Top Stops on the Road from Spokane to Glacier National Park

We hit the road from Spokane around 7:30 a.m. and stopped in St. Regis and Missoula.

The ST. REGIS TRAVEL CENTER is a popular place to stop to stretch your legs! They have unique gifts, ice cream, EVERYTHING huckleberry, and a convenience store for food and snacks. Oh! And, they have lovely restrooms.

Missoula is very interesting. It’s a small town vibe. If you look at the map above, it really does have an M on the mountain. Mike said it was named after him, but in further research, it really stands for the following:

The giant “M” on Mount Sentinel stands for Montana and specifically represents the University of Montana, which sits right at the base of the mountain. It’s a huge point of pride for the city—the University actually owns the mountain, making it the only university in the U.S. to own its own mountain!

The Clark Fork River flows through Missoula. We stopped by FINN to eat.

The famous restaurant on the water that is also a hotel is FINN (formerly known as Finn & Porter), located inside the DoubleTree by Hilton – Missoula Edgewater.

🌊 Why it’s a must-stop:

The Deck: It has one of the best outdoor patios in the city. In the summer, you can enjoy a drink and watch people “float” down the river on tubes right past your table.
The View: You get a perfect vista of Mount Sentinel and the University of Montana.
The Food: They are known for fresh seafood, steaks, and a pretty great brunch.

If you’re staying at the hotel, you can walk right out the back door and jump onto the Riverfront Trail, a paved path that takes you through the parks and straight into downtown.

We sat outside on the patio, and it was hot! We watched someone fly fishing and a group of folks doing the polar plunge into the water! The food was great and the view spectacular!

We checked into our Airbnb, Glacier Riverside Lodge, 10 minutes to Glacier Park. The lodge is spacious and right on the water. I highly recommend. Be advised that you can’t get to the water from your backyard, which was a little disappointing. Views are great! The host communicated well.

As we approached Glacier National Park, the majestic mountains became more visible. At one point, while looking out the car window, we rounded a corner and gasped in awe as the mountains unveiled before us. We decided to stop at a lookout to take in the view.

Even though we were tired, we went out to a restaurant in Whitefish, which is a great place to stay if visiting Glacier National Park. It is more modern and offers plenty of options for shopping, dining, and entertainment if you want that at your fingertips. We loved Hungry Horse and the seclusion. We ate at Whitefish Lake Restaurant. The restaurant provides outdoor seating, casual indoor seating, and an upscale dining room. We all enjoyed our meal and appreciated the way it was served—waiting for us to finish our salad or soup before bringing out the main course. The relaxed atmosphere allowed us to sit and talk, which was exactly what we needed.