Glacier National Park and Canada's neighboring Waterton Lakes National Park boast several historic and grand lodges including Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier Park Lodge, and Prince of Wales Hotel. However, it is Many Glacier Hotel that visitors generally consider the park's signature lodge. Overlooking scenic Swiftcurrent Lake and flanked by snowcapped mountains, Many

Glacier National Park and Canada's neighboring Waterton Lakes National Park boast several historic and grand lodges including Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier Park Lodge, and Prince of Wales Hotel. However, it is Many Glacier Hotel that visitors generally consider the park's signature lodge. Overlooking scenic Swiftcurrent Lake and flanked by snowcapped mountains, Many Glacier Hotel enjoys one of the most spectacular settings of any lodge in the national park system.

The Northern Pacific Railroad constructed the main section of this classic lodge in 1914-15 as part of the firm's effort to encourage train travel to the West. Construction crews erected a sawmill and kiln near the site to process timber used in building the hotel. An adjacent annex to the south was added two years later. The two large Swiss-themed buildings—the main hotel and the equally imposing annex—are connected by an enclosed breezeway that, when viewed from a distance, gives the structure the appearance of a single building. A huge fireplace topped by a copper conical vent suspended by ceiling cables highlights the hotel's three-story lobby, where guests gather during afternoons and evenings to read, visit, or just gaze at the fire.

The hotel—the park's largest—offers a total of 214 rooms that vary by size, bedding, view, and price. Some rooms are small, offer no particularly good views, and can require climbing and descending two flights of stairs. Other rooms are quite large, offer mountain views, and can accommodate up to five persons. Some rooms enjoy balconies, while others do not. The most desirable rooms (other than two more expensive suites) are on the lakeside and offer lake and mountain views. Although many first-time guests request a room in the main building, lakeside rooms in the annex are actually larger, quieter, and generally more desirable. The downside to staying in the annex is the hotel's only elevator is in the main building.

The hotel's attractive dining room, with large windows offering good views of Swiftcurrent Lake, serves a buffet breakfast, while lunch and dinner are each ordered from a menu. One lounge immediately outside the restaurant and a second lounge just down the hallway serve soups, sandwiches, snacks, and spirits. A casual Italian-themed restaurant at nearby Swift Current Motor Inn serves less expensive fare including pizzas and pasta dishes.

People generally visit Many Glacier Hotel to vacation amidst the park's spectacular mountains. Guests who desire more than just the views can choose from a variety of activities including hiking, horseback riding, fishing, naturalist programs, and narrated boat tours of Swiftcurrent Lake. Although the hotel provides a good base from which to explore Glacier, the park is so large that most travelers should consider spending several nights in one or more of the park's other lodges that include Village Inn and Apgar Village Lodge near the west entrance, Rising Sun Motor Inn and Lake McDonald Lodge on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Prince of Wales Hotel in Canada's neighboring Waterton Lakes National Park, and Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier.

David L. Scott and Kay W. Scott are the authors of The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges. For more information about national-park lodges, visit their website.