Category: StepsAway Properties

We all know 2020 has been a strange year, so far.  Why should the vacation season be any different?  Well, Montana and Glacier National Park are still here and as beautiful as ever.  Our cabins are being readied for guests from across the country.  Maybe a vacation rental at the entrance to GNP is just what the family needs!  (Did you know that over 90% of visitors to Glacier are “self-driving Americans?”)

Spring Cleanup

We spent the past couple of weekends doing our spring cleaning in West Glacier.  Winter brings down leaves, branches and an unfathomable number of pine needles – most of which land in our gutters!  We had a good fall cleanup, so this spring has not required as much work as some past springs, but there are many hours invested to keep our properties in great condition.  We rake, clean the gutters, put away the winter heating tape and even sweep the roof of the Big Cabin.

Quarantines?

I think our professional property management firm summed it up for us

We understand this is a strange time for all of our communities due to the impact of the Corona Virus. Thankfully, Montana is a wonderfully beautiful place with wide open spaces and great properties to stay at. 

However, as of May 16th, Governor Bolluck still requires a 14-day quarantine for people planning to vacation in Montana. We would be surprised if the travel restrictions were still in effect this summer. But if so, we can set up an initial grocery delivery for you and have everything at the property when you arrive.  

Cleanliness and safety in our homes are always our number one priority and we want to assure you that we have expanded our already strict cleaning protocols. While we always strive to maintain the highest standards when it comes to cleaning and maintaining our homes, we’re taking it even further by outsourcing the provision and processing of sheets and towels through a commercial linen service. This will ensure the highest levels of sanitation. 

We are convinced we made the right decision on property managers and professional cleaners.  At a time like this, we are very thankful for their hard work in making our guests as comfortable as possible, and keeping them safe. But, making initial grocery deliveries is going above and beyond!  Thank you!!!

With the efforts being made to prepare our properties, to provide safe, clean environments, and to assist with the logistics of these incredible times, we would like to invite you to load up the “Family Truckster” Vacation-style and head to Glacier National Park (“Getting there is half the fun!“).  We all deserve a vacation! (And did I mention the view?). We hope to see you this summer!

Montana received its first major snowstorm during the last weekend of September. Most of the snow fell on the east side of the Glacier National Park, while we got hit with high winds and a dusting of snow. It might be a little early for this, but for us, it just means our favorite time of the year has started! Glacier National Park’s high season ends around mid- to late September. After the crowds leave is the perfect time to enjoy the peacefulness of this beautiful country.

I stepped outside this morning just as it was starting to get light and heard the elk bugling. The air was wintry crisp, still and cold. The photo was taken from inside StepsAway 121 – our newest cabin in West Glacier. We haven’t formally opened it to visitors yet, but is scheduled for next spring. Our other two cabins are available to those who would like to experience GNP at its quietest!

We supply a Cabin Guest Journal in both StepsAway cabins (StepsAway 254 and StepsAway 244) for our guests to make entries, telling us and future guests about their stay.  The pages provide space for the obvious – Date, Weather, Guest Names and then a few prompts for What We Did, Who I Met, Favorite Moments, and Notes.

We weren’t certain our guests would “play along”.  “Maybe it’s too hokey,” we thought.

Now that the first summer is winding down, we grabbed photos of the entries.  We were so delighted to learn that not only are our guests willing to “play along”, but that they are also excellent journal keepers – children and parents alike!  We expected them to write about their adventures in the Park, but were surprised how many understood and appreciated the cabins themselves.  We certainly were not prepared for the humor and intimacy shared in their stories.  We have absolutely loved reading these entries.

We were stunned to learn that a last minute reservation was made by a couple from the East Coast that had come out to Montana to meet their newly adopted 2-week old daughter!  The first nights they spent with her were in our cabin.  That’s a goose bump moment…

We also learned of one lucky teenager who survived his close encounter with bears of the Grizzly-kind while hiking in the Park.

Below are some of the selections delivered anonymously.  We hope you enjoy them, too!

What we did:

• Hiked in Glacier National Park -Trail of Cedars, Avalanche Lake, Hidden Lake Overlook (It was snowy on the trail)
• Had Lunch at Many Glacier Lodge
• Red Bus tour day 1 (recommend, gives great overview)
• Hiked everyday
  • Fish Lake is under-rated (really nice)
  • Avalanche (Lake) is nice (try swimming in lake –COLD)
  • High Line is harder than advertised (not for those who don’t like heights)
  • Hidden Lake has lots of wildlife @ the end
• We went to St. Marys
• We went hiking and saw lots of animals
• We went to the lakes and lodges for lunch
• We went to the farmers market and got the best huckleberry pie EVER
• And the funnest games with cards
• Red bus
• Loop drive to Two Medicine
• Avalanche Creek hike
• Boat rides – Glacier is more crowded but a grand place
• Hiked… a lot!
• We loved fishing at Avalanche Lake – caught quite a few trout.
• Swam in McDonald Creek…briefly
• Hidden Lake our 1^stday, saw a lot of mountain goats
• Did the Highline Trail (don’t be afraid of heights 🙂)
• Grinnell Glacier
• Last day swam in Lake McDonald – Fires closed “Going to the Sun Road”
• We bonded as a new family with our adopted daughter from Montana! We celebrated her 2-week birthday while here!
• We explored the park (Polebridge, Apgar and a few creek drives).
• We took a long walk from the cabin to Belton Bridge and back.

Who I met:

• Saw two black bears (from a safe distance 🙂), Chipmunks, Mountain Goats
• Bear, Moose Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Marmots, Chipmunks, and Lots of Squirrels
• We saw Marmots, Grizzly Bears, Big Horned (sic) Sheep, birds and ground squirrels
• 2 bears, mountain goat & baby, saw bighorn sheep – 1 @ Grinnell & 1 on a cliff at Logan Pass, moose, deer, … on & on!
• Son came within 15 feet of a mother Grizzly Bear & her two cubs. She looked @ him and didn’t care less – 😯, Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Goats

• We met many wonderful people along the way. We didn’t see any wildlife.

Favorite Moments/Special Highlights:

• Hiking & enjoying the beautiful nature Glacier has to offer.
• Red Bus Crown of the Continent Tour, Fish Lake
• Taking photos on hikes, seeing bears with binoculars, and playing card games
• The cabin was a lucky find (at the last minute – Glacier time). Sparkling new and with location, location and location! As good as staying in the park but will all the modern amenities.
• Grinnell Glacier hike on the east side was our favorite hike. We meant to grill out while here, but were so tired @ the end of the days, slept very well.
• Spending time with my kids & seeing their joy @ experiencing the beauty of GNP.
• Son’s face when he saw the “Griz”
• A favorite moment was family pictures at Apgar Village and the long bumpy walk to Belton Bridge. The water was so blue and the scenery was spectacular!  We will be sure to return with our daughter when she gets older. We loved it here!

And Notes (maintenance/repairs/projects/ or fun:

• We were told to wash the dishes but there was no dishwasher in the kitchen, so we washed them by hand. We washed the sheets and pillow cases.  We cleaned your kitchen and bathroom.  The clock fell off the wall, but it still works.  Overall, the place was super cute and fun, and we hope to come back here again next year if we come back.  ☆☆☆☆☆  5 stars.
• We loved the location. We loved the house. We thought we’d be missing out not staying in the park… this was way better. Just perfect for us 3. Quiet location & easy stroll to the stores/restaurants in W. Glacier.  We’d definitely return.
• The house was super clean & comfy. Very great use of space. We were grateful for a washer & dryer.
• We were here to have fun. My 1^stvacation with my children in 10 years!
• We loved everything about your place. Location is about the best you could ask for. We will be back!!
• We had laundry to do with a newborn and we enjoyed BBQ dinners out back!
• The cabin is wonderful! We felt right at home and very comfortable! This was an AMAZING place to stay!  Thank you!

To all of our guests so far, Thank You!  Our cabins are becoming more special to us with each and every memory you make in them!

We knew we wanted a cabin near Glacier NationalPark, but I don’t think either of us realized just how much fun this was going to be.  After we acquired our cabin, StepsAway 254 – named for the fact that it literally is only “steps away” from the entrance to Glacier National Park and the village of West Glacier, we began the process of making it “ours”.

This meant acquiring furniture, decorations, kitchenware, … well everything.  We might have underestimated what was involved, but it’s been a great learning experience.  The cabin was remodeled in a Craftsman-style, which made it a little easier to select the furniture.  One can see in this living room picture, we tried to reflect that style in the day bed, end tables, coffee table, and recliner.  Then we added appropriate lamps, rugs and wall hangings.

The decorating is where we were able to add some personalization.  It’s not real clear, but the print of the grizzly bear behind the recliner is by a local West Glacier artist who also happens to be our neighbor!  It belongs in this living room!

The focal point of the room has to be the gorgeous, vintage poster of St. Mary’s Lake hanging behind the sleeper sofa.  We discovered this gem while shooting the breeze with Cowboy Ron at his antique store Cowboy Cabin in Whitefish.  (Ron is an exceptional conversationalist.)  We had it framed in a local shop in Columbia Falls, where apparently it initiated some lively debate about just who photographed this and when – 1960’s? – 1970’s?  Regardless, we knew it was going to be a permanent resident of StepsAway 254. It’s nearly the size of the two picture windows!

We followed this theme throughout the cabin.  Adding a rightly-sized dining room table, perfect not only for meals, but also evening puzzles. An attractive, but not overpowering rug, helps to partition the dining room while protecting those beautiful wood floors. This is the location from which the photos in Seasons Through a Cabin Window were taken.

The bedroom was easy.  We found a craftsman style king bed platform (Amazon has everything!) and some more “local art” from a Kalispell thrift store!

We want our cabin to be personalized, but we also wanted our guests to feel as if it was also “theirs” during their stay.  So you won’t find any pictures of our children or any family keepsakes. Our guests are free to make their own memories here.  And to share those memories, we were inspired by the writing desks that appear throughout the Park’s Lake McDonald Lodge.  Hopefully, our guests will spend a few moments writing about their adventures in the cabin’s guest book in between penning numerous postcards to friends and family at the writing desk.