Getting There
Whitefish is easier to get to than virtually any other Montana vacation town. It's a quick drive up U.S. 93 from Kalispell. For the local weather forecast, call tel. 406/755-4829.
Glacier Park International Airport (tel. 406/257-5994) is 10 minutes away between Columbia Falls and Kalispell. America West (tel. 800/235-9292), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212), Horizon (tel. 800/547-9308), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525), and Big Sky (tel. 800/237-7788) have daily flights.
The Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com) station on N. Central Avenue, with two trains daily -- one eastbound and one westbound -- is shared with Burlington Northern at the edge of downtown in a renovated and charmingly attractive depot. The bus terminal is also located at the train depot, with daily service to and from Missoula from Rimrock Stages (tel. 406/755-4011).
Visitor Information
The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce (tel. 877/862-3548 or 406/862-3501; www.whitefishchamber.com) is located downtown at 520 E. 2nd St. Here you'll find just about everything you need in the way of brochures, area maps, and travel information.
Getting Around
Budget (tel. 800/248-7604) and National (tel. 800/227-7368) maintain counters at Glacier Park International Airport. Other companies renting cars in Whitefish include Avis (tel. 800/331-1212) and Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 or 406/862-1210). Whitefish Taxi can be reached at tel. 406/862-0587.
Special Events
Whitefish is home to the Winter Carnival (tel. 406/862-3501), a wild and woolly event held annually in mid-January since 1960. It includes a parade, children's events, a disco party, a snow-sculpting competition, and a battle of the bands at local bars. Of special note is the Penguin Plunge, where a group of brave locals take a dip in frigid Whitefish Lake in the name of charity.
