Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is located in Montana and is known for its majestic mountains, pristine lakes and unique wildlife. The park spans over a million acres and has over 700 miles of hiking trails. It is most known for its scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road. The park has bears, moose, mountain goats and more. You can take beautiful boat rides on several of the iconic lakes.
getting to Glacier National Park
The closest airport to Glacier National Park is the Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) in Kalispell Montana. You can rent a car to get around the area and drive yourself to the National Park. The drive from Glacier Park International Airport is 24 miles which is about 31 minutes and from Whitefish is about 27 miles or about 35 minutes to get to the west entrance to the park.
getting around
The best way to visit this national park is in your own private vehicle. You can drive through most of the park on paved roads. If you are flying to the area, you should rent a car. You could also join a day tour if you prefer not to drive. There is the famous Red Bus Tours however the west tours pick up from within the park. The eastern tours do pick up in St Mary’s outside of the park.
where to stay
When we went we stayed in Whitefish, Montana which is west of the park. It takes about 35 minutes just to get to the western entrance and 2 hours to get to Two Medicine/Eastern Glacier part of the park. Columbia Falls is a town that is a little closer to the western entrance of the park as well. If you want to take advantage of the park with minimizing driving time and don’t mind changing accommodation locations I would highly advise it. Getting to the eastern aspect takes a long time from the eastern town and especially if you want to go to Canada Waterton National Lakes Park or hiking the infamous Grinnell Glacier Trail it is worth spending at least one night on the eastern side.
when to visit
Glacier National Park is really best visited during the summer months because of its northern location and access to the Going-to-the-Sun Road is typically only open June-September this is peak season. If you are visiting between June 13-September 28 between 7 AM-3 PM you need a timed entry vehicle reservation and you will also need park entrance fee or Park Pass. If you book a boat tour or horseback tour that can be used for entry instead of vehicle reservation to gain access to area of the tour. Another option is to enter from the east as reservations not required going in that direction.
When we went it was just outside of timed vehicle reservation near the end of September. It was an ideal time to visit because we had less crowds and didn’t have to worry about reservations. The drawback to this time was we literally had one day left of the boat tours and it was only offered on Lake McDonald. We went the 2nd to last boat of the entire season! But if you want to do a boat tour check your dates because if you go too late in the shoulder season you may miss this!
fees
Glacier National Park charges an entrance fee. It is $20 per person, $30 per motorcycle and $35 per vehicle.
There is an annual park pass for Glacier which is $70.
America the Beautiful Annual Pass: $80 interagency pass good for one year from month purchased- I highly recommend this if visiting more than 3 parks in a year. You still need the reservation for the Going-to-the-Sun Road even if you have this pass.
There is a $2 fee for your vehicle reservation if you want to enter to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road between 7AM-3PM from the western entrance during peak season.
top things to do
Visit the visitor center
Glacier National Park has several visitor centers. The Apgar Visitor Center is on the west side of the park and the St. Mary Visitor Center is on the east side of the park which are open mid-May to mid-October. There is also the Logan Pass Visitor Center on the Going-to-the-Sun Road which is open during peak season. It is open daily 9 AM to 5 PM. Here you can get maps, ranger information and explore the bookstore.
Hiking
Glacier National Park is known for over 700 miles of epic hiking. Some of the top hikes include Hidden Lake Overlook, Avalanche Lake Trail, Trail of the Cedars, Grinnell Glacier Trail, Highline Trail, Upper Two Medicine Lakes, St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trail and so many more
Sunrise/SUNSET
Going for sunrise is an unforgettable experience. Some top places to catch sunrise include Sun Point on St. Mary Lake, Two Medicine Lake, Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake McDonald. Wild Goose Island Lookout is a great place to catch sunset.
Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road
Here you will get to stop along the road for some of the iconic views and hikes. The total drive is about 50 miles and winds through passes, crossing the Continental Divide with incredible viewpoints. Plan to take minimum 2.5-3 hours to drive with stops to take in the views.
Stargazing
You can catch incredible night sky either before sunrise, after sunset or if you spend a night camping in the park.
camping
There are 13 front-country campgrounds in Glacier National Park. Seven of these are reservation only while some are first-come, first-served. There are also campground options outside of the park,
Boating
Glacier National Park is known for its beautiful lakes. You can see these from the shore but you can also get a great take if you opt to do a boat tour. The Glacier Park Boat Company offers tours of Lake McDonald, Two Medicine Lake, St. Mary Lake and Many Glacier Lake. You can also rent boats or paddle boards.
Glaciers
The park is Glacier National Park for a reason and while you are here you should be able to see at least one glacier but there are several national parks that have easier access to glaciers especially in Alaska like Kenai Fjords and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. If you drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road you can see Jackson Glacier which is the easiest glacier to see in the park. Grinnell Glacier is a popular but challenging hike from the Many Glacier area. Salamander Glacier you can see as you drive into Many Glacier area.
