Snow Bear Chalets is a collection of three magical luxury treehouses and seven brand-new, under construction “penthouse” chalets, located ON Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort’s Hope Slope and all 100% ski-in/ski-out. With no parking lots or treacherous staircases to deal with, you can ski to Chair 3 from any of the chalets and hit the slopes in under a minute! Hope Slope – is the first to open each season and a great option for night skiing on Whitefish Mountain. Plus, in the summer season, you’re only steps away from the mountain’s main mountain biking trailhead, connecting you to hundreds of miles of prime trails.
Whether you enjoy a treehouse or a new chalet, each has breathtaking mountain and wooded views, with beautiful, highly functional living spaces, comfortable bedrooms and a large balcony with outdoor dining and private hot tub. All summer and winter resort amenities are within easy walking/skiing distance, including bars, restaurants, shops, etc.
There’s nothing like Snow Bear on any ski mountain in the US. Ponderosa Chalet sleeps 6 and is our highest in demand with its unparalled slopeside location. Tamarack is identical to Ponderosa and less than 30 feet from the slope. Cedar is our largest chalet and great for groups, as it sleeps 10. The seven new chalets feature three 3-bedroom and four 2-bedroom chalets, ranging from six to nine guest occupancy. Each Snow Bear Chalet is available for a 3 night minimum, depending upon the season, or for rent by the week during the holidays. Book from one to ten chalets and sleep up to 80 guests!
Snow Bear is not for everyone. It’s literally the ultimate in luxury living for those who choose a unique, decadent holiday experience. If you’re ready to be spoiled on a gorgeous mountain escape, you’ve found the right place!
About the Area
Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort was rated #3 by Ski Magazine of their best ski resorts in all of North America for 2019! Additionally, Whitefish and Glacier National Park were names on TIME Magazine’s list of the top 52 places you must see in 2019! From December to mid April, the mountain is a winter wonderland with an average snowfall of 335″. With 3000 skiable acres, Whitefish Mountain is the 14th largest ski area in the United States. The mountain has a mid-range vertical of 2,353 feet, making it great for skiers of all abilities. And, with more than 100 trails, there’s plenty of room for everyone, so the lifts are fast and the lines are short to non-existent.
Whitefish Mountain is also gorgeous in the summer! Ranked #1 among Whitefish attractions on Trip Advisor, Scenic Lift Rides are a must do in the summer. Choose from an enclosed gondola or open chairlift, then sit back and enjoy the mountain scenery as well as views of Whitefish Lake, the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park on the ride to the summit. Once at the summit, enjoy 360-degree views before returning down the mountain or spend some time up top. One of our favorite things to do is to take the chairlift to the summit, then hike the 6.5 miles back down the trail right to Snow Bear. Ziplines, “Walk in the Treetops” high-line treetop walk, the alpine slide and other attractions also delight visitors in the summer.
Snow Bear is just minutes away from Whitefish Lake. Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and created by a melted glacier, Whitefish Lake spans 3,315 acres and is seven miles long. Tourists and locals enjoy year-round activities at Whitefish Lake. During the warm summer months, boating, swimming, fishing and hiking entice visitors to the lake and its surrounding areas. On the north and west sides of the lake where the shoreline is less developed, anglers can fish for several kinds of lake trout, northern pike and more. Public use areas for anglers and swimmers include Les Mason Park, City Beach and Whitefish Lake State Park, a 10-acre park with a campground. Golfers can enjoy the Whitefish Golf Course, a public course that boasts being the only 36-hole complex in the state!
About 10 minutes from Snow Bear, you’ll find the authentic mountain town of Whitefish, with a population of about 6,000. The town’s laid back atmosphere makes this tight-knit community a happy and warm place to visit. Here you’ll find abundant snow and warm smiles, setting the scene for a unique vacation experience—a five-star town in the heart of the Rocky Mountain wilderness near Glacier National Park.
Open year-round, the World Heritage Site of Glacier National Park is just 25 miles from Whitefish. Summer is picture-perfect time to explore its hanging valleys and emerald peaks. Fish a clear mountain stream, hike an alpine trail, or embark on a historic driving tour of the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road. More than 700 miles of well-marked trails provide an incredible variety of hiking to explore mountain lakes, glaciers, plant life, and glimpses of the full-time residents such as grizzly and black bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, deer, and more.
Getting Here
Airline service at Glacier Park International Airport is provided by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air. Cities with year-round service include Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Additional cities with seasonal service include Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland. Visit iflyglacier.com for a current listing of connected airports.
We were fortunate to find the last lot available at Whitefish Mountain Resort and because it was SO special, we knew we had to offer something different than all of the “box” condos on the mountain. We love to create unique experiences for our guests, and Snow Bear Chalets is no different.
They were specifically designed as storybook chalets, as usually something this special can only be found in fairy tales or in our dreams! We love the trees on property and decided to build around them and in them rather than cut them down, to keep the beauty of the land intact. The only way to keep the majority of the trees was to go up – so we built our chalets as “treehouses”, cantilevered off of Winter Lane, with a picturesque bridge leading the way into your luxurious chalet. We’re so excited and grateful to share them with you!
– Gail Lynne Goodwin
About Whitefish
Whitefish is appropriately named for the whitefish that the Indians fished from the lake many years ago. In the mid to late 1800s a few settlers came to what is now Whitefish, but the town was not officially established until the early 1900s when the Great Northern Railway decided to build through the area. Trains still pass through the town today, and train tracks on Whitefish Lake’s west side serve as a trail to the shoreline for anglers. The Whitefish Railway Depot, built in 1927, is one of the busiest Amtrak stops in the Northwest. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.
Our authentic mountain town is built on the personalities, charm and wisdom of its local residents who work hard and play harder. Every winter the hearty residents band together to welcome visitors with celebrations like the Whitefish Winter Carnival, complete with a home-town parade, penguin plunge, yetis, vikings, snow sculptures, and non-stop parties. Horses and skiers unite in the Ski Joring races that illustrate the cross-over of the Old West with modern-day adventures!
About Montana Bear Properties
Gail and Darryl live in Whitefish, Montana and through their company, Montana Bear Properties, share their unique properties with guests from all over the world.
They acquired their first “bear” property, Dreaming Bear Lodge in Whitefish, in 2009. Since then, the family has grown to include Glacier Bear Retreat, their 5-star private rental, built INSIDE Glacier National Park in 2013. They built the three treehouses at Snow Bear Chalets in 2017 bringing an incredible luxury option to Whitefish Mountain Resort – true ski-in, ski-out treehouse chalets! Their latest project, is the expansion at Snow Bear, adding 7 additional luxury vacation rentals adjacent to Snow Bear Chalets, opening fall 2020. Reservations are being accepted now.
Their philosophy is that life is too short to be ordinary – and that especially extends to vacation time. Gail and Darryl strive to build and operate properties of exceptional quality, that provide ultimate luxuries to create an unparalleled holiday experience.
