Apgar Village

Glacier National Park


Supporting little more than a couple of lodges, a gift shop or two, a recommended outdoor gear outfitter and a restaurant with an adjoining window for ice cream and shakes to go, this collection of tourist facilities sits quietly on the southern shores of Lake McDonald. Dimon Apgar, for whom the settlement is named, built the first road from Belton to the lake in 1895, allowing a handful of early homesteaders to establish themselves on Salish and Kootenai tribal territory.

A fire destroyed much of the early settlement in 1930, but it spared the original schoolhouse, dating from 1915, which is now a gift shop. Nearby, the tiny Discovery Cabin (1929) acts as an activity center for children. Junior ranger programs start here at 9am and 1pm in July and August.


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