Winter Wonderland Roadside Attractions
December 1, 2016 7:04 PM Subscribe
I need the hive mind's help. Winter holiday ski road trip is happening! We'll be going from Lander, WY to Sun Valley, ID, through Missoula, MT to Lake Louise, Alberta to Revelstoke, BC to Whistler. I am looking for good places to eat, cheap places to sleep, and most importantly interesting things to see or do!
This could be as simple as a quick place to stop to stretch legs and take an amazing picture to activities to pass the time if the skiing isn't as good as hoped. (We've already got Radium Hot Springs marked!)
Very small budget. Equipped for winter weather, but we're not carrying snowshoes with us.
Thanks!
This could be as simple as a quick place to stop to stretch legs and take an amazing picture to activities to pass the time if the skiing isn't as good as hoped. (We've already got Radium Hot Springs marked!)
Very small budget. Equipped for winter weather, but we're not carrying snowshoes with us.
Thanks!
Best answer: Ski Kicking Horse in Golden. On the other hand, it is a very long way from Revelstoke to Whistler, so I'd scratch Whistler unless you really need to go to Vancouver. If this were me, I'd even skip Lake Louise and drive up through Whitefish (and ski there if desired), ski Fernie, then optionally Kimberley or Panorama, Golden, and Revy. Or you can do this and make a trip to Lake Louise on the way north to Golden. Nelson is also a great option, but it definitely isn't on the way between Revelstoke and Whistler (but it would be a good option if you want to circle south from Revelstoke instead of heading to the coast).
La Baguette is a good bakery in Revy, Eleven22 is the best restaurant in Golden, The Old Bauernhaus is the best restaurant in Kimberley. The sushi place in Whitefish is surprisingly good and the Great Northern is a fun Montana bar. Pretty much all these towns have a brewery now, if that's your bag.
Lussier Hot Springs (a bit south of Radium and a little ways up a dirt road) are a good option if you want a more authentic, rustic mountain experience. There are nice hot springs between Revy and Nelson as well. If you like ice skating, there are a bunch of lakes between Cranbook/Kimberley and Invermere which may well be clear if you are lucky, and the lake in Invermere has a ploughed skating route.
posted by ssg at 10:32 PM on December 1, 2016
La Baguette is a good bakery in Revy, Eleven22 is the best restaurant in Golden, The Old Bauernhaus is the best restaurant in Kimberley. The sushi place in Whitefish is surprisingly good and the Great Northern is a fun Montana bar. Pretty much all these towns have a brewery now, if that's your bag.
Lussier Hot Springs (a bit south of Radium and a little ways up a dirt road) are a good option if you want a more authentic, rustic mountain experience. There are nice hot springs between Revy and Nelson as well. If you like ice skating, there are a bunch of lakes between Cranbook/Kimberley and Invermere which may well be clear if you are lucky, and the lake in Invermere has a ploughed skating route.
posted by ssg at 10:32 PM on December 1, 2016
Ahhh nevermind, skip Nelson, for some reason I forgot that revy/ lake louise have a highway between then and thought you needed to drop down to route 3.
posted by larthegreat at 4:32 AM on December 2, 2016
posted by larthegreat at 4:32 AM on December 2, 2016
Best answer: The SO who is from Missoula says that you must try Caffe Dolce and Biga Pizza. Great Harvest has awesome breads, and I'm personally an undying fan of the banana bread from The Good Food Store (local version of Whole Foods).
posted by serelliya at 7:54 PM on December 2, 2016
posted by serelliya at 7:54 PM on December 2, 2016
So it looks like you would be coming into Missoula from the Bitterroot. Lost Trail Hot Springs is worth a soak. If you are traveling Monday to Thursday call ahead - they sorta aren't open but for $20 they will open for your party. Naps Burgers in Hamilton is good. Be aware when ordering of the size of your burger - the special sometimes equals a burger the size of your head.
You should definitely spend a night in Missoula - it's a fun party town with a small but great downtown restaurant, bar, music and brewery/distillery scene. There are some cheap but OK hotels on East Broadway (around the Press Box restaurant) Missoula also has Uber.
Bypass Kalispell and Whitefish for cheap lodging unless you stay at the Kalispell Hotel (bring earplugs because it is on Main street) or the Downtowner Motel in Whitefish.
Bonus tip: I use this same user name on TripAdvisor you can see my opinions there for Missoula, Kalispell and the Bitterroot. Memail me for tips if you want more specific stuff or plan to stay in Missoula.
posted by ITravelMontana at 6:47 PM on December 8, 2016
You should definitely spend a night in Missoula - it's a fun party town with a small but great downtown restaurant, bar, music and brewery/distillery scene. There are some cheap but OK hotels on East Broadway (around the Press Box restaurant) Missoula also has Uber.
Bypass Kalispell and Whitefish for cheap lodging unless you stay at the Kalispell Hotel (bring earplugs because it is on Main street) or the Downtowner Motel in Whitefish.
Bonus tip: I use this same user name on TripAdvisor you can see my opinions there for Missoula, Kalispell and the Bitterroot. Memail me for tips if you want more specific stuff or plan to stay in Missoula.
posted by ITravelMontana at 6:47 PM on December 8, 2016
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You'll be passing through Nelson and the arrow lakes, swing by whitewater for amazing food and pow!
The skiing will be awesome along the"powder highway", I regularly ski-road trip in the area, so memail me for more tips.
posted by larthegreat at 7:11 PM on December 1, 2016