feel but were overall uncomfortable and noisy. The frames squeaked and jostled anytime one of us moved. Not for the light sleeper. If you're accustomed to a memory foam bed or sleep number or other nicer beds, you're in for a rough night of sleep. The pillows were smaller than I expected at about 18" x 12" and not very comfortable. The floors are old, not level, and make transferring noises from above and everywhere else a gimme. No AC in the rooms made for a warmer than usual sleeping experience with outside Temps being what they were, but a box fan was provided and thankfully the temp dips down at night. However during this weekend was Native American days making fireworks and other celebrations a nightly thing but also no alcohol sales for the 3 days over the weekend. Anywhere on the reservation. I'm sure I should've known this from research but I called and asked stating I've never been and know nothing and it wasn't mentioned. Not a big deal in my mind, but be aware. Parking is largely a free for all, there is adequate room for all guests but not a great system of communicating it. There's no paved loading/unloading areas near our entrance, you just pull in the grass. The road isnt really wide enough to stay on it and have a car pass comfortably. There was parking around back that wasn't mentioned, but you just follow the herd. Also, stairs only, no elevators for those that pack heavy get a bellhop. Never used any of the hotel amenities such as the pool, golf course, restaurant etc... I can't speak to those. Seemed nice and clean and was generally busy when we went by. Also never contacted hotel staff after I stay began because nothing was worth mentioning or changeable really, so can't speak to the staffs ability to provide customer service beyond checking in, which was fine and pleasant. Overall we were there to do some long day hikes and stay somewhere nice. I like eating local, so we went out for our dinner meals. I didn't check around at other pricing but there are a number of smaller cabin style hotels and rentals just a 1/2 mile up the road that if I were to return I'd try those next time. For us, and I stress us in our situation, this hotel didn't provide anything for us to make us say 'That was great, we had an awesome stay.' For those that enjoy the hotel experience and vacation at the hotel, and maybe get nicer beds, this place...

Plan to totally unplug, and pay dearly to do it. |The lodge is beautiful. They do a very short lodge tour daily touching on the history of the lodge. Transportation from the train station to the lodge is free, fun and nostalgic. The staff was laid back and friendly. ||The rooms are very basic: Bed, bathroom and shower, and a couple of electric outlets. Rooms have no TV, and even getting a radio station on a cell phone from anywhere on property was impossible. Individual wall heaters warmed the room. Rooms are very spread out, and there are stairs involved.||The lobby is charming when you enter. There's an old piano that is open to anyone who wants to play it, and puzzles, usually with pieces missing, set up all over the main floor. If you don't do puzzles, there's a fireplace where folks can sit and enjoy overpriced coffee or a cocktail from the bar. There are no TVs anywhere in the common areas, no way to check weather, or world events. Cell phones rarely worked. Lobby music was on the calibre of a local band, and local talent, even though they had come in all the way from Ohio.||There are two restaurants. One was expensive ($22.00 and up for a burger) and the other was "more upscale" serving things like steak dinners. The upscale restaurant hosted the breakfast buffet. It had a fireplace, and a weird set up so nobody could enjoy the fire from any table. ||There is a small convenience area in the lobby that sells overpriced coffee and snacks. They ran out of Diet Coke on our first day there.||Don't expect special food accommodations: They will say OK, then serve you what they want to anyway. Fortunately for me and my shrimp allergy, there was no shrimp there during my stay. However, none of our meals came as ordered, in spite of the very long wait.| |Going out at night to look at the stars was discouraged, due to ongoing bear activity. ||The entire place shuts down for "quiet hours" by 10 pm. Lights are turned off and all bar and restaurant services are stopped. We were there on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.||The saving grace was a small strip of stores just the other side of the train station, mostly closed, but with a small diner that is only open for breakfast and lunch, and a very basic grocery store. Groceries and souvenirs were still expensive, but available.||We went on two tours from the hotel: One was supposed to be going to the sun road ( road was closed by a snowstorm), and the other was a boat ride. The boatride was fun but cold. It dropped us off at the only building to wait for the bus, a gift shop. but nothing more than a shuttle to get hikers to and from trails. ||Two nights would be plenty. We were glad to get back on the train...

I spent 3 nights here during the 3rd week of September after arriving by Amtrak. First, the pros: 1. The lodge was very close and convenient to the train station - only about 230 yards away, so you can walk there or they provide a free shuttle for a ride back. This was welcomed as it was raining when I arrived. 2. The grounds and lodge are beautiful and the views from places in or near the lodge are nice. 3. They offer a free historical tour every evening at 5pm which discussed the history of the lodge and challenges during it's construction. 4. They also provide bingo and trivia games at night in the lounge. 5. I found the food for breakfast and dinner good, but on the expensive side. 6. The staff was friendly, helpful, professional and went out of their way to ensure I had a satisfactory visit. In fact, the rooms didn't have an iron or ironing board, but they found them for me to borrow due to all the wrinkled clothes I had. The helpful staff was perhaps their greatest strength. 7. The lodge provides shuttle service back and forth to 2 Medicine and St. Mary's several times a day, which I found helpful since I didn't have a car. But, it was expensive: $25 each way to 2 Medicine and $50 each way to get to St. Mary's. I only used the shuttle 1 day to 2 Medicine since my last day I went on a shuttle bus tour of the park. 8. The mattress was comfortable to help ensure a good night's sleep. 9. There is a breakfast bar/cafe that served egg/sausage sandwiches, coffee, juice, etc. that provided a less expensive food option at breakfast time. ||The cons: 1. The room was dated and in need of upgrading. The shower was small and the hardwood floors creaked loudly wherever I walked. 2. The rooms were not well insulated and I could hear people in the hall or above me since I had a room on the bottom floor. 3. The room did not have a microwave, refrigerator, TV, coffee maker or iron. 4. No coffee maker meant I had to spend $3.50 for a 12 ounce coffee every morning or afternoon. 5. Wifi seemed inconsistent at times. ||The small town of East Glacier Park does have a convenience store down the street from the train station, so this was convenient. Also, there was a pizza/sandwich restaurant and Mexican restaurant where the meals are less expensive, so I ate there 1 night. Overall, I had a good visit and would probably stay here again, but if I ever visit again, I would want a car because without a car, your touring options are much more limited and you won't be able to see more of the park. I was advised by the shuttle driver that the car rental businesses in East Glacier Park went out of business during or after the...