This center is great! The bathrooms are pretty nice, and there are informational signs around if you want to read about the area and its wildlife. There's a trail behind the center that is well-maintained. Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed when I stopped by, but there was still plenty to do in the area. Peeking in the windows, it looks well stocked with things to buy and exhibits. I'll hopefully stop by when they're open next time! read more

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If those bathroom are open 24 seven. Why where they closed Thursday Oct 16 2025. There was alot of people wondering why. And your add said that store was opened. And each time I come it's closed. read more

Every time I go through here I love to stop at this visitor center it is very cozy the people are very sweet nice and knowledgeable and there is a huge selection of souvenirs, books or just about anything of knowledge that you could want for going on an adventure! There are bathrooms and vending machines and you can stroll around the property and surrounding forest looking for mushrooms rocks and other cool things. I went inside and purchased a postcard to send to my aunt and they gave me some cool free national park stickers and there is a stamp station which is free that you can use to stamp a paper with as a souvenir. I am sharing some photos of some of the roadside places right by this visitor center exclusively for yelp I hope you enjoy them!!! read more

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I have traveled through the Lolo pass a few times this summer, and each time I have stopped at the Lolo visitor center and rest area. Without a doubt this is one of the nicest rest areas I have seen. They have the cleanest, nicest restrooms ever seen at a rest area! There is also a very nice visitor center that had a little exhibit with info on the pass as well as Lewis and Clark. The Ranger was also very friendly and greeted everyone as they entered. Outside there is lots of parking for all sizes of vehicles. There is also many picnic tables and benches set in grassy areas with beautiful views. They have an awesome short hiking trail that does a loop. It is the perfect way to stretch your legs if needed. While gorgeous in the summer winter is a different story. The pass is closed a lot in the winter as they get usually get several feet of snow! read more

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Lolo Pass in winter can be a chilling place, at least at times like this. Morning temperatures this past Saturday were -13F at the parking lot, and definitely lower than that at the top of Granite Pass (5725 ft.), where wind gusts test the limits of your gear and break your willpower into little tiny and very frozen pieces (I'm not Roald Amundsen, for God's sake). At temperatures this low, everything is different: the sound your poles make when they hit the frozen ground; the refraction of sunlight off of snow-blasted pine trees; the intense blue of Bitterroot Mountain sky. Of course, you can't see much if your sunglasses are frozen over and you've covered most of your exposed skin with layers of clothing to avoid the onset of frostbite. This isn't exactly a casual skiing outing, not with wind chills that surely reach into the -30s at the exposed Granite Pass ridgeline. But for sheer natural immersion, it's an experience hard to beat Good thing that the Visitor Center opens at 7:30 am (PST), so that you have a warm place to recover. Herbal teas, coffee, and hot chocolate for a donation, maps, gifts, and holiday music playing in the background, it's got undeniable charm. After a few hours in that frigid air, being able to sip tea and change into dry clothes is a massively good thing. Dedicated USFS staff make this all possible, along with road crews who keep US-12 from becoming an icy and snowbound mess (http://rwis.mdt.mt.gov/scanweb/lolo.shtml). Think of it as extreme outdooring, with an herbal tea and Christmas music bonus. And the best part is that it's shockingly inexpensive ($5 parking fee after 12/14), and publicly accessible. Even dogs are welcome on the West side, assuming they don't mind the minus Fahrenheit temperatures. The snowshoe trail also would be great for a winter adventure (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/lolo-pass-vistor-center-lolo?select=45Qzpmgi3al7x9VvhLdvag#45Qzpmgi3al7x9VvhLdvag). A frigid morning blast of subzero Lolo Pass winter, washed down with warm spiced tea (Montana Tea and Spice Co.), with time afterward to get fresh kale, eggs, apples, and potatoes at the Heirloom Winter Market at the Missoula fairgrounds (an indoor market, obviously), fresh-roasted Colombian Geisha coffee (from Black Coffee), and a superb dry German Riesling for under $20 (2012 Dönnhoff Estate, from Good Foods)? If only Lewis and Clark could be here right now, to share it all with me: oh, sweet Lolo, the times we would have. read more

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