Russell's Fireside Dining Room At Lake Mcdonald Lodge

Date: 8/29 8/31/23Room Booked: Large ADA Cabin 2 Doubles FullPros: Location: This lodge, along with the Motel next door (operated by a different company) are the closest places to Logan Pass on the west side of Glacier, meaning that it is relatively easy to get to Kalispell. The large cabin was of a decent size. That being said, we did have a ADA cabin, and as far as I can tell, there is no regular large cabins with 2 doubles, only small cabins, which are likely similar size to the Rising Sun cabins (which are quite cramped). The lobby was very comfortable, with additional seating on the 2nd floor. WiFi was also much more stable and strong here compared to some of the more eastern lodging.Cons: The view: despite it being on the lakefront, the view from pretty much all the rooms other than maybe some of the lodge rooms (which are very limited and pricey) is obscured by trees. Plus, the other side of the lake is pretty much all burned down, so if you're expecting a breathtaking view, that'll be found at either Many Glacier Hotel or the Village Inn at Apgar. Rusell's Dining Room was a bit of a mixed bag. Their breakfast buffet was decent (the same buffet as in Many Glacier), but the lunch and dinner options was so so. What really puzzled me is that I ordered trout for dinner and what arrived looked like, and suspiciously tasted like, salmon, which is odd given that salmon isn't even on the menu. When asked, the waiter insisted it was trout. I'll include a photo below and let you decide for yourself. At the time, Jammer Joe's was closed. If that place was open I would have probably ate there and enjoyed that much more than the more formal dining room.Overall conclusion:This hotel is decent, but I would say it isn't anything special. If you're focused on location, I would argue that Rising Sun is better, since the drive to Logan Pass is easier on the east side compared to the west. If you're looking for views, then Many Glacier is the clear winner. If you're looking for affordable lodging, then you probably shouldn't be looking for inside the park, but otherwise Swiftcurrent and Rising Sun are your best choices. Most of the lodging is located in cabins nearby, not in the actual lodge. Despite all this, it's probably the best place to stay if you want to be on the west side of Glacier.

This place needs a deep clean and an overhaul of the staff (friendliness and customer care). Location and history makes this place great but this place could be really amazing and has so much more potential. It would then be worth the price. Food was decent but not great for the price. Coffee was good.

We really enjoyed our time here. It was a great base camp for a few days before our backpacking trip in the Backcountry. We stayed at the Sawyer House, which was dorm style rooms. The rooms are small, with just beds, a sink, a couple shelves, and a box fan (no a/c). Everything was clean and comfortable. The bathrooms and showers were down the hall. The shampoo and body wash were out in two different stalls when I took showers, but luckily I had brought my own anyways.The front desk staff at check-in were all so pleasant and friendly. While our building didn 't have wifi, the building next door does, so if we sat at the picnic tables outside we had service.Nearby activities: Boat, kayak, and paddle board rentals are just a few minutes walking from the room.

Stayed in a small queen cabin for three nights. Loved it! Super relaxing. Past a lot of the construction so easier to get to going to the sun road. Parking right next to cabins and private beach by the cabin. Nice for a swim on a hot summer day. I will be back!

A great place to visit even though we did not have a room there. While we waited for our boat ride, we had a meal, visited the gift shop and enjoyed the comfy rocking chairs overlooking the shore and dock.Food drinks: We ate here twice and each meal was great. Top level servers working hard. Tables were bussed quickly and flow of people in and out was steady without very long waits, even over Labor Day Weekend. We were killing time waiting to get on a boat ride and didn’t feel rushed. I ordered the charcuterie board which had duck meat and bison. It was delicious.