There’s an unexpected mecca at the end of a long gravel road along the western side of Glacier National Park. The drive — long, slow, often bumpy and dusty — is worth it. First, you’ll lose cell service. Then you’ll wind along the North Fork Flathead River. The craggy Apgar Range will come into view. And finally, a sign for the tiny hamlet of Polebridge, Montana, appears.

Polebridge is the gateway to the northwestern entrance of Glacier National Park. It’s home to roughly 150 to 200 year-round residents, thousands of tourists each summer, and a few special businesses that feed every hungry mouth. No joint better reflects the spirit of Montana summer quite like Northern Lights Saloon, a long-standing bar, restaurant and music venue that’s succeeded despite the challenges of running such a rural watering hole. 

A sign welcoming visitors to Polebridge, Mont., right outside Glacier National Park.

The saloon has had many storied owners; today, it belongs to Austin Wallis and her wife Katie Griffis, who’ve made it their own with an emphasis on arts, music and community. It’s a place to listen to a bluegrass band, watch a puppet show or shop at a flea market on the edge of the wild. After all, the Northern Lights Saloon describes itself as “closer to a grizzly bear than a Starbucks.” And while your chances to see its celestial namesake don’t rival a place like Iceland or Alaska, the lack of light pollution and proximity to the Canadian border means some lucky visitors could even see the Northern Lights. 

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I met Wallis one early summer morning before the saloon opened for the day. We sat under the shade of a soaring maple tree,........

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