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Eating Huckleberries and Hiking Glacier National Park in Kalispell, Montana with Jillian

Best things to do in Kalispell Montana Jillian Johnsrud Lawrence Park

Jillian in Lawrence Park


I’m really excited to interview Jillian Johnsrud of JillianJohnsrud.com about Kalispell, Montana. Jillian’s tips for the best things to do in Kalispell are awesome because she loves the outdoors and the small-town life offered here. Growing up, Kalispell and the surrounding areas are where she felt most like herself as a kid.

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Best things to do in Kalispell Montana Jillian Johnsrud Flathead Lake

Jillian and kids at Flathead Lake

Kalispell, Montana

Kalispell is one of the small towns surrounding Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is a popular tourism destination with 1,583 square miles of wilderness and more than 700 miles of hiking trails. Kalispell is in the center of Flathead Valley. It has a charming downtown shopping district with craft breweries and distilleries and dozens of restaurants offering unique Montana flavors. Huckleberries are very popular in Montana, so be sure to try some huckleberry candy, pie, or any of the other unique eats featuring this local treasure.

We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Discover Kalispell, the local convention and visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.

If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.

Best things to do in Kalispell Montana Jillian Johnsrud Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park

Jillian and family at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park

Getting around Kalispell

The local airport is Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) which is about 10 miles from Kalispell.

Jillian says that you need to rent a card when visiting Kalispell and Glacier National Park. If you need to rent a car, click here for the best offers from Avis, Budget, or Hertz. Uber and Lyft are good ways to get around town as well.

Some visitors also take Amtrak to visit Glacier. Don’t make my mistake and get off the train at West Glacier. Plan your train ride to get off at Whitefish instead. It is a much bigger city with more amenities year-round.

Best things to do in Kalispell Montana Jillian Johnsrud Downtown Whitefish

Jillian and her husband in Downtown Whitefish

Places we talked about on the podcast

Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Jillian Johnsrud about Kalispell, Montana. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.

  • Red dots = best places to eat in Kalispell, Montana
  • Green dots = best things to do in Kalispell, Montana
  • Yellow dots = best places to stay in Kalispell, Montana

Who is Jillian Johnsrud?

Jillian Johnsrud is a personal finance and life coach who became financially independent at the age of 32. She travels the world speaking at conferences, coaching people 1-on-1, hosting retreats, and is an expert in the media. Jillian helps clients build a lifestyle that perfectly reflects their values, passion, and purpose. Her website JillianJohnsrud.com shares free resources to help you do the same, even if you don’t become a client.

In 2020, Jillian launched the Everyday Courage podcast to share inspirational stories using insights and humor from her professional and personal experiences.

Best things to do in Kalispell Montana Jillian Johnsrud by lake

Here are a few articles that she’s written:

You can connect with Jillian at her website and on Twitter, Facebook, InstagramYouTube, and LinkedIn

Big thanks to today’s podcast partner – Bluffworks

This episode is brought to you, in part, by Bluffworks. Whether I’m traveling for business or pleasure, it’s important to have clothes that make me look good AND feel great. I wear Bluffworks jeans, slacks, dress shirts, and blazers because they’re wrinkle-free and are designed for the modern traveler. And if they get dirty, a quick spin in the washing machine and they’re good as new.

Go to WeTravelThere.com/bluffworks and use the promo code from the image below to save 10% off your order. There are many styles to fit your needs so you can stay wrinkle-free when you travel.

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Stay tuned for our next episode

Best things to do in Lafayette Louisiana Toby Dore on stepsListen to the next episode when Toby Dore of CajunTraveler.net shares where to get the best gumbo in Lafayette, Louisiana. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.

What’s your favorite part of Kalispell, Montana? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!

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To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.