Rawhide sold to Swan Mountain Outfitters

The Rawhide Trading Post near West Glacier has changed hands. Swan Mountain Outfitters bought the restaurant from owner Lynn Mackie at the end of August, said Aubrie Lorona, a co-owner of Swan Mountain.

Swan Mountain bought the horseback tour portion of the Rawhide business back in 2011, and at that time, they had the right of first refusal if Mackie decided to sell the restaurant and the property.

Mackie initially found a buyer from North Dakota, Lorona explained, so Swan Mountain had to make a decision rather quickly.

Lorona said they haven’t decided on how to develop the business at the Rawhide or if the restaurant will even stay. Right now, they’re having a liquidation sale of items that were in the restaurant, which also included an extensive gift shop.

Swan Mountain is a family-run business that was started in 2004. It offers guided horeback rides in Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. In the winter months, it offers snowmobile tours in the Hungry Horse/Glacier View district of the Flathead National Forest as well at Crane Mountain in the Swan Lake Ranger district.

Lorona said Swan Mountain will take the next few months to “make a good decision” on how to proceed with the Rawhide property. The restaurant is in a prime location on U.S. Highway 2 about a mile from the West Glacier townsite.