Do I need a park pass? No. The cruise reservation doubles as free entry into Glacier National Park for that day, so long as you enter before the 4pm cruise time (you can depart the park anytime after entering, but you don't get re-entry). We suggest you take advantage of this park pass considering how tricky it can be to snag a car reservation! Kia and Jason will be in touch a few days before the cruise with all of the reservation information you'll need. Are kids allowed? Yes! If you've been invited on the boat and have children, we have accounted for them in the overall tally. What's the attire? Come as you are! Whether you're wearing hiking gear or a dress, we don't care. Have fun in the park. What else do I need to know? The park can get COLD and the top part of the boat is open to the elements. Pack a jacket just in case! The drive from the West Glacier entrance to Lake McDonald Lodge where the boat departs, is about 25 minutes. However, we suggest you carve out at least 45 minutes in case of road construction hang ups, wildlife encounters and tourists being idiots. Hike suggestions at the West Glacier entrance: Apgar Lookout (difficulty: hard) Siyeh Pass: (difficulty: hard) Snyder Lake (difficulty: medium) Highline trail: (difficulty: medium) Avalanche Lake: (difficulty: easy) (Note: this one is VERY popular) McDonald Creek: (difficulty: easy)
Yes! There is limited parking at the venue and securing one of the very few Ubers or Lyfts in the Flathead Valley is borderline impossible, so please take advantage of this transportation set up. We have two buses that will depart Depot Park in downtown Whitefish at 3:20pm sharp. The buses will make a second stop at the Cedar Creek Lodge in Columbia Falls, departing that location at 3:40pm sharp. Here is a link to a map showing both locations: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=15PnRamrp7gNROD41Ur1nnmkN6uiRpBU&usp=sharing Depot Park address: 510 Railway Street Whitefish, MT 59937 (buses will park near Spokane Street) Cedar Creek Lodge address: 930 2nd Ave W Columbia Falls, MT 59912 The buses will arrive at the venue at 10pm to transport guests back along the same route!
Roughly 150 feet from the pavilion where the wedding will take place is a building called the Bear Den, which has a large open space with a TV and a kitchen. This is where the kiddos will stay for the duration of the wedding, but parents can obviously feel free to go check on them at any point! As of June 20, we have one qualified babysitter secured from 4pm to 10pm on June 29 that will watch the kids whose parents have confirmed they want services (3 total). We will add more babysitters if needed, based on total kid count. Entertainment and dinner will be provided to the kids (please let us know if there are any allergies). We will cover the base rate for each babysitter, but parents will need to provide the additional fee per kid which we anticipate will $40 to $50. As for transportation, kids are welcome on the buses that will take guests to and from the venue the night of the wedding. The buses will arrive at the venue approximately 30 minutes before the ceremony, at which point parents can check their kids in.
For our out-of-staters please note: June in Montana is relatively unpredictable! It may be 80 and sunny, 60 and raining, or there may even be snow (fingers crossed for 80 and sunny). Be sure to check the weather before packing. For the Lake McDonald cruise and the welcome happy hour, please wear whatever you wish. These are casual events and we encourage you to wear outfits you love. For the main event, please wear summer formalwear. The theme is camp disco and our color palette runs the gamut: yellow, orange, lavender, pink. Please note that there is grass all around the pavilion, aka, BLOCK HEELS are best ladies!
We are keeping in mind a number of food sensitivities for the wedding menu. Our caterer is known for their gluten free dishes, several of which will be served at dinner. For our lactose intolerant friends, we will keep sauces and other dairy components on the side of main dishes so guests may add those if they wish.