Delicious Dinner at the Northern Lights Saloon, Montana

Numerous folks suggested we eat dinner at the rustic Northern Lights Saloon in tiny Polebridge, Montana, by the western border of Glacier National Park.

Next to the landmark Polebridge Mercantile, the Northern Lights is well worth the 15-mile drive on a dirt road. Our rib eye steak dinner was delicious. I recommend going early — we got there at 5:30 p.m. and an hour later, the place was full. Polebridge is roughly 35 miles north of Columbia Falls on County Highway 486 (also called Outside North Fork Road), a mile west of the park's Camas Creek entrance. (The drive is not recommended for RVs.)

From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, the kitchen at the Northern Lights Saloon (255 Polebridge Loop) is open from 4-9 p.m. daily as well as 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Off-season hours vary, but the restaurant is generally open 5-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

To learn more, call 1-406-888-5669. For more information about the Polebridge Mercantile, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.