Sperry Chalet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sperry Chalet |
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| General information | |
| Status | Rebuilt |
| Elevation | 6,560 ft (2,000 m) |
| Owner | National Park Service |
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Sperry Chalet
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Sperry Chalet - The initials under the gable are "GNRy," for Great Northern Railway
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 Location in Montana
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | West Glacier, Montana |
| Built | 1913 |
| Built by | Great Northern Railway |
| Architect | Cutter & Malmgren |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000115 |
| Added to NRHP | August 2, 1977 |
Sperry Chalet is a special building in Glacier National Park, Montana. It's about seven miles east of Lake McDonald. The Great Northern Railway opened it in 1914. It's considered a very important historical building. Sperry Chalet and Granite Park Chalet are the only two old chalets left in the park's backcountry. They are managed by Belton Chalets, Inc.
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Getting to Sperry Chalet
You can only reach the chalet by trail. You can hike or ride a horse to get there. One path is the Sperry Trail. It starts at the Lake McDonald Lodge parking lot. This trail is 6.7 miles long. It climbs 3,200 feet up to the chalet. Along the way, you can see amazing U-shaped valleys. You can also take a side trip to Sperry Glacier. This extra hike is 4 miles each way.
Another way to reach the chalet is the Gunsight Trail. This trail is 12.1 miles long. It starts from the Jackson Glacier Overlook. This overlook is on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. This longer hike usually takes about 9 hours.
What Sperry Chalet Looks Like
The chalet is tucked away in a glacial cirque. A cirque is a bowl-shaped valley made by a glacier. The chalet has two main buildings from the old Great Northern Railway days. One is a two-story hotel building. The other is a kitchen and dining room building. There is also a separate restroom building.
The hotel building was finished in 1913. It was built with rough stone walls. This gave it a strong, rugged look. It had a large, pointed roof with two windows sticking out on each side. The kitchen building was finished earlier, in 1912. It also has stone walls, but with smaller stones. Its roof is also pointed, but lower.
Staying at the Chalet
Sperry Chalet offers traditional meals. Guests can enjoy dinner, breakfast, and a packed lunch for their hikes. You can also buy lunch in the dining room. The guest rooms are private. However, because it's in the backcountry, there is no electricity or heat. There is running water available at the restroom building.
The 2017 Fire and Rebuilding
On August 31, 2017, a wildfire called the Sprague Fire reached Sperry Chalet. The hotel building caught fire. The wooden parts inside burned away, leaving only the stone walls. Luckily, the other buildings nearby were saved.
After the fire, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior said rebuilding Sperry Chalet was a top goal. Engineers quickly checked the stone walls. They planned how to make them strong for winter. A special fund was set up to help with the rebuilding. Work began in October 2017 to support the stone walls. Supplies were brought in by helicopter.
The National Park Service decided to rebuild the chalet. They used the original stone walls. The new building looks almost exactly like the old one. Only small changes were made to meet modern building rules. The rebuilding work happened during the summers of 2018 and 2019. Dick Anderson Construction led the project.
Sperry Chalet reopened to guests on July 18, 2020. This was the first time since the fire. You can now make reservations online each January for the summer season.
Images for kids
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A sign at the campground located beside the Sperry Chalet
