The Location
About the Venue
It would be an understatement to say that Glacier National Park is a special place for us. It’s not just the place where we got engaged, it’s the place where we got to know each other, spending weeks of precious time together since the summer of 2000. For Justin, Glacier has been a place to spend time with his dad and with his friends as he grew up (his family owns a cabin inside the park on Lake McDonald, the lake you can see on the weather page webcam image). For Kat, it’s been a place to escape to, where she can be free of the world to concentrate on what really matters.
Our wedding will and reception will take place in Polebridge, a tiny, historic town located just South of the Canadian border. The town is comprised of a cluster of small buildings, including the famous Polebridge mercantile and saloon, all powered by generator. Polebridge sits near the North Fork of the Flathead River at the edge of a large burn, which nearly destroyed the town in the early 1990s. It is an isolated and serene location with a uniquely Montanan atmosphere.
By inviting all of you, our friends an family, to join us in the park, we hope to share some of its significance. Even for the seasoned traveler, Glacier holds a different, unparalleled beauty.
The mountains of Glacier National Park make up the Continental Divide, which means that places in the park you can step across the line that separates where rivers flow into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Being on the Divide means that Glacier has a unique and varied topography– the mountains spring up virtually out of nowhere with some of the most unique terrain in the States. This makes hiking and climbing both challenging and extremely enjoyable.
Glacier is best known for the narrow and winding Going to the Sun Road, a feat of modern engineering completed in the 1930s, that twists its way up the Divide from the Park’s West entrance to Logan Pass at 6,646 feet. The drive up to the pass is breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly terrifying for anyone not used to driving on a road with sheer cliff walls leading up and down on either side. Buttressing Going to the Sun Road is the sheer Garden Wall, on which rests the mountains of the Divide (also climbable, if one is so inclined).
Logan Pass is the most visited and most often photographed place in Glacier, and not without good reason. From the pass, one can easily see (and reach) the summits of a good number of mountains. Plan to visit the Logan Pass visitor’s center and take a stroll down the 1.5 mile boardwalk that leads to beautiful Hidden Lake overlook and then to the lake itself. Sadly, most visitors don’t even bother leaving their cars when there’s far more to be enjoyed than meets the eye.
Driving father on Going to the Sun Road leads past Siyeh Bend (another excellent hiking opportunity) to Lake Saint Mary (another excellent photo spot). Eventually, ambitious drivers can make it to Many Glacier, where we originally hoped to have the wedding. Many Glacier is home to the historic Many Glacier Lodge on Swiftcurrent Lake.
Happily, there’s plenty to do in the park. If the weather is warm (and we hope it will be), Lake McDonald is great for swimming, canoing, trout fishing, and kayaking. The North Fork of the Flathead River is nearby, and offers excellent rafting. Of course, there is plenty of scenic driving, and over 700 miles of hiking and backcountry trails… everything from boardwalks and handicapped accessible nature trails to technical climbs on sheer rock faces!
Glacier is also a wonderful park for backpacking. There are countless beautiful areas that can be accessed ONLY on multi-day trips into untouched wilderness. For the less adventurous but similarly outdoors-inclined, there are many “civilized” campgrounds in the park. Finally, Glacier offers a number of historic mountain lodges, accessible on foot and by horseback, that can be interesting overnight destinations.
We have prepared a guide to Glacier National Park for anyone interested in hiking, backpacking, and climbing in Glacier while visiting Montana.
You may also acquaint yourself with Glacier National Park and the surrounding area by way of the following links:
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