Although I had never heard of Whitefish until embarking on the Goldilocks Project, I was recently told to think of Whitefish as a “mini Jackson, WY.” Upon hearing that, I was less interested, since post-Jackson I declared that resort towns were going to be off the list, but I was still willing to give it a few days time, if for nothing else than for project completeness.
Maybe it was just that we were there in the least touristy time of year, but Whitefish felt very residential to me, and the costs of homes and shopping costs were not unreasonable. I expect that within the decade Whitefish will become outrageous but was surprised it hasn’t yet. It’s between two large lakes (Whitefish Lake and Flathead Lake, downtown is 8 miles away from the ski area, and Glacier National Park is less than 45 minutes away. Despite feeling remote, there is an international airport with approximately a dozen cities (including Seattle) that are directly serviced, and the larger city of Kalispell is within a half-hour drive.
That said, I don’t think you need to visit Kalispell on a regular basis, and it’s not like Kalispell is a huge metropolis (it’s only a population of 26,000). Whitefish has everything we’d need for day-to-day living: gas stations, grocery stores, and cultural/entertainment-type events. There’s also a good ice cream shop (Sweet Peaks – the same shop we ate at in Missoula), multiple bakeries (I really enjoyed Fleur), and tons of restaurants (we ate at Blackstar, which was not my favorite but I also think I ordered the wrong meal for my mood).
The Good
- Felt like a friendly, happy, and tight-knit community. We were there for Halloween and got to watch all of the families trick-or-treat at the downtown businesses.
- Really well located for all of the things we like to do. I especially like the proximity to Glacier National Park, but that's just a bonus to the neighboring lake and ski area.
The Bad
- Likely excessively touristy in the summer and winter months. It was clear that many of the businesses were set up to handle huge amounts of customers, which makes me think it’s pretty difficult to avoid crowds most of the year.
- Per the employee at Stumptown Snowboards, winter stays pretty drab and gray. It keeps the snow fresh, but definitely is not great for someone like me who suffers from SAD (seasonal affect disorder).
- Food was mediocre. In another setting it would have been good, but it felt like it was catering large touristy crowds rather than focusing on top-notch dining.
The Verdict
This whole section of Montana is full of larches – the "evergreen" trees that turn yellow in the fall.
Glacier National Park is only 45 minutes from Whitefish. Unfortunately, the Going to the Sun Road, the main scenic route, was closed, so the hike we chose was not the most stunning, but still beautiful.
It was hard to gauge what type of community activities go on around town. We were there for Halloween, and there was a lot of holiday focus, but I didn't see any indication that there were other things that happen on a regular basis.
It was unclear if any neighborhoods were opening up to trick-or-treaters, but downtown sure was popping with then!
We had dinner at Blackstar, which was fine, but it was clearly laid out to serve large post-skiing crowds.
The permanent sidewalk art around town was really cute!
The buildings around downtown had the same boxy style that I've been associating with the northern ranching states.
Fleur was the tastiest bakery we've ate at in a while, and based on the conversations we overheard it did seem to cater to locals more than other eateries in town.
Although thought of as a skiing destination, Whitefish Lake is beautiful and likely brings in its own fair share of summer tourism.
Although hard to read, these were a hoot to read, but also a bit of a turnoff. Not only did it emphasize that Whitefish survives on tourism, but it seemed to imply that it's almost impossible to live in town unless you work 3+ jobs.
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