Getting Here
Plan your trip to Great Northern Powder Guides
Winter Driving Guide
Reaching Great Northern Powder Guides (8955 US-93, Olney, MT 59927) is quick and easy. From downtown Whitefish, it’s about a 25-minute drive north on US-93. Coming from Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), expect a 45–50 minute total trip via Whitefish before continuing north. Winter roads are plowed regularly, but conditions can change fast—snow, ice, and low visibility are common. We recommend a 4WD or AWD vehicle with proper winter tires and checking Montana 511 for road updates before heading out.
Flying Here
Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) in Kalispell is the main access point to Whitefish and our basecamp. With year-round flights from major U.S. hubs like Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Chicago (plus seasonal winter service from even more cities), getting here couldn’t be easier. Grab a rental car, head north to Whitefish, and before you know it, you’ll be loading the cat for your first run.
Guest Shuttles
All our multi-day package guests receive free round-trip shuttles from Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) in Kalispell or downtown Whitefish as required to our lodging. Just let us know and we’ll handle the rest.
Travel Times from The Ranch, our base for multi-day trips:
- 15 minutes from GNPG’s snowcat basecamp
- 5 minutes from downtown Whitefish
- 15 minutes from Whitefish Ski Resort
- 20 minutes from Glacier Park International Airport
Transportation from Bar W Guest Ranch
Staying in or near Whitefish and don’t want to make the full drive to our ski basecamp? We’ve got you covered.
Day-trip guests can meet at Bar W Guest Ranch, located just 10 minutes from downtown Whitefish, and catch our free shuttle to the Great Northern Powder Guides basecamp. It’s an easy, stress-free way to start your day of cat skiing, and you can leave the winter driving to us.
Shuttle details:
- Free parking available at Bar W Guest Ranch
- Arrive: 7:30 a.m.
- Shuttle departs: 7:45 a.m. from the Ranch to GNPG basecamp
- Return: 4:30–5:00 p.m. with après-ski happy hour and snacks included
So whether you’re staying downtown or just passing through Whitefish, you can park, ride, and relax — we’ll get you to the powder and back safely.
Extend Your Trip
We love Whitefish! Just 5 minutes from the Ranch, or 25min from GNPG basecamp, this is a great addition to any cat ski vacation. Whitefish Mountain Resort offers a fantastic warm-up before your cat ski trip. Or spend a few days hitting the hill afterwards. The cat/resort combo makes a great ski adventure. Contact us for reccos on some of Whitefish’s great eating and drinking establishments.
