Whitefish

The Great Northern Railway put a division point here in 1904 and the town grew on rail and timber before the ski hill opened in 1947. Whitefish Mountain Resort sits above the town with over a thousand metres of vertical and a reputation for tree skiing and for what the locals call snow ghosts - conifers so completely encased in rime ice by wind-driven fog that they become white shapes. The town centre kept its brick main street and the 1928 depot, which Amtrak still uses, so arriving by train is genuinely practical. Whitefish Lake is at the edge of town. Glacier National Park's west entrance is about forty minutes east, which is why summer here is as busy as winter.

What you actually see

• Snow ghosts - conifers encased in rime ice on the upper mountain.
• Over a thousand metres of vertical - at the ski resort above town.
• A working 1928 depot - Amtrak still stops here.
• Whitefish Lake - at the town's edge.

When to go

December to March for skiing; June to September for the lake and Glacier. A full day.

Honest expectations

Summer accommodation books out because of Glacier and prices rise sharply. Upper mountain visibility in winter is often nil - the fog that makes the snow ghosts also removes the view. Wildfire smoke affects some late summers.

Nearby

Glacier National Park's west entrance is east; Flathead Lake is south.