Lodge accommodation, Montana

Glacier National Park and its western boundary, the North Fork of the Wild and Scenic Flathead River, is one of the most unspoiled, pristine destinations in the United States. It is home to herds of elk, packs of wolves, free-roaming bears and moose, bald eagles, lynx, marmots and other species rarely found outside this area of the northern Rocky Mountains. We host annual spring road clean ups and Hunter serves on the district’s volunteer fire department, which provides fire, EMT, wilderness rescue, MVA and wilderness safety training for the area. We partner with various outfitters to provide guests with non-motorized recreational equipment, such as kayaks, bikes, and snowshoes.

We serve organic food, educate our guests on green living, chemical-free alternatives, green recreation, and environmental awareness. We purchase guest soaps from a local organic soapmaker. The inn is heated solely with wood we harvest ourselves from dead stand on our property and burned stand in the Flathead National Forest, and the passive solar heat collected by a 350 square foot solarium. In summer we collect cool night air then close the house during the heat of the day. Our deep concrete foundation is covered in ceramic tile on the first floor that helps keeps the house 20-30 degrees cooler than outside.

We retrofitted all bathrooms with low volume toilets and installed low-wattage full spectrum light bulbs on reostats to keep night lighting at a minimum. We recycle plastics, cans and paper at a local facility. All vegetable waste goes into compost or is fed to birds and wildlife. We maintain three large gardens of organic vegetables, berries, herbs and cut flowers for guest rooms and tables. We purchase organic food in bulk from a variety of local purveyors: spices, grains, flours, nuts and dried fruits, which we store in reusable glass jars.

We use eco-friendly paper products and make most of our housekeeping supplies ourselves using non-toxic ingredients. Our water supply is completely pristine and delicious, tested annually. We use no pesticides, herbicides or chemicals of any kind anywhere inside or out. We encourage our guests to restrict their recreation to “people powered” alternatives: hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, snowshoeing and skiing and discourage heli-touring and motor boating due to the negative impact on wildlife.

Last year Glacier Park began a free tour bus service that we highly recommend. We also maintain a spring fed pond and wild bird habitat and encourage guests to bird watch in our enclosed, elevated bird watching platform. We even recycle dryer lint for birds to build their nests and grind eggshells for calcium. When we first opened our inn on the edge of Glacier National Park in northwest Montana, we hoped to entice guests who wanted a true wilderness experience: fit folks who wanted to hike, whitewater raft and bicycle their way on backcountry expeditions in one of the last pristine places on our planet; guests with whom we could share our wilderness knowledge and experience and steer them toward the best venues for achieving their vacation goals. It was a given that we would serve organic whole foods because that’s all we’ve eaten for the past ten years. The house we found and turned into a B&B already had flourishing organic vegetable, herd and flower gardens. It seemed like karma in all its glory.

Since we opened, we’ve gone beyond organic gardening into a creating a completely pesticide, herbicide and chemical-free zone on our six acres in the Flathead National Forest. We use no chemicals of any kind on our bodies, in our food, or on our property, and our deep water well is as pristine as water gets. We engage in over twenty types of sustainable, eco-friendly practices, such as recycling, composting, etc. But karma sometimes throws you a fastball. While we do host a number of bikers, cross country skiers and kayakers, most of the people who travel all the way out here come primed to soak up information about going green in their own lives. We have been surprised and pleased to discover there are so many people willing to make small changes that make a huge difference.

This past fall the governor of Montana presented us with an EcoStar award for our pollution prevention and green business practices. While certainly appreciated, this recognition pales in comparison to the joy we have experienced meeting and hosting people from all over the world who want to do their small part for our beleaguered planet. We serve them an organic breakfast overlooking the Rockies, send them on the adventure of a lifetime, and spend the twilight hours in our spruce forest talking with them about navigating The Green Transition. We cannot imagine a more outrageously cool way to spread the word. Long before living green became popular, our motto was “Live Simply, Tread Lightly.” We are proud of our status as the only eco-lodging accommodation in the Glacier area.