Western Montana is winter activity country

Western Montana is known as “glacier country,” and it comes to life this time of year.

For snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, Glacier National Park is a winter wonderland – minus the crowds of summer.

Or warm up from the cold in hot springs, like the one at historic Symes Hot Springs Hotel & Mineral Baths

Skiers and snowboarders can take their pick of resorts. Big Mountain Resort, just north of Whitefish, has an average snowfall of 300-plus inches. Its amenities include new handicapped-accessible features such as a wheelchair ramp, wheelchair availability and new parking spaces in the village reserved for guests with disabilities.

Just west of Flathead Lake, Blacktail Mountain has ski instruction and runs for all levels, with $30 lift tickets, $13 for kids.

The Montana Snowbowl near Missoula offers 950 acres of deep, powdery bowls and 2,600 vertical feet for skiers and snowboarders.

Snowbowl’s Gelandesprung Lodge offers ski-in and ski-out accommodations. The Snowbowl Cup Gelande Championship, Feb. 26 and 27, will feature athletes performing stunts on a natural terrain jump.

At Lost Trail Powder Mountain in the Bitterroot Mountains, you’ll find a 2.5 mile-long run.

At Lookout Pass, on the Montana/Idaho border, you can ski in two different states at the same resort, and enjoy two terrain banks and a 1,111-foot quarter pipe.

Check out the nearby Silver Dollar Bar, where the walls are covered with real silver dollars.

Amtrak trains stop at Libby, Whitefish, West Glacier, Essex and East Glacier, and there are daily flights into Missoula and Glacier Park International Airport.

For more information, go to www.glacier.visitmt.com or call (800) 338-5072.