Going to Glacier NP any tips?

Dont say “rub yoursef all over with bacon grease to test the bear spray…”

Get yourself a bowl of rice… :wink:

Jk

Make sure to pack for big temperature swings.

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Lucky, that’s a beautiful place.

All the major sights and hikes are on the Going to the Sun road. You need a reservation on that road in the Summer. If you get up very early you can drive it before they enforce the reservations.

I’d do one of the hike at the summit where the visitor center is. Lots of those cool looking mountain goats.

I also really liked the town of Kalispell near the West entrance. Quaint little town.

Just past the East entrance to the park is where the opening scene is for the Shining Movie. Where Jack Nicholson drives his VW. Very cool. Also there is a North East entrance to the park and a road that dead ends. Dont miss that if you can, its gorgeous.

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Wow! Thanks so much. Hope you get back there once again.

Whitefish is also great. I love driving Going to the Sun road. Unfortunately I went in 2021 when the East entrance region was still shutdown for the most part because of Covid protocols that the tribal government instituted.

Lake McDonald swimming was a delight as well

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My wife and I spent a week in/around Glacier in 2018 and could have stayed much longer. There is SO much to do. Others have mentioned Going to the Sun and hiking some of the trails. I cannot second that suggestion too highly. Work on the assumption that you will see bears, so be prepared. This time of year – cold weather comes early up there – they’re likely already fattening up for the winter hibernation and out and about. We went in mid-September, saw bears in multiple locations and were glad we brought heavy coats for the higher elevations.

We also enjoyed the side road, on the east side, into Many Glaciers Lodge. We didn’t stay there, because it typically requires reserving a room a year in advance. However, you can find other, excellent accommodations near either entrance. We stayed at the Izzac Walton Inn in Essex, St. Mary’s Lodge, just outside the east entrance, plus a night in Lethbridge, due to its proximity to Cardston, which may not be of any relevance to your plans. Both were rustic but wonderful, in part because they weren’t your cookie cutter hotels but instead oozed a century or more of use and TLC.

Just across the border is Waterton Lakes National Park and the fabulous Prince of Wales Hotel. The view of the hotel and Waterton Lake is worth the drive, all by itself. We didn’t stay there because it had just closed for the season. However, that’s a bucket list item for a future trip.

Have a great trip. Just writing this gets me a bit jealous. :slight_smile:

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My wife and I drove over Going to the Sun Highway (Logan Pass) in her MGB convertible sometime in the 70’s and I have been itching to go back ever since. I remember thinking it was a special bike ride, and I’ll plan to do it (soon) in the preseason, as the road is too busy, to narrow, and would be too dangerous if ascending it on a bike while there are a lot of motorists.

If I recall, it’s not really all that steep. I think most of the climbing is done in a little over 10 miles at a 6 or 7 percent grade, but it would be a great workout, on an spring morning, with spectacular views and a hell of fast ride back down :slight_smile:

I just put it on my TODO list for next spring - being retired, I’m finally catching up on all of those old wish list items :slight_smile: And now, my wife cycles too, so I’ll have company.

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Is it open by then? I thought it was usually around 4th of July for opening the road.

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Some great hikes. The one that starts at the top of road to the sun was our favorite. Avalanche lake is a beautiful short hike. Iceberg Lake is also a very pretty hike.

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I grew up about an hour and a half from Glacier and have spent a lot of time there over the years. Hiking and backpacking are the real prizes there if you are into those activities. There are boat cruises on Lake MacDonald and Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glacier. We used to camp at Many Glacier a lot when I was young. Going to the Sun Road from the East side doesn’t require reservations it seems. Logan Pass usually opens around the beginning of July depending on how much snow they get over the winter. I have been up there in late July and the Visitor Center was still snowed in so check the park website for opening status when you are planning to go. I always liked the East side by St Mary the best but other spots are great as well. If you are into backpacking, taking the route the goes through Ptarmigan tunnel and up to Goat Haunt on Waterton Lake goes through some spectacular backcountry. I would echo the suggestion to visit Waterton in Canada. I was just there again about a week ago and it is awesome. There are scars still from the fires in 2017 but Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Lake are both in good shape. There are a number of easy hikes there as well as one of the best hikes in the world up to Crypt Lake. There are also boat cruises on Upper Waterton Lake as well.

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We had an amazing time.
Hiked the Highline trail from Logan pass into the Granet Peak Chalet for two nights. Hit the Grennell Glacier Overlook trail the next day.
Saw tons of bear activity. Nothing up close and personal, but we were making a lot of noise. Assisted a group who had a severe shoulder injury from a mountain ram on the trail! That’s another story…
There was a mama grizz with 2 cubs next to (I mean next to) the Chalet on two occasions, but we weren’t there at the time.
What a wild, fantastic place!
You can trace the overlook trail on the left hand face that runs right up to the saddle. And all across the base of the rock face out to Logan on the right

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I would love to go back and do more. We visited after a week on an Alaska cruise, then a week in Vancouver, Banff, Calgary, Waterton and the family was tired of my ‘hikes’ so we drove GTTS road from East to West, stopping at a few spots and hiking Avalanche Lake. Would have loved to hike or even backpack Highline (I think it wasn’t quite open anyway - they had just opened GTTS road 2 days before we got there, phew!), but that’s a different planning than a long road trip.

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