Time for Montana’s #1 Dessert, Soon Without the Dust

If you want to taste the best pastry treat in all of Montana, it only seems fair that you should have to earn it.

And for years now, that's been exactly what you had to do to sample the incredible taste experience known as the Huckleberry bear claw on the North Fork of the Flathead River.

Reached only after an hour of (mostly) bone-jarring toil, pockmarked with potholes and tourists, acquiring one of the legendary treats has been a right of passage for Montana natives and visitors alike. A chance to live in heaven, savoring the sweet and the lofty views of the Livingston Range, but only after spending some time in Hell.

RELATED: More Delays This Summer at Glacier National Park

Now, that out-of-this-world experience will take on a different tone. One that's paved, and hopefully cuts the dust for the rest of us trying to reach the Nirvana that is the Polebridge Mercantile.

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A tasty tradition

Since Will Hammerquist and his partners took over the Merc nearly a decade ago, they've been successful in not only keeping the pastry process profitable but also expanding the legacy. There's the wonderful nature trail, and the upgrades, which included the careful renovation that saved the sagging building.

That meant hundreds of bear claws going out the door during the summer rush (best to get there early), but also an amazing selection of pies, scones, breads, and other treats that raise the worth of all those washboards.

Now, in a new location

The Merc team is working hard now to get a new "Mercantile" ready for opening on the east side of Glacier National Park. Located at the intersection of Highways 89 and 49, known as the Kiowa Junction, the new "Kyiyo Mercantile" promises to carry the same theme, without the dust, to the east side of the Divide.

The new building will have the same red and white theme and is already being welcomed by the business's Facebook fans, especially for bringing the treats to the east side.

The new mercantile is slated to open by Mother's Day.