Glacier’s Hidden Gem: The Belton Chalet

If Glacier National Park is the Crown of the Continent, its three grand hotels are its most precious jewels. Visitors from around the world book reservations far in advance to stay in these famous park lodges: Many Glacier, Glacier Park, and Lake McDonald. However, a smaller, lesser-known lodge, the Belton Chalet, was the first to welcome guests when the park opened in 1910. We think it’s a hidden gem.

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19 Adventures in Olympic National Park

Featuring a park in our home state of Washington on this episode, we discuss some of the highlights and must-sees at Olympic National Park. From the rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean to the blue glaciers hanging off steep alpine cliffs, Olympic NP has something for everyone. Only a short day trip from the Seattle metro area, you can drive to many of the most spectacular sites within the park in a few hours. If you are a little more adventurous, backpacking through the park gives you a less-crowded perspective on the wild beauty of this “magical” place. We even give you a small peek into what it’s like traveling with us by playing an audio recording we made during one of our more challenging adventures. 

Some topics we discuss include:

  • Yes? No? Maybe? Whether or not we plan to write another book
  • Four seasons of fun up at Hurricane Ridge
  • Where to go to see what’s left from the largest dam removal project in history, where you can peer into the canyon below at the newly-freed, rushing Elwha River
  • The myriad of activities at beautiful Lake Crescent: in the water, on the beach and on the nearby trails.
  • Our three-day adventure hiking the High Divide / Seven Lakes Basin Trail which started out with some wild weather
  • The magic of the Hoh Rain Forest
  • What we found–and didn’t find—during our backpacking trip along Shi Shi Beach on the coast of the Pacific Ocean
  • And more…
  • In the mail bag segment, we discuss some of our scariest hikes while traveling to all of the national parks.

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18 Winter in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks

While visiting Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks in the winter can feel like stepping into a Christmas card photo, staying in a nearby Forest Service cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing isn’t always so picture perfect. In this episode, we talk about many of our experiences in these two parks during the magical winter season, as well as the thrills and challenges of staying in rustic Forest Service cabins when the temperature dips well below freezing. Spoiler alert: walking through the snow to a pit toilet in the middle of the night with only a headlamp to scare away the bears is both a thrill and a challenge. 

Some topics we discuss include:

  • Matt’s latest obsession with organizing all of our travel gear
  • Our experiences snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park during the winter
  • How Karen’s desire to get into the holiday spirit created our new tradition of visiting national parks every December
  • How to find and rent a Forest Service cabin
  • What it was like staying in a Forest Service cabin near Yellowstone with no heat, electricity or indoor plumbing, in December
  • What activities are available in Glacier National Park in the winter
  • Spending a few days in a Forest Service cabin near Glacier National Park
  • Our snowshoe experiences in and around Glacier
  • Would we rent a Forest Service cabin in the winter again?
  • And in our mail bag segment, we answer a question about whether we ever practiced shooting our expired bear spray, and if so, what did we learn.

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