Visit the Magnificent Bowman Lake and Polebridge Mercantile

For those eager to experience Glacier wilderness and to get away from the crowds, plus have an amazing pastry head to Polebridge Mercantile and Bowman Lake – Montana. This is one of our top things to do in Glacier National Park !



***PLEASE NOTE – Glacier National Park has started requiring a reservation and a ticket to travel the Going To The Sun Road. This will impact your trip. You can check out more details here:  https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gtsrticketedentry.htm



When you visit Glacier National Park you will want to add this to your Glacier itinerary ! If you need help planning your trip, check out our 1, 3, and 7 Day Glacier Guides that include fun stops like these:































Planning a trip to Glacier? We put together a series of digital guides that take the guesswork out of planning. Stop-by-stop itineraries for making the most of 1, 3 or 7 days in Glacier National Park including where to stay, where to eat, what hikes to take and the best driving routes.



We’ve even included links for you to book your stays and buy your park passes. Everything you need in one convenient digital guide. Just download and go!




GET YOUR GUIDE TO GLACIER








Getting Here



Getting here you will be going off the beaten path, down dirt roads and tight roads. But it is worth it! Also note cell service most likely won’t work. Be sure to download your GPS map on your phone BEFORE you start driving here.



Map going from West Glacier to Polebridge Mercantile to Polebridge Ranger Station (where you have to pay an entrance fee and depending on the time of year have a vehicle registration ticket .) to Bowman Lake – which is located in Glacier National Park.







Click here for an Interactive Map.



Map of road you take when you leave Polebridge to go to Bowman Lake. IT IS NOT THE SAME ROAD YOU CAME INTO POLEBRIDGE MERCANTILE ON. Sorry for the caps – but don’t want you to get lost!



Map from Mercantile to Polebridge Ranger Station:







Map from Polebridge Mercantile to Bowman Lake. You can see on the map the winding road and how it goes through a forest. This is a tight road – be ready for that!







Polebridge Mercantile



Polebridge Mercantile was the outpost for the first explores to Glacier National Park. The building has been around for over 100 years! The building is run on generators and gigantic solar panels and gives you that feeling like you are off the grid in a way that people hundreds of years ago lived.






At Polebridge Mercantile, they offer some of the best pastries we have tired. Of course with Huckleberry and without if you don’t like huckleberry. Plus fresh picked fruits and vegetables. And a selection of souvenirs. A visit to Polebridge Mt is not complete without a pastry!



We recommend getting a fresh baked Huckleberry bear claw or the cinnamon rolls. Really all of their baked goods are delicious! This tiny community of Polebridge, Montana is well worth the trip.



If you want grab a few things or bring your own packed lunch then get a pastry for desert and head to one of the outdoor picnic tables to enjoy a peaceful lunch.



The Polebridge Mercantile hours vary based on the season so be sure to check their site for their hours. It is about 42 minutes from West Glacier and 53 minutes from Columbia Falls. And is the only town that the North Fork of the Flathead River passes through.



You will drive on the dusty North Fork road which is a gravel road so be prepared for that. Also note you are not in Glacier National Park as you make your way here. You will have to enter the park to get to Bowman Lake but you do not enter the park to get to the Polebridge Mercantile.



Want help planning your trip to Glacier National Park? Check out our post: The Best Glacier National Park Itinerary from 1 to 7 Days.



Polebridge Mercantile Cabins



Polebridge offers rustic cabins. If you are visiting and looking for a true historic experience stay at one of these cabins (they don’t have running water in the cabin!).



Polebridge Outfitters



For those looking for an off the beaten path experience checkout what the Polebridge Outfitters offer. Like mentioned they can rent you the equipment and show you on a map where to go and what to do but after that you are on your own. That is a true northern Montana experience!



Everyone talks about how crowded the National Parks are now a days. This is very true. However Polebridge is a perfect example of how you can still have a unique and not populated experience! Our National Parks are beautiful but just because the boundary says the park ended it doesn’t mean the area around the park doesn’t have a ton of beauty and adventure to offer.



This is the North Fork area and per the Polebridge site they are there to point you in the right direction for an awesome adventure.



Northern Lights Saloon



Let the unique experiences continue! The Northern Lights Salon is located next to the Polebridge Mercantile. It is a one of a kind rustic bar and restaurant. Only open in the summer months – be sure to check their schedule.



Road To Bowman Lake



After filling up on pastries and other goodies in the town of Polebridge, you can get back in your car and head down the narrow and windy dirt road (If you are facing Polebridge Mercantile, it is the road to your left. You do not go back on the road you drove into the Mercantile on.) – which doesn’t look like a road you should be driving on, but it is.



The scenic park roads wind through evergreen and hardwood forests. Just be prepared for the roughness and pothole and it is a long, narrow and windy road. This is also the road to the Bowman campground.



This road takes you to a Glacier National Park entrance where you will have to pay or show your pass. We weren’t expecting this, but since we have a yearly pass it was no big deal. Once you get into the park you go left and follow the signs for Lake Bowman.



Be prepared, this is a 2 lane road that is really about 1 1/2 lanes wide. You will have to pull over at some point to let someone pass. And there are ledges, bumps, and tight spots.



But it is worth it. Stay with it! The road is about 6 miles long, but given the condition of the road it will take a while to get there. We went about a max of about 15mph.



**Take note that larger vehicles are not allowed on the road. It is a 1 1/2 lane road so I can see why.



Bowman Lake






Once you get there (you’ll start seeing signs for the Bowman Lake campground) you can find a place to park either by the campground parking lot or the picnic area and then you walk to the lake. You cannot park by the lake, but you can drive down there to drop off a kayak or your family but you cannot leave your car there. You may think no one will care, but a ranger did show up one of the times we were there.



Bowman Lake is beautiful with mountains surrounding it and great recreational opportunities. I wish we had had an inflatable SUP or kayaks to take out on the lake.



Instead we brought a blanket and had a picnic lunch and then jumped in the water for a little while (it was freezing!). Don’t forget your Keens  or snorkel gear ! The water is super clear for snorkeling!



When we went in early August there were a lot of people there. Nothing like the Logan Pass area or the Trail of the Cedars, but there were a quite few people there. When we went later in the month it was just us and a few other people.









We actually went twice when we were in Glacier for the month of August because we enjoyed it so much! Getting to Polebridge takes you through some dirt roads, but everything was drivable and my sister and her family actually did it in their 21 foot RV.






After leaving Polebridge, we drove for a few minutes before coming up to Home Ranch Bottoms restaurant. It was a great place to stop and get some dinner before heading back to the West Glacier area.



The food was good and so were the drinks. Plus, the outside picnic table area was perfect with the kids. It was a little pricey which is to be expected when you are out in nowhere!



Camping at Bowman Lake



Bowman Lake is a camper paradise and the campground is located close to the lake. But you have to be prepared. There is no electricity or water at the sites. But there are drinking water spigots throughout the campground and pit toilets.



Also truck and trailer combinations are not recommended at Bowman Lake due to the nature of the long windy roads getting in.



Hiking Trails



This is a 26.2 mile trail that is marked as difficult. It sounds like an amazing trail but you have to be ready to hike 26+ miles!



Click here to learn more about the Bowman Lake Trail . Or here to learn more about day hiking opportunities by Bowman Lake.



Where To Stay



North Fork Hostel in Polebridge would be a unique place to stay.



When visiting Glacier we highly recommend adding the off the beaten path location of Polebridge and Bowman Lake to your list of places to visit!



Also, don’t miss our post on Hiking With Kids in Glacier National Park, Going To The Sun Road and Many Glacier as well as these other fantastic destinations when near Glacier: Whitefish Mountain Resort  and Montana Raft !



Check out our Glacier Guides to help you plan your trip! And if you love National Parks check our our National Park Road Trip ideas!































Planning a trip to Glacier? We put together a series of digital guides that take the guesswork out of planning. Stop-by-stop itineraries for making the most of 1, 3 or 7 days in Glacier National Park including where to stay, where to eat, what hikes to take and the best driving routes.



We’ve even included links for you to book your stays and buy your park passes. Everything you need in one convenient digital guide. Just download and go!




GET YOUR GUIDE TO GLACIER








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