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In the shadow of Glacier National Park, you’ll find the resort town of Whitefish. Although it’s best known for its ski slopes, here’s why I prefer to visit Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer.
Located atop the Big Mountain just outside the northwestern Montana town of Whitefish, Whitefish Mountain Resort has been welcoming skiers for more than 70 years. The resort has hosted several US Alpine Championships over the years. Tommy Moe, an American Olympic gold and silver medalist, learned to ski on Whitefish Mountain. But if you prefer the mountains in the summer, when the trails are surrounded by wildflowers and woodland creatures (instead of snow-packed and filled with skiers), then don’t miss the Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer.
Sage Advice: If you’re looking for more things to do in Montana for families, here is a long list of additional recommendations from the Wanderlust Crew.
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Ride the Ridge
Although the ski runs are green with lush mountain grass, instead of white with packed powder, the chairlift and gondola still run at Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer. Enjoy the bird’s eye view from the Whitefish ski lift, or kick things up a notch by taking the gondola all the way to the summit.
Sage Advice: Enjoy the amazing view a little longer by grabbing a drink or enjoying a bite at the Summit House, Montana’s only mountaintop restaurant and bar.
“Trek” the Trails
While the chairlift and gondola rides are offered as round trips, you can also complete your tour via mountain bike. Once the snow melts, the Whitefish ski lift and gondolas are fitted with special bicycle racks. This makes it a snap for riders to tote their Treks to the top of Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer. Wind your way along 30 miles of trails as you make your way down the mountain on two wheels. Don’t have a bike with you? No problem! Village Rentals can hook you up with a bike, helmet, and pads in two hour, four hour, and all day increments.
Sage Advice: Younger cyclists between the ages of two to six who are under 44 in (112 cm) tall can ride the trails in the Strider Bike Park near the chairlift.
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Make Like a Mountain Goat
If you prefer to explore at a more leisurely pace, then you might enjoy hiking Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer. In addition to tall evergreens, clear ponds of melted snow, and native wildflowers, keep an eye out for deer, elk, and other critters.
Sage Advice: Here are biking, hiking, and mixed-use trail maps to help you enjoy Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer.
Related Article: Tips to Avoid (and Survive) a Bear Encounter
Climb Like a Chimp
Build upper body strength and connect with your inner ape by tackling the Aerial Adventure Park. With a full body harness to support you, climb rope ladders, swing from tree to tree, cross cable bridges, and tackle more than 50 other obstacles in this treetop course.
Sage Advice: Adventure seekers under the age of seven can climb the webbed tower of Spider Monkey Mountain and race down the giant slide.
Soar Like an Eagle
While you’ll see several zip line venues in the area surrounding Glacier National Park, Whitefish Mountain Resort boasts the longest zip line tour in the entire state. Snap yourself to the zip line and soar like an eagle above the trees with beautiful mountain passes and ski trails under your feet. The six zip line experiences total more than a mile of “flying” with the longest run of 1,900 feet (580 meters) and a highest run of 300 feet (91 meters).
Sage Advice: If you’re visiting Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer, here are ten reasons why you won’t want to miss Glacier National Park.
If you plan on riding the zip line at Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer, keep these important tips in mind:
- If you’re traveling to Whitefish Mountain with smaller children or larger adults, you’ll want to be mindful of the weight restrictions. Riders must weigh at least 60 pounds (27 kilos) and more than 230 pounds (104 kilos).
- Riding all six zip lines takes two and a half to three hours and requires some moderate hiking between stations. Closed-toe shoes (like tennis shoes or hiking boots) are required. You’ll also want to be appropriately dressed for the weather conditions as tours take place rain or shine.
Slide Like It’s Snowing
If strapping yourself to a wire cable and gliding 300 feet over a mountain is a little too much of an adrenaline rush for you, then take it down a notch by riding the alpine slide or going summer tubing.
Sage Advice: If you are planning a trip to Whitefish and haven’t booked a hotel, check out the top rated hotel on Trip Advisor. This beautifully restored 1920s inn in Downtown Whitefish includes a three-course breakfast.
Alpine Slide
At the top of chairlift #6, a row of bright yellow alpine sleds waits to deliver you to the bottom of the mountain bobsled-style via gravity and a handbrake. Ride the twisting one-third mile track around the turns, under bridges, and through tunnels. And don’t forget to smile for the camera as you approach the finish line.
Check out the video below to see what it takes to get the alpine slide ready for summer fun at the Whitefish Mountain Resort!
Summer Tubing
For folks who love sledding but hate the cold (and often wet) experience that goes with snow (like me), you’ve got to check out summer tubing. Unveiled as something new to do at Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer of 2018, grab a snow tube and ride the “magic carpet” lift to the top of the summer tubing hill. Then slide down the slippery surface in shorts and a t-shirt without shivering or schlepping through the snow.
Sage Advice: Enjoy the most iconic experiences in Big Sky Country by working your way through this free Montana bucket list.
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Eat All the Huckleberries You Can "Bear"
In addition to its majestic mountains and big skies, Montana is home to everything huckleberry. While bears eat these delicious, dark-colored, round berries by the clawful straight from the bush, you can try them in everything from:
- pie to ice cream,
- licorice to liquor, and
- honey to hot sauce.
You can even find huckleberry soap, lotion, and air freshener!
Unlike blueberries, huckleberries can’t be cultivated. So they are sought out along mountain slopes and around lake basins between 2,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level. If you visit Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer, huckleberries are usually at their peak in August, and you can find tips on where to find them via the Huck Report.
Related Article: Fun Facts About Huckleberries
To Visit the Whitefish Mountain Resort in the Summer
Where is Whitefish Mountain Resort?
When can visitors enjoy summer activities at Whitefish Mountain Resort?
Summer activities at Whitefish Mountain Resort take place daily from mid June through Labor Day. For the rest of September, Whitefish Mountain Resort is open on the weekends, Friday through Sunday, weather permitting. Be sure to check the Whitefish Mountain Resort website for the latest information.
How much do the summer activities at Whitefish Mountain Resort cost?
For the latest information on tickets and passes, visit the Whitefish Mountain Resort website.
Have You Visited Whitefish Mountain Resort in the Summer?
Have you visited the Whitefish Mountain Resort in the summer? What activities did you enjoy most? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Looking for more information to plan your Montana vacation? Check out my free Montana travel guide to help you plan your trip to Montana including the best time to visit Montana, what to see and do in Montana, the best places to stay in Montana, where to eat in Montana, and more!
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Thank you for sharing!
All of these activities look so fun! If this is what it is like once the snow melts, then count me in. I especially love zip lining!!
It’s hard to imagine a place with more spectacular mountain scenery than the zip lines on Whitefish Mountain!
Wow so many fun things to do here! Bored is not one adjective to describe it!
I am not a fan of snow so these tips are more my speed. You have definitely made me want to visit Whitefish!
We are travelers with the same sentiment about the cold. I LOVE Montana in the summer. Winter? Not so much…
I’ve never heard of Whitefish Mountain before, but seems like it’s packed of awesome activities. Never tried mountain biking as on the pic, but would probably go for it!
It’s definitely a smaller mountain in a part of the country full of mountains, but it’s a great one! Knowing how active you are and how much you love adventure, mountain biking down the side of Whitefish Mountain is TOTALLY for you!
I have not been on an alpine slide since I was a kid. I remember at that time, in a different resort, they let people go on shortly after one another, which led to me being stuck behind a scared kid who went downhill as slow as she could get. Maybe I should do it again.
Oh, wow! That would have been an experience! Rider are spaced out nicely at Whitefish Mountain Resort. And it is SO much fun for all ages. We road it again and again!
Glacier National Park is probably my most favorite place in the entire world!
I know, right? Tied for me with Yellowstone. I love that we get to alternate between the two in our annual pilgrimage to Montana to visit family. It’s such a beautiful state!
Looks like lots of fun activities. That bike rack attached to the ski lift is sure easier than having to hold your bike and jump off with it.