Workamping at Glacier National Park
The Company
There are so many different types of workamping jobs out there; so many options and sometimes it is just hard to figure out what to do and where to go. Since Paul is the one doing the workamping jobs I try to have little input into it and let him decide. I will suggest areas that I want to travel and help plan out the routes we take but I want him to always decide on what jobs he wants to try. He had been looking at this company called Xanterra and although had other options, he decided on them because they are a company and there are other opportunities in other National Parks and in other places with this company. We knew for the summer we wanted to be in the North-Western part of the United States and when he talked to Xanterra he liked what they had to offer.They do have many opportunities in National Parks all over the United States, so definitely check them out if you are interested in being able to work and live in these areas: Xanterra
They offer dormitory-style housing as well as RV sites in most areas.
Another awesome resource we use to find seasonal, temporary and unique jobs is Cool Works there are lots of opportunities out there.
This is a summary of our experience living and working in Glacier National Park. Working in the park, living right outside the park because I have to have internet (cell service) because I work full time. Paul supplements are traveling by picking up seasonal jobs. The goal is for him not to work all year long but to work in areas we want to travel to help us be able to travel to different places throughout the year.
The Job
Paul's job in Glacier National Park this year was a Security Guard. He had never been a security guard before and had no idea what to expect. Other Xanterra jobs in Glacier are Hotel front office people (I am not sure the correct term for them), Housekeeping, Kitchen help, and Maintenance. They also hire tour guides to drive the Red Buses (which are really old cars and are a pretty cool way to see the park). Paul originally applied to be a Red Bus driver and was disappointed he didn't get it. However, it turned out to be for the best because once he realized how much he enjoyed being a Security Guard and how much of a tour guide he would have to be with the Red Bus job, it was obviously the best choice for him.There are several different properties inside of Glacier that Xanterra hires people for. Lake McDonald Lodge on the Westside, Rising Sun on the Eastside, Many Glacier Lodge in Many Glacier, and they have a property in Columbia Falls. All of these properties have dorms and cabins for employees to stay if they choose to do so. They also have employee meals prepared and served three times a day.
The properties on the west open up in Mid-late May and the ones on the east do not open up until June. Paul was at Rising Sun and we stayed in St. Mary which is right outside the gate. The east side tends to be cooler than the west side and Logan's Pass (at the top of the Going to the Sun Road) is usually about 10 degrees cooler.
The Going to the Sun Road is a Must-do and did not completely open until later in June. It will also close down in parts on September 15th.
Paul loved being a security guard, he walked around the property and made sure everything was going well. If there was a bear around he had to make sure people stayed away from it. If anyone needed anything he would take care of it. He also had to make sure the younger employees (ages 18-30) who were staying in the dorms and working there were abiding by the rules.
Most of the park does not have cell service of any kind and limited wifi in the lobby areas and the employee rec room.
Rising Sun is the only place that does have some cell service, Verizon service so that was a nice perk.
Parts of Glacier
West Side:
Trail of Cedars Hiking Trail
Lake McDonald
East Side/St. Mary:
Many Glacier:
Two Medicine:
This area is on the east side but the other side of Many Glacier, turn near Cutbank MT. This is probably the least visited place because it seems so far away from everything else. It has some nice trails, boat rentals, and horseback riding.Restaurants inside Glacier:
Going to the Sun Road:
This is the famous road that brings the west and east side together. It is about 50 miles long, narrow and very winding. It has length and height restrictions and is pretty scary at times, but the views can't be beaten. When people think of Glacier this is a major part of the park. There are shuttles that run in late June and in July. There are Red Bus tours that will also bring you to places along the route if you do not want to drive it yourself.
Living in St. Mary for the Summer:
Our son, Josh who turned 18 over the summer took a job at the Park Cafe which was right down the hill from our campground. This gave him something to do over the summer because, like me, and his dad, he likes having something to do. He was able to walk to work since we only had one vehicle with us.
There is one small, very overpriced grocery store with a limited selection. Since St. Mary is only open in the summer I know it has to be difficult to have a lot of options.
There are actually two gas stations and each of those has a convenience store; really surprised there are two in such a small area.
There are several restaurants but I was not impressed with any of them. I do understand that because they are seasonal and hire seasonal employees they really do not have many options and would be difficult to have some great chefs cooking for them. I wouldn't say they are all horrible, but more just mediocre and definitely overpriced for what you get. For tourists that is fine but for living here we would just rather just pass on them. We had to try them though.
1.) Johnson's Cafe: This one is located at the campground we stayed in; Johnson's RV park. They have a great back story and a couple that opened it up and ran it for years was a local couple. It is still in the family but with the younger generation, very few are still helping out and they hire outside people like Xanterra does; they even offer housing and a campsite for those working there. The reason these places need to offer meals and housing is that it is so remote; there are not enough local people to fill these jobs. The best thing about Johnson's cafe is that they do make their own bread. I liked their beef and vegetable soup the most. Everything else was just ok and mostly $20 a head for just ok.
2) The Park Cafe: This is where Josh worked and he liked working there; it was very laid back. They also hire people to come in and work and have housing and meals for them. Since Josh was staying with us he opted out of the housing but he did get one meal for free during his shift. Again, the food was ok and the selection limited. Josh's favorite was the fish and chips. They are famous for their homemade pies and they do make them homemade. I just felt every time I had a piece the crust was undercooked, not that golden brown I liked.
3.) Rising Sun Pizza: It's a pizza place, can't go wrong with pizza; except you can because I totally hated the crust and it felt like I was eating frozen pizza. Once was enough for that place. I ended up keeping frozen pizza for when I had a craving for pizza.
4.) Frog's Mexican: I was excited that there was a Mexican place in town but it's just a small food truck type venue with outdoor seating. They weren't bad but definitely not my favorite Mexican place.
5.) A Cafe by the grocery store, next to the second gas station. I can't remember the name of the cafe and I admit, I didn't try it. I wasn't impressed with their menu and they had an even more limited selection than the other cafe's so I didn't even try it.
6.) Two Sister's Cafe closer to Babb: This one is supposed to be the best of the cafe's around and we did it try it once and probably should have tried their dinner selection but since we didn't I can't give it a fair review. It was still overpriced.
7/) Supper Club in Babb: This place had steaks and was supposed to be good but I didn't try it because I was afraid to be disappointed in their steaks and be out $50 a person for mediocrity so I passed. It may be worth it, I'm not sure but it is there as another option for places to eat.
That's it in the area and actually what you think would be a decent selection of restaurants for such a small area.
The views are definitely the best part of St. Mary and it being so close to Glacier.
Hiking:
There really is not much to do when staying and working in Glacier, except for hiking. This is not a bad thing though, I actually enjoyed all of the hikes; overdid it on some but it was worth it and I never thought I would be able to hike 10 miles, I felt like I about died but I did it. 4-6 miles seemed to be my threshold; after that, it got way too uncomfortable and not fun anymore. The views were beautiful and lots and lots of waterfalls and wildlife made it worth it. I loved being able to spend time in all of the different areas of Glacier.
Canada:
Since St. Mary is so far away from decent stores and restaurants we had to spend time exploring the different areas and finding places to get groceries and to get out and have a good meal and see a movie.Kalispell is the closest place to where we were; only about 50 something miles but it took at least 2 hours to get there. There were two options: The Going to the Sun road which was the shortest but also took 2 hours because you can't go fast on that road and in June and July the traffic is pretty heavy. You can go through Browning and around but doubles the miles so it still takes at least 2 hours to get there.
Kalispell has a Five Guys and Chick Fil A which are good fast food places. They have an overpriced Walmart and we didn't realize the price difference until about our third trip over there. We made many trips to Kalispell but it really didn't save any money; it just gave us something to do.
Great Falls is a bit longer and we went there once and decided not to go back because it does take so long to get there. We will go through it on our way to our next destination though. Walmart was much cheaper over there.
We decided our favorite places to go were in Canada. Canada was only 20 miles from where we were and Lethbridge was about 1 1/2. Calgary was closer to 2 1/2 hours so we only went there once.
Waterton, Canada: This is actually part of Glacier National Park and although in Canada (you do need passports to cross over) it was a beautiful little town and national park area. They had some good restaurants over there and still pricey, we didn't mind the prices because the food was much better. It was always too cold for me to swim but there were some great swimming areas over there and a nice waterfall right in town. It took about an hour to get there.
Lethbridge, Canada: This was our favorite shopping place and while I am still unsure of their restaurants, I know they have some good ones. It was nice to go shopping, go see a movie and just enjoy the area. They have the World's tallest and longest train trestle bridge and a nice park near there.
