Great Northern Resort Review

We loved our one-night stay at Great Northern Resort! We stayed in the main lodge which was pristine, beautiful, and quiet. No television in the room which was actually a benefit and nice break from the noise while visiting Glacier National Park. Great location for getting up early and getting into the park as well as only 30 minutes away from Whitefish or Kalispell if needed. Our room was beautiful with a second floor wrap-around balcony that offered amazing views. This is the quietest and most peaceful resort I've ever stayed in. When outside, you can't hear a single thing - pure silence and wilderness around you. The staff was extremely kind and helpful. We'll be staying here again when in the area - maybe next time in one of the cabins!

Excellent trip, even with a little rain LOL.
Richard was a terrific guide who was personable and fun as well as safety minded.
The rafts and equipment are well maintained and they had all the gear you would need including well maintained wet suites and rain gear that were clean and sanitized.
Everyone was friendly and helpful from the desk to the bus. I would definitely chose this company above any other!

I went on a rafting trip with my wife and three daughters. The guide was awesome with my family and we had a great time on the river. We can't wait to go back!

Review of Resort's guided rafting:

My boss booked a short guided rafting trip for my group of trainees, so I didn't put down any money. It was so good, though, I would've been happy to pay.

The staff was timely and courteous, from those working the front desk to the raft guides themselves. Directions on donning wetsuits and safety gear were clear and efficient, but the guides were always open to questions.

When we put in, as well as when we were on the river and when we pulled out, the guides were very clear on rafting safety and terminology. I loved that they also made sure everyone was paying attention; anyone talking during there instructions was brought to attention.

It only takes one person screwing around to make a raft dangerous.

The guides were by no means militant, however. Our guide, Sean, was knowledgable about the area, as well as the river itself. We had three guides for our group of 15, and from everyone's praise, I gathered each was energetic, helpful and well-informed, as well as approachable and fun.

If I ever want to raft around Glacier National Park again, I know who I'll be booking with.

Brilliant place to stay. Clean cabins with spacious rooms. It feels like home. The staff are super friendly and welcoming. We also went on the float trip down the river. Calm with beautiful views and a small stop to skip rocks. Even my little 2.5 yr old also enjoyed this trip.

This was my first time rafting and man, was it a blast! Our guide Jen was fun. She was relaxed and chill and made the experience a joy. We loved our little breakfast stop with bevies and eats and enjoyed the morning trip. The only downside was that we really wanted the action shots of going through the rapids. I would recommend Great Northern in a second. Thanks from this newbie for making my trip so much fun and memorable.

Booked the dinner cruise this past Wednesday.
Chris was our guide and chef for the afternoon.
The cost was well worth it, the river was fun and the meal was tasty. Chris did an excellent job navigating the river and the grille. The bus ride was quick and the whole trip felt safe.

The Great Northern Resort is the perfect lodge accommodation at the gateway to Glacier National Park. The property is meticulously maintained and affords its guests every opportunity to enjoy all that Northeast Montana wilderness has to offer. We stayed in the lodge, (cabins were fully booked), which was very comfortable, clean, and a great value considering its location - just a short ten minute drive from the entrance to the park.

We stayed at the resort to participate in a wedding, which in my opinion, could not have gone more smoothly. Great Northern Resort is by far the best place to have a wedding in the entire area - a genuinely picturesque and perfectly suited property for a ceremony and reception. I have to give a big shout out to the staff at Great Northern Resort - there's no doubt they take great pride in their business and strive to provide nothing short of a spectacular experience.

While i was there, I booked a 1/2 day whitewater rafting trip and a full day fly fishing excursion - both of which were exceptional. If you get the chance to go fishing with Byron - do it! You're in for one of the best river trips of your life!

Awesome place. Great building, nice and clean. Quiet.

We went white water rafting here in early summer and it was awesome. We had the whole boat to ourselves. As the water is colder at this time of the year so we put on wetsuits at no charge. The guides are great and really nice. We had the all day trip so we stopped and had lunch on a beautiful section of the river. After lunch it was a smooth ride thru the rest of the day. We recommend this rafting company for any occasion. You will have a awesome time.

DAILY IDEA FLIER UNDER THE DOOR WAS FANTASTIC! We never would have gone to the fantastic Farmers Market if we hadn't seen that.
Clean, lovely setting, maybe the best looking place in the area as others look much older.
Thin walls & since they have NO TV you can hear snoring and noises from other rooms. NO TV is something that might be stated in the room description, but really should be the first thing listed in BOLD TEXT..."NO TV TO TOTALLY UNPLUG". My kids booked the room & we're very surprised by no TV. Thankfully they DO HAVE INTENT.
Due to COVID they took coffee makers out of the room... but the only microwave was a communal one?? That doesn't at all make sense. It's ok, I found coffee in town.

I very seldom write reviews. and specially a bad one. I tried to talk to them on the phone explaining that we had to cancel our white water raft because of illness. During this Pandemic, we did not want to expose anyone to symptoms of fever ... 2 days before trip. and low Season.
Owner decided not to reimburse trip ... we asked only 50% or 25 % back but he refused stating that he was a small business and wanted to give us a voucher valid for one year. We live in different state. So keep your voucher!
As a small business owner to another small business owner, let me tell you that you should appreciate someone honest not wanting to spread any illness to your crew or guests. Preferring not to reimburse us ( a small part ) and expose your team and guests is not ethical. EVERYONE Beware if you decide to go rafting with this company . They don't care if you are sick .....
Yasmine

We just had so much fun with our guide tubesock! There were about 3 other companies on the river at the same time and I can tell you no one was having as much fun as we were! The river is decent too. It a little slow at first and the end but pretty good rapids overall.

We enjoyed very much the rafting day and dinner. Great crew, lots of fun

There is currently a wildfire in Glacier National Park and we received an alert from the park saying that there are evacuations and closures around Lake McDonald, which is where the hotel is, yet they will not even offer a 50% refund for cancelling, much less a full one. They insist that they have to adhere to their usual cancellation policy, but this is definitely not a normal situation, just extremely poor customer service.

The hotel is very nice but reception close at 6pm so no 24h reception. Rooms are big and comfortable but there is a train corridor not far away and you can hear the trains at night. Breakfast is not included but there is a cafe bar in front of the hotel. Problem is that you cannot have breakfast until 8am which in my opinion is too late if you want to enjoy the park early in the morning. The hotel owners should extend the working hours for better service.

Amazing resort, gorgeous location and friendly staff. Very close to West Glacier. Couldn't be happier with my stay.

Rented an inflatable kayak and followed their advice on where to go. They recommended a place that was far away and that I would never be able to make back in time so they charged me for an extra day of rental. On top of that, the kayak was faulty. There are loads of places that do kayak rentals in the area. I would not recommend this one.

Loved the lodge! Very nice, homey, and cute! It smells like pine. The only downfall was when we got back at night, all the power and water were out. So, we couldn't take showers, use the bathroom, etc. They got everything working again about an hour later.

Rafting down the river is an incredible experience! The staff took great care of us

The lodge rooms were clean and spacious with vaulted ceilings. Close to the GNP entrance... just a drive of a few minutes. Lots of games for down time, including horseshoes, a sand volleyball court, bocce, and croquet.

Great experience at Great Northern. Nancy was an amazing host and the entire team was kind and helpful. I'd party and stay here any time.

Carl was an awesome white water guide! We had so much fun with him and dinner on the beach was fantastic! 10 out of 10, highly recommend!

Lovely lodges...very close to the Glacier NP and dining options close by....our daughter enjoyed the stay....all the staff was courteous and helped us have a pleasant memorable stay ...loved the rafting trip ....Cory was a great guide....

Our guides Emily and Stephanie were amazing. We had the best time and knew we were in good hands

Great Northern was super accomodating! We requested a guided tour for our whitewater kayaks and had an amzing time with a friendly guide! The owner even came out and offered to fix my fathers ripped drysuit neck gasket after our day on the water. Everyone here was friendly, the buikding and facilities are all very clean and very beautiful, and the views are amazing- from the parking lot to the river and back.

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Incredible location. Super clean and cozy rooms. The new timber framed lodge is a work of art. Friendly staff - they went above and beyond both for our stay and for our wedding. I simply can not say enough amazing and positive things about the Great Northern Resort and Glacier Park Rafting. Thank You for a wonderful stay. I will certainly be back and I will certainly stay here!

Really fun experience white water kayaking. I'd recommend the single vs the double kayak as they seemed easier to control and steer. Emily was our guide and did a great job.

The BEST!! Registered for a weekend packrafting course and the instructors were amazing, the rivers awesome, and I learned a ton. The staff are wonderful and the resort is so lovely. Highly recommend, especially if you re interested to gain skills, knowledge, and experience packrafting. Thank you Great Northern!!

The one day kayaking trip was awesome despite the smoke. Our guide was super nice and knowledgeable. She made sure we are safe and warm throughout the whole trip.

Went rafting with the Great Northern Rafting company, and it was fantastic! I was able to get in within a few days, Steph our guide was engaging and entertaining, even letting some try directing and rowing the raft. Great time and great pricing!

So so dissatisfied and disappointed! I went on line and paid for a Saddle and Paddle trip for 8/2/2017 it was a birthday gift to me from my husband. I booked it a week out and got my confirmation email. I was so excited and couldn't wait to go! Then the day before I called to make sure everything was still good to go and they were like " oh looks like you are scheduled for the 745 am trip but I'll check and make sure and call you if there is any change. "
Well I got a call saying they were all booked up and I couldn't do the trip! We paid for it a week ago!!!! My husband took time off from work and I looked forward to this trip for 6 months...... then it's just gone! What if I hadn't called the day before?!? We would have made the trip for nothing! So unprofessional I can't believe it!

We stayed here off season for 2 nights. The location as far as the park is concerned is good. However, there is no TV! This is my bad bc I assumed anything called a 'resort' would have one & did not check. We stayed in the lodge. All rooms open to a common area with couches & chairs (like a dorm). There were only a couple of other people staying there, so it was quiet. However, if there were kids or rowdy adults in that area it would be loud in your room. One couple came in late & just their talking woke me up. The doors are just regular doors as in a house (not hotel room doors). If you stay here, bring water to drink. Their water is horrible & stinks to high heaven of sulfer. I don't know why they don't install a water filter. The mattress was an old, non-pillow top style that was like sleeping on a plank of wood. The shower curtain was about a foot too short for the shower. I would not stay here again.

There were dead gnats on the top bunk and the problem wasn t fixed for the second night even after being made aware of the problem. When reported the second night we were told there were no other rooms available and were basically told huh, sorry. .

Comfortable and cozy accommodations, friendly and helpful staff, great location and reasonable prices. Good times.

Took a scenic float on the Middle Fork with Ron, the weather was perfect, the scenery amazing and our guide Ron was great!

Best rafting company in West Glacier and the most fun, highly recommended

Great rafting and horse back excursions. Paddle and saddle... The ladies at both places were great guides and we enjoyed. Steak dinner was good on river's edge..

They were the only outfitters to accommodate a trip before the season officially began. They were super helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great time, would HIGHLY recommend them!

In our experience, the three components to a good rafting adventure are the river, the guide, and the companions. We had all three!

The Flathead River is preserved as a National Wild and Scenic River, which safeguards the free flowing nature of the river among other protections. At the time we were rafting it, it was at two feet (at the measurement location). It is a stunningly beautiful river surrounded by iconic Montana scenery. Box Canyon was probably our favorite scenic area, with high cubic shaped rock walls.

Our guide Alvin was fantastic. This was his third season guiding, and he knows the Flathead River well. He is also very charismatic and entertaining. We loved his stories. He and fellow guide Dan are also fantastic chefs, serving up a delicious lunch of Montana steaks, pasta salad, chips, hummus, salsa, coleslaw, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

We did the full day rafting trip. Great river. Great guides. Great food. Great company.

We loved Alvin and Dan as the rafting guides. They were both energetic and very professional. The dinner on the riverside was lots of fun and very good! I would recommend this to anyone.

Great time, our guide Carl give very clear and good instructions, made it fun and safe.

This place was so amazing. Very comfortable to stay at! Not to mention the great view and on site rafting guides!!!

It's very pretty and beautiful surrounding and buildings. Spectacular lodge. Goid food. And close to the national park

We had a great time rafting. The scenery is beautiful, Murielle was a great guide, and with with 2 younger kids and a slightly immobile mom everybody was so helpful. I would give 5 stars and 2 thumbs up all day long.

My friends and I had so much fun during our whitewater rafting!! Chris was our guide, he s so fun and nice. Highly recommend this resort all the employees are super friendly

Need new beds, terrible! That's my only complaint except for no coffee pot!

The half day white watering rafting was fantastic! Water was cold but fun to get slapped with and even felt refreshing to swim in. Our guides Stephenie and Dan were full of energy and had lots of knowledge of the river. Had a very good experience and was a fun adventure to add to this amazing trip.

Great Northern Resort is by far one of my favorite venues to coordinate weddings at! Cathi and her team are so incredibly fun and easy to work with. The grounds are beautiful and there are so many fun things to do! You can truly make it a wedding weekend and continue the celebration with your family and friends with whitewater rafting, fly fishing and hanging out by the pond. I love Friday nights in the Summer because they always have live music, food and drinks on the patio. It's so much fun! I highly recommend Great Northern for your leisure and wedding needs!

We stayed in the lodge. The building looked very new and clean. The rooms were very large and there was a great view on the patio. We would definitely stay here again!

What an incredible adventure!! #Tubesock was the coolest guide! With a full boat, and half of the paddlers being kiddos I m sure he had his job cut out for him. We had an incredible headwind too, but none of that seemed to phase him. Knowledgeable and hilarious, we took on category 2/3 rapids and rocked it! Definitely recommend GNR and #Tubesock!

I spent a long weekend (4 days) at the Great Northern Resort. I can honestly say that the Hotel and especially the hotel staff made it the best stay of anywhere I have ever been. The owners and staff went out of their way and were truly truly extraordinary in the hospitality. They were friendly, helpful, personable and extremely willing to go the extra mile time and time again. The lodging was clean, bright, spacious and quiet. It was awesome to have a common area to gather with old friends and meet new friends. The Caboose had amazing coffee and delicious food. And of course the rafting trip was incredible. Knowledgable guides and top notch equipment. I write very few reviews and I simply can not say enough positive things about the Great Northern Resort. This is a place that is NOT to be missed.

Great people. Wonderful guide Melody.
Knowledgeable and fun!

Our rafting guide Joe Dirt was dope! He taught us about beaver slides, mating calls, and indigenous fish as well as anything you would need to know about being safe on the water.
10/10 would recommend

This place was quiet and cozy. It feels like a tight knit community there and the employees and adventure guides are helpful, kind, and informative. We took the scenic rafting trip and it was beautiful and unforgettable.

We had a great experience! My wife and I did the 4 hour dinner trip with John. He was very knowledgeable about the area and was able to answer all of our questions as well as point out many sites and give us a great history lesson about Glacier and the surrounding area. He is a great chef!! This was my wife s first white water trip and he made her feel very very comfortable. I highly recommend Great Northern! We didn t feel like we were on a commercially guided float trip. Thank you for the great trip!

Check in was messy, ended up walking in on couple sleeping after receiving wrong keys. After spending 2 weeks camping and hiking was excited to just lounge and watch tv only to arrive in room and discover there are no TVs in room. Tried to switch rooms to one with tv but apparently none have them. Then was offered river rafting vouchers!? for 2021 season and 25% loss on each night booked to cancel room. Beds have plastic covers on matresses. 1000 watt white light bulbs blinding me in my bed lamps. Take your money elsewhere.

The room was very nice, updated, and clean! The location was convienent and we also did the half day rafting trip. It was fun even in late August. If you want big rapids go in mid July or earlier.

Staff was super friendly. They allowed us to hang out in the den way past our checkout because we didn't have anything to do, free pool and pool table, free kayaking and bicycles. Wish we could've stayed longer.

I showed up to breakfast which I prepaid for only to find out half the menu was not available because they ran out of food. On a Tuesday morning? Why in midweek is the food supply low? Over priced mediocre resort. Breakfast served out of a greasy little railroad caboose. Tables not clean outside in the seating area. Recommend finding a different resort. Nothing to do here for families.

This is the BEST wedding venue! Everything was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to use every feature of the Great Northern for our wedding weekend! Cathi is amazing to work with and the views are breathtaking!

We stayed in one of your 3 bedroom cabins and had a great time. It was very comfortable for our group of 7. And the staff was very nice. Thanks!

We can't say enough good things about this place. The people were friendly, the surroundings were beautiful, the accommodations were perfect. In addition to staying there we also went white water rafting with them. Our guide was kind and informative. And we had a great time. If we could give them six stars we would!

Had a wonderful time white water rafting!! Karl was amazing guide!! I highly recommend using this company for white water rafting!! Pics turned out great also!

AS WEDDING VENUE:
We chose Great Northern Lodge because we wanted to partner up with a local small business that would work with us and not try to pull a fast one. We were on a budget and the groom is a Montanan so we wanted to get married there.

Cathi was wonderful and super helpful up to the wedding day. She even worked with us on our budget by doing ticketed/cash bar. The wedding day and after communication really broke down. One issue was totally our fault and we did not dispute this at all. Some of the other problems were a combination of our coordinators(I have a review for them too) and Cathi and some just Cathi.

My husband and I stayed 2 extra days after the wedding. One of the issues was a small amount of petals left in the aisle, one small box and rock that got paint on it. These could have been easily remedied in 30 minutes. One quick comment, but it was much easier to charge us $500. There was a communication breakdown on the wedding day between Cathi, caterer and our coordinator(who was supposed to manage this part) about disposal of trash. Cathi spoke to the caterer, but never spoke to the coordinator or us, it might be easier to charge another $500. The bar ran out of our beers that we requested, we weren t able to drink our own drinks at our own wedding. She also charged us an extra $360.00 for things not in the contract, which she later paid us back for, but that was sneaky. She also agreed to count the tickets, but she did not count them and charged us for the full amount.

It was the lack of communication to us or the coordinator of her frustration to try to remedy the issues. Things got real ugly afterwards, due to bottling the issues and blowing up with fees instead of talking to us or the coordinators. Complaining about making the tickets, even though she said Will you be creating your own tickets ? Or will you need them to be created? I love doing fun stuff like that, so if you need, I m happy to help! . She made comments about our family and friends not being generous tippers and laid out the amount of tips she got from the night. That s pretty unprofessional.

She made a very direct comment where she supposed things about our personal finance, playing down the $1000.00 of fees saying The amount is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Comparing it to a flight or a business class flight. One thousand dollars is a lot of money! And who flies business class?

This is all very unfortunate. We thought we were working with a small local business that would work with us and be fair with the issues, but it s easier and more profitable to bottle it up and throw fees at the problem. Really unfortunate. :( :(

Fantastic place to stay! The room was so clean and had a great view with a deck. It was within walking distance to the Glacier entrance and the staff were very friendly. If I'm lucky enough to make it back to Glacier I would absolutely want to stay here again.

Went whitewater rafting with the family. John was our Guide and did an incredible job. It was fun, safe, and everyone had a blast. 10/10 would recommend Great Northern :)

Beautiful views, coupled with a beautiful room at the lodge. Everyone was nice, and very accommodating. We will definitely return!

There are other rafting services in the area, but without a doubt, this one is the best. Lex took care of our group of friends and she exceeded our expectations in every way. It was a fun ride which she made memorable. We will be back to Montana soon and we will use you guys again. Highly recommend.

Room was great. Staff members were friendly and helpful with directions and dining suggestions. Location is only a mile away from the Glacier National Park.

Super fun trip for my family of 5! My youngest is 8. Our guide was fun, witty, and gave us an excellent class V education about rafting. Super appreciated as we are all learning. Kids got to ride the bull and towards the end we all jumped in for a swim! We stayed at Under Canvas for some Glamping and GNR was on the way to Glacier NP. Friendly, easy...I'd definitely go back.

We went white water rafting with our 2 families and had a BLAST! Our guides, Colin and Tucker were great and so much fun.The whole outfit was safe and fun without being extreme like the other company that we saw whose clients had to walk down the street carrying their paddles, helmets and life jackets while their guides finished off the trip without them Our guides had the vehicle right to us and we didn't have to carry a thing! And the food was amazing too! I would 100% recommend a full day trip to anyone looking for a great day on the river!

I was married here July 13th, 2019. Everything from beginning to end was so perfect. We planned everything from across the country and all of our guests were from out of state. We had all of the cabins rented and several of the lodge rooms rented. Cathi was SO accommodating from the second we started planning in June 2018. When we were worried about the fires, she offered us to change our wedding date with no penalty and totally understood. Cathi recommended our wedding band which ended up being the TOTAL highlight of our wedding. The weather was GORGEOUS. The lodge rooms are so big and spacious and I can't imagine how anyone could complain about not having a TV in the room! Who has time for that when you stay here?! We were able to lounge outside & there was a great drinking spigot out back which all of us used every morning. The proximity to the park cannot be beat. My husband and I stayed for 9 days while our wedding party stayed from Wednesday-Monday. On Sunday night the entire canyon lost power for a couple hours but honestly it added to the outdoor fun! We had a fire outside of the cabins and sat there talking and having the best time. We scheduled white water rafting with GN on Thursday and everyone had THE BEST TIME EVER, we immediately wanted to do it over again. The guides were amazing and catered to us as the bride and groom. The caboose is a wonderful place to grab a snack, they provided our brunch on Sunday which was lovely. The live music and grilled food on Friday evening was PERFECT, all of our guests sat outside and enjoyed the music, sliders, and drinks! The wedding site is unbelievable and our wedding photos and video are out of this world. Cathi allowed my husband to use all of the materials on the property to build our altar and it was such an amazing, unique, and special touch to our wedding day (even if all the flowers my husband hand picked and put up there died before we got married, just something to laugh about now!). Cathi is so laid back and easy. GN provided the bar/alcohol/staff and I can't tell you how much this added to our wedding day. Our bartender was so amazing and all our guests had so much fun with him. The only thing I regret is that I can't relive the day over and over and over. This was our second stay here, we stayed August 2018 to tour the wedding venue and hike in the park. We stayed in the cabins this time. I personally prefer the lodge rooms but the cabins are so adorable and cute and quaint. None of our guests complained about anything in the accommodations. All of our bridesmaids were able to get ready in the lodge and the groomsmen got ready in a cabin. It just couldn't of gone more perfectly. Cathi & everyone else at Great Northern, THANK YOU SO MUCH. We can't wait to come back. This will hands down forever be the best day of our lives.

Great company. Did the sports raft with lunch and we really enjoyed our trip! Specifically chose this one over the company at the entrance which is super packed with people. :)

Incredible Rafting trip. Amazing guide: Collin. Perfect weather and water conditions. Expert experience on all levels. Highly recommend.

Our scenic raft trip with a meal was fantastic. Alvin our guide was top notch! We are hoping to bring more family on a raft trip this next summer and plan on requesting Alvin as our guide!

Family and friends occupied all of the chalets and the lodge rooms for our daughter's wedding. The ceremony and reception were held at the venue as well. It was so wonderful to have family and friends so close by for more than just one day. The resort was extremely accommodating, the rooms were lovely, the scenery was amazing and the weather was perfect. I would highly recommend the Great Northern Resort! We had an amazing time!! Plus Glacier Park is just down the road. Can't say enough good things about this place!

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Cute exterior lodge style building. The inside of the room is plain but has a fridge and no TV. There's a trailer in front of the check in office that is a restaurant. On Friday nights they have live music.

Another great day on the river with Great Northern Resort. It s easy, convenient, reasonably priced and the guides are so good at what they do. I have an Airbnb and I tell all my guests to ride the rapids with you guys. Thanks for another amazing day on the river in the place I call home. Stay happy and healthy.