written and photographed by Mary L. Peachin
May 1997, Vol. 1 No. 8
There is no such thing as a last minute reservation in our national parks. If you have planned your summer vacation in late spring, a detached park employee probably said over the telephone, “you should have called here a year ago.”
Chagrined, mad, and unwilling to wait at 6:00 AM at the gate of a campsite hoping to get an overnight spot, the following places offer an alternative and will pacify the “no vacancy” frustration. These places are not crowded, they offer scenic road trips with opportunities for animal viewing, and activities including fishing, hiking, or horseback riding.
If your vacation plans include a visit to Grand Teton National Park, the view of the west side of this spectacular mountain range and the drive through scenic Teton Pass makes an indirect route through Swan Valley, Idaho worthwhile.
Swan Valley, which about located about half-way between Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Idaho Falls, Idaho, is landscaped in early summer with flowering fields of Idaho potatoes. Decayed wooden roofs of aging root cellar still edge some of the fields. Prior to refrigeration, these root cellars were used to cool the potatoes.
The Hansen-Silver Guest Ranch lies in the shadow of Mount Baldy in Swan Valley. Second generation owners, Brett and Becky Hansen offer a warm and genuine hospitality. Newly decorated cottages sparkle as they showcase Becky’s creativity. She has used dried floral arrangements to decorated antique horse harnesses, tools, and other ranch equipment. Their old barn has been renovated for group functions.
Becky serves a full breakfast in the kitchen of their home. If you don’t feel like driving the 10 miles into Swan Valley, they will pack a lunch or serve dinner, at an additional cost. Day trips include floating and fly fishing the South Fork of the Snake River, or horseback riding with Brett along Rainey Creek.
If you are set on staying in Yellowstone National Park, there is a well- kept secret to the lodging dilemma. If you are a member of the Yellowstone Association, nature study field trips or programs are offered throughout the summer. Class enrollment includes housing at the Buffalo Ranch, located in the Lamar Valley between Mammoth Hot Springs and Cooke City.
The Institute has rustic log cabins,no indoor plumbing, and a communal cabin with a full kitchen. “Students” can refrigerate, store, and cook their own food. Year round courses include the study of bears, flowers, geology, wolves, etc. The Institute also offers field study trips in canoes, horsepack and fishing trips.
There are several bed and breakfast places at the north Gardiner entrance to the Park. The Yellowstone Country Bed and Breakfast is located a thirty-minute drive near Emigrant, Montana.Two newly built log cabins are situated on the bank of the Yellowstone River. If you don’t care to scramble down the bank to fly fish in the river, there is a casting pond filled with stocked trout directly behind the cabins.
Both cabins have wooden decks with gorgeous views of the Absaroka range of the Gallatin National Forest. Owner Judi Powell delivers breakfast to your cabin in a picnic basket. The plaid colored liner of the basket is topped with wild flowers.
Continuing north, you might want to take a detour through Livingston, a small western town filled with art galleries. Highway 89 follows the Shields River into Clyde Park, a two tavern, one store town.
A lover’s message, “Endlessly Yours” is taped in white lettering on the span of a picturesque old railroad bridge crossing the Shield’s River. Prior to the summer harvest, this valley sparkles with colorful fields of yellow canola(oil) grain. Weathered red-painted grain silos provide an interesting contrast to the yellow of the fields.
The Gibson-Cassidy House is the only two-story building in Clyde Park. Owner Nancy Gilbert has added a personal touch to the antique furnishings by using decorative dried floral arrangements. Nancy serves a full breakfast in her formal dining room. She also owns a rustic cabin, without plumbing, in the Crazies mountains. This cabin is also available for rent with the guest’s understanding of the cabin’s primitive condition and location.
Nancy can direct you to a nameless backroad route to Bozeman. Unpaved for about 10 miles, the scenic road winds through the Bridger Mountains, a more interesting drive than the freeway.
The Diamond E Ranch, in Bridger Canyon, is about 10 miles from Bozeman. Two fully furnished cabins can sleep up to 14 people. The ranch is a great location for a family reunion or a corporate retreat. No meals are provided, but there is a full kitchen in each cabin. Deer sleep under cabin porches, and occasionally a black bear is sighted. The Bridger Canyon view of Bozeman is terrific. The Diamond E is a serene, scenic getaway place for guests who enjoy the isolation of the mountains. The activities are pretty much limited to hiking.
The Voss Inn in Bozeman is a favorite bed and breakfast inn in Montana. Built in 1883, the Victorian red brick mansion has been featured in Gourmet Magazine. Six rooms, with private baths, have been renovated with period antiques combined eclectically with African artifacts. The Voss Inn is located four blocks from main street, one of Montana’s great old downtown areas. Antique stores, retail shops, good restaurants and cowboy bars line the street.
Hosts Bruce and Frankee Muller serve a gourmet breakfast, in the privacy of your room or in the formal setting of the parlor. The Voss Inn frequently serves as a starting place for bicycle, hiking, or horsepack trips to Yellowstone National Park.
If your route direction takes you out of Yellowstone through the West Yellowstone entrance, you might consider a trip through the Madison Valley.
The Old Kirby Place is located about 34 miles south of Ennis, on the West Fork of the Madison River. There is a main cabin with two rooms plus two separate cabins. All meals, which are cooked and served by owner Walter Kannon, are included during your stay. Walter’s standing ingredients usually include sweet Walla Walla onions and garlic simmered in olive oil.
The Old Kirby Place is a destination for experienced anglers and riders. Walter will arrange for a fishing guide or float down the Madison River. If you are capable of getting the horse out of the pasture and saddling it, he will lead you on a horseback ride,
There are three bed and breakfast places on the route to Glacier National Park, including one in the city of Helena.
Helena has maintained and restored its architecture dating back to the gold rush of the 1800’s at Last Chance gulch. The Sanders-Helena’s Bed and Breakfast, a mansion built in 1865, still has most of its original furnishings. Each of the seven guest rooms offers a bath , television, and telephone. Owners Bobbi Uecker and Rock Ringling serve a full breakfast in their formal dining-living room. The Sanders is conveniently located near the shops and restaurants.
Highway 15, Montana’s only north-south freeway is the route to Glacier National Park. Wolf Creek is approximately 40 miles north of Helena. The Bungalow Bed and Breakfast is four miles beyond Wolf Creek in a canyon of the Big Belt range of the Rockies.
The log-sewn lodge was designed by Robert Reamer, famous for his design of Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. The Bungalow furnishings were transported from Marshall Field’s elegant department store in Chicago.
History oozes from owner Pat O’Connell Anderson especially when she recalls the days when her father was the sheriff of Lewis and Clark County. Her hospitality is warm, her huckleberry pancakes are delicious.
Another favorite bed and breakfast inn is located further north in Ronan. The Timbers, which is 14 miles south of Flathead Lake, is isolated, but happens to be on the route to Glacier National Park.
Built in 1990, the Timbers still maintains the old character of Montana. Hosts Doris and Leonard McCravey pay attention to every detail. Fresh flowers are placed in the napkin holder for the formal setting of the scrumptious breakfast served in their kitchen. Guests rooms are located downstairs and offer a great view of the Mission Range of the Rockies.
Leonard was a champion rodeo rider for 27 years. He can “yarn” a tale or two of the old West. Doris traveled the rodeo circuit with him for four years, quite a change from her Philadelphia “Main Line” society background.
The McCravey’s will ensure that you enjoy your visit by helping you plan a day of fishing or hiking, a visit to the Bison Range, or even a full day trip to Glacier National Park.
Don’t despair, if you unable to plan ahead for your summer vacation, don’t take a pass on visiting our wonderful national parks. These wonderful out of the way places will added to the enjoyment of your vacation, even if you drive a longer, more scenic route.