Comfort In Nature -- Take The Train To The Izaak Walton Inn For A Peaceful Retreat

Our grandparents were lucky: After boarding a train in any American city, they could ride in style to the very doorstep of a national park.

At the park they were greeted by an innkeeper who would whisk them by coach to a rustic yet luxurious lodge. Then began a series of delightful, unhurried choices. Would it be an evening of chatting with fellow travelers in the curio-decorated lobby, or a few hours reading in one's room, snuggled into the quilt-covered bed? Would the morning stroll be to an alpine lake or along the river? And would tonight's dessert be wild-berry cobbler or apple pie?

The wonderful, surprising truth is: We can still do this. The train is Amtrak's Empire Builder, the national park is Glacier, and the lodge is the Izaak Walton Inn in Montana.

It gets better: Thanks to Amtrak's current schedule, you can make this decadently relaxing journey in just a long weekend. Departing Seattle late Friday afternoon, you arrive near the inn on Saturday morning. A return departure Sunday evening puts you back in Seattle at mid-morning on Monday.

I've made this journey three times in the past two years, finding it delightful every time. And I've learned that in the off-seasons - spring and fall - the inn and the wilderness around it are as uncrowded as they were in our grandparents' day.

A tranquil retreat

The train climbs into the rugged mountain scenery of the Rockies then arrives at Essex, Montana, population of just 100 (and elevation of 3,860 feet). Someone from the Izaak Walton Inn (named after the great 17th-century British angler) greets guests and drives them the quarter-mile to the lodge.

As soon as you arrive at the inn, you'll likely begin feeling the effects of the inn's motto: A place where time stands still, and lets you catch up.

Built in the 1930s by the Great Northern Railroad in Swiss-Tudor style, the Izaak Walton has been lovingly refurbished (but not excessively modernized) by its current owners, Lynda and Larry Vielleux.

The wood-paneled guest rooms are spacious, comfortable and deliberately lacking phones or video contraptions. Hallways are lined with railroad and regional memorabilia. A crackling fire in the large, stone fireplace warms the rustic lobby, inviting you to linger in one of the oversized, pine-log armchairs.

The dining room is open continuously from early morning until late evening, and the chef is quite willing to cook the freshly caught trout of lucky anglers.

Yet the Izaak Walton is not just a place to lounge away the days and nights. As the inn proudly declares, it is surrounded by a million acres of wilderness. To the south are the Flathead National Forest and two wilderness areas; to the north is Glacier National Park. In summer there are miles of trails to be hiked; in winter, miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing routes.

I've found the inn to be most delightful in the "shoulder seasons" -spring (April and May) and fall (October and November). These are times when the inn and its environs are people-quiet and nature-rich. Nearby trails are neither full of hikers nor full of cross-country skiers. Nature puts on some of its loveliest faces, and wildlife can most easily be seen.

In spring I've watched deer struggle across the flood-swollen Flathead River and heard the eerie, warbled calls of varied thrushes newly arrived in migration. In fall I've savored the last of the year's huckleberries and marveled at the beauty of entire hillsides gone yellow with turning larches.

Weather can vary dramatically during these seasons. It may be 60 degrees, calm and sunny on a late April day. Or it may be 30 degrees with swirling snow. Take clothes for all occasions, but don't worry if you lack cross-country skis or snowshoes - the inn will rent them to you and even provide instruction if you wish.

Take a walk

My favorite walks in the Walton area are the short but steep climb to Kelsi's Butte (best without snow), the nearly level amble along the Middle Fork River Trail (best in snow) and the longer stroll along Ole Creek (good anytime).

From the butte there's a panoramic vista of the upper Flathead drainage, peaks and valleys. The river trail features closer views of the Middle Fork Flathead River from bluffs. Along the Ole Creek trail (in Glacier park) are lovely forests and meadows, rich with flowers and berries in season, plus a swinging footbridge suitable for Indiana Jones.

If you wish to wander further, the inn rents cars and arranges tours which allow exploration of other areas within and near Glacier National Park. Even the famous Going-to-the-Sun highway in Glacier can be enjoyed, from early summer through mid-fall, as a loop day-trip from the inn.

I always feel refreshed after a couple days at Izaak Walton, as if a week of relaxation has somehow happened in a weekend.

It's a tradition that, as the Empire Builder train passes within a few hundreds yards of the inn that the staff gathers on the front porch, waving and calling "Come back soon."

I've never needed much encouragement.

Gary Mozel has worked as a naturalist for Olympic National Park, Washington State Parks and Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.