** Cozy Mountain Lodge **

Overall, the house was comfortable and clean, although some of the bedding was quite old and had seen better days. Our primary concern was that the property lacked a sense of privacy that we anticipated based on the property description. As you drive in, there is a series of rooms for rent that are separate from the main house and are in a corrugated metal structure. Each room opens onto the driveway (motel style) in full view of house. Likewise, there appears to be a series of storage units on the property (also made of corrugated metal) and a third corrugated metal structure of unidentified use. Unfortunately, the impression driving in was not what we expected from the pictures or description. Heidi was quick to tell us (without our asking) that the rooms for rent are listed separately on vrbo as a result of a vrbo policy prohibiting multiple rentals on a listing. It would have been nice, however, had the description of the property included information that these other rental rooms were also on the property (although are not provided access to the yard by the house). Also, I think it should be noted in the description that one of the bedrooms is actually a loft that is open to the downstairs and the bedroom with the futon has no door, only a curtain for privacy (admittedly shown in the picture, but not described). That said, Heidi was highly communicative and was quick to provide any information we requested. She lives in one of the cabins during the summer and is highly accessible if you need her-which we did not.

Our family of four with two adult children stayed for 4 nights in early August. We found the home to be clean and the beds generally comfortable (we used the master bedroom, the twin bedroom and the loft.) There is another full sized futon in a separate room with a curtain for a door. The loft does not have a door. The kitchen is well equipped with many appliances, dishes, knives, pots/pans, dish and dishwasher soap, paper towels and some basic spices. The washer and dryer work well. The house does not have air conditioning and we were there on a 102 deg day but by keeping the windows closed and the blinds pulled during the day and opening them at night (when it was in the 50's) the house was quite comfortable. The house is rather dark inside particularly in the living and bar areas and with the blinds closed. There are a few dim lights in these areas. I would recommend some brighter lights here and longer pull cords on the lights on the ceiling fans. The satellite tv only had a few channels and did not have many of the sports channels my sports lovers like but we weren't trying to watch too much tv anyway. She does have a selection of movies and games available. There is wi-fi but it's range only seems good in the central area of the home. Heidi lives on the property and also has some other rental cabins on the property. So as a plus - she's available if needed but you will not have the property to yourselves. There is a fire pit and hammock - given the heat and dryness we did not use. One thing I would like to see Heidi add is a list of local grocery stores, pharmacies, and restaurants with either menus or some sort of idea of price, or where they are. The nearest grocery store is in Hungry Horse about 5-7 minutes away with bigger ones in Columbia Falls which is 10-15 minutes away. There are restaurants in the area but it would have been helpful to have easier access to ones that were not a bar & grill. West Glacier and the entrance to Glacier National Park are a 7-10 minute drive. It was a good place for our home base to explore Glacier.

Heidi was a great host- she made sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed. I was very happy with it!

We stayed here for a week in July and absolutely loved it! The location is perfect just outside West Glacier but secluded and private. We could be in the park in less than 10 minutes and to Lake McDonald in 15. The house is close to grocery and gift stores, restaurants, and all kinds of fun activities like mini golf, climbing courses, and at least 5 different rafting companies.

We have lots of young kids and we loved being on the West Side of the park with many kid-friendly hikes and activities. The Trail of Cedars is just North of Lake McDonald and at only 0.7 miles round trip is accessible to even the most timid of hikers. We went there multiple times to walk the boardwalk and let the kids play in the creek. Our last time there we ventured all the way to Avalanche Lake which is a much more intense hike at an additional 3.8 miles roundtrip but well worth it for the beautiful lake and waterfalls at the end. Another day we went to Rocky Point trailhead and hiked in about 5 minutes to do some huckleberry picking. And of course Lake McDonald is absolutely stunning with the crystal clear water and mountains behind it. We rented motor boats to explore one afternoon and highly recommend that. But even just sitting at the beach in Apgar with lunch or some huckleberry ice cream is incredible. There are also a number of pullouts along the East side of the lake and if you find an empty one can provide a private little beach area. We also ventured up Going-to-the-Sun Road a few times and all the way to Many Glacier once. Long drive but breathtaking.

The house itself is great. Plenty of room and beds and we had everything we could need in the kitchen for cooking meals. The showers were hot and the beds were comfortable, very important after a long day in the park. The kids loved running around and playing in the large yard and we would have a campfire any night we weren't too tired. The sun wouldn't set until close to 10:30 so the kids were usually already in bed but if you go outside later the starry sky is incredible. Big Sky country and all.

The owner, Heidi, stopped over when we got there and offered lots of helpful advice on trails and activities. And she was available if we ever had questions or needed anything. She loves her State and is very knowledgeable and clearly takes pride in the property that she keeps clean and well-maintained.

We would recommend this property to anyone visiting Glacier who wants a comfortable place to come home to at night.

7 to 8 minutes drive from Glacier National Park. Very quite and large house. The bed is better than any hotels I have ever lived in. The owner is nice and warm.