Near Lake McDonald on the west side of the park, the 2.3-mile trail leading to Avalanche Lake is one of the best short hikes in Glacier National Park.Beginning from a busy parking area, the hike to Avalanche Lake immediately runs parallel to Avalanche Creek with great views of the icy, blue water carving its way through a canyon. This road trip is focused solely on those you can reach by … Glacier National Park offers hikes at all levels. Here are some ways to see Glacier in your RV. Here is a great post on RVing to Glacier National Park. Many places are off-limits to RVs. The drive from Apgar to St Mary’s is called the Going-to-the-Sun road and it is a must do when you visit Glacier. While everything along Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road is wonderful, there's a lot more to see and explore. From Kalispell, take Highway 2 north to West Glacier, turn left toward Going-to-the-Sun Road and Glacier National Park (approximately 33 miles). Sure, a longer trip will let you see, do, and hike a lot more – but let’s be real, we don’t all have unlimited vacation time, and a short getaway to Glacier National Park is one of the best ways to spend your weekend! In the mid to higher elevations, trails generally are under 100 percent snow cover in the spring. There’s a campground and several hiking trails branching off from the lake as well. And that’s just the beginning. The park’s central thoroughfare, Going-to-the-Sun Road, is a bucket-list drive for many of the park’s visitors, with dramatic cliffs, waterfalls and ample wildlife flanking the roadway. Where to Stay 16 miles to Whitefish. We have a separate post on best hikes, but here are a few of our top suggestions.. Stroll: Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail Short But Moderate Hike: Avalanche Lake (4.5 miles round trip, 730 ft elevation gain) Strenuous Hike: Cracker Lake Hike (12.6 miles round trip, 1400 ft elevation gain). ... You see the mountain on one side and a drop to Lake Saint Mary on the other. Follow this guide to find the best things to do in Glacier National Park in only 3 days. The park is open all year. For 50 miles, this road twists and turns through the … Glacier National Park Tip #2: Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Discover the best day hikes in Glacier National Park. A grizzly bear in Glacier National Park primarily eats berries, so smelling like a berry is not recommended! You can drive the road from west to east and back or you can turn it into a loop tour by driving the road from West Glacier to St. Mary and heading back to West Glacier via East Glacier Park … We designed the perfect 2-day Glacier National Park itinerary for folks with limited time to explore the park. For more than 100 years, visitors from around the world have been flocking to Glacier National Park to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experience. The best way to get there is through the East Glacier Park area off of Highway 49. Glacier Bay Lodge Many visitors pass through Glacier Bay National Park by cruise, but Glacier Bay Lodge is the perfect spot to stay a few days (3 is recommended). Day One: The Going-to-the-Sun Road. Timber Wolf Resort. The photos of this park speak for itself. If you have horse lovers in your family, a horseback ride can be an excellent way to see Glacier National Park. Follow it along the shores of the park’s largest lakes and wrap around cliffs as you make your way up to just under 7,000ft elevation at Logan Pass. Horseback Ride in Glacier National Park. To see glaciers before they're gone, take Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road to the spectacular Jackson Glacier Overlook, where you can spot one of the park's … Getting There & Gateways. Keep an eye out for these six fascinating animals. Glacier National Park is a stunning display of the geological processes that changed North America over the last billion years. Going-to-the-Sun Road. This full-day Alaska boat tour of the West Arm of Glacier Bay departs each morning from the dock in front of Glacier Bay Lodge. The best way to see Glacier Bay National Park on an Alaska cruise is on an unrivaled adventure with Princess. Best Things to do in Glacier National Park 1. Our unique itineraries take you past a mountainous landscape and across sweeping waters that are difficult to explore by foot. Most of Glacier National Park’s campgrounds are first-come, first-served, and many fill up early in the summer months. Best time to go to Glacier National Park Average weather of Glacier National Park, Canada. 5 Bear Safety Tips for Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks Take the advice of a former national park ranger and Counter Assault, the company that makes the longest range bear spray. The trail was somewhat-crowded in the middle of the day. We headed out on a cookout ride with Swan Mountain Outfitters which took place just outside of the West Glacier entrance. It’s stunning! The Many Glacier and Two Medicine regions of the park are also popular places to visit, offering abundant scenery and recreation along with visitor services. Crystalline lakes, meandering mountain goats, and fields of alpine wildflowers—Glacier National Park is the perfect summer 2020 getaway. The rock formations in the park are almost entirely sedimentary, laid down between 1600 to 800 million years ago when this area was an inland sea. It is 9 miles from the west sides entrance – which is the main entrance to Glacier National Park. ), alongside millions of stars at the world’s first Dark Sky Park to span an international border. One of the Crown Jewels of the National Park System, Glacier is a place of outstanding beauty. ... Another one of the hikes in Glacier best completed one-way using the park’s shuttle service. Some of the best things to see in Glacier National Park are the waterfalls. Has a small, but reasonably priced grocery store 1 minute away. For more information from the National Park Service, call 907-697-2230 or visit the Glacier Bay National Park website. 8:00 a.m. campsite selection & camp set up in Two Medicine Campground; Drive to Apgar park entrance on the west side of the park – 67 miles Glacier National Park was at the top of our RVing bucket list when we hit the road. If You Have Only 1 Day. However, Going-to-the-Sun Road, the main thoroughfare through the park, is only open during the summer months (typically from late June/early July through mid-October). Known as the Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park is truly a sight to behold. And you deserve to know some of the best things to do outside of Glacier National Park, because sharing is caring. If you have your eye on one of these campgrounds, make sure to get there well before checkout time at 12 p.m. MST for your best chance at getting a spot. Includes photos and a map! Spend your first day in Glacier National Park driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Proceed through Park entrance, turn right onto Going-to-the-Sun Road and proceed approximately 11 miles, turn left onto … But, given the vehicle size restrictions here, you need to plan ahead. Going-to-the-Sun Road is not only the most scenic drive in Glacier National Park, it’s also one of the most beautiful drives in the United States. Glacier National Park is split into East Glacier and West Glacier, connected by the 50 mile long Going-to-the-Sun Road. While you can easily drive your own vehicle, taking the free shuttle allows you to relax and enjoy the views more. Glacier National Park covers over 1 million acres, and you can feel it. The hike is a moderate hike with great views of Saint Mary Lake along the way. Glacier Park Red Bus Tours: Best way to see Glacier Park - See 1,006 traveler reviews, 490 candid photos, and great deals for Glacier National Park, MT, at Tripadvisor. If you’re planning a trip to the park, we hope this post can help you plan. 2:00 a.m. arrival to Glacier National Park; Sleep in the Two Medicine Lake parking lot until dawn; Day 2: Glacier National Park – West Glacier Region. Travelers said that late spring and early summer were the best times to see … Glacier National Park is known for its many ... bighorn sheep and mountain goats along the way. But there is SOOO much to see and do between Spokane and GNP, that this was by far the most economical, adventurous, and FUN plan. 1. Glacier National Park is in the northwest corner of Montana, on the Canadian border. Glacier National Park goes big in Montana – the park itself covers 1,583 square miles (1,012,837 million acres) and includes 762 lakes (131 named and 631 unnamed, the … Where to See Wildlife in Glacier National Park You’ll see more than incredible views when you visit Glacier. Established in 1910 as the eighth National Park in the US, Glacier National Park is one of the only places in the 48 continental states to see dozens of glaciers (did you know glaciers can cut through rock and shape mountains?! But, the best way to see the park is by high-speed catamaran. It was a great place to stay! The most convenient airport to Glacier National Park and Whitefish is the Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) located in Kalispell, MT (only 30 miles to the entrance). Two Medicine Lake is high on my list to visit next time. So that is why I included St. Mary Falls and Victoria Falls, the best Glacier National Park waterfalls. Finally, stay alert! Glacier National Park Insider Tip: Hiking trails on the edges of Glacier National Park tend to be snow-free quicker than towards the continental divide or middle of the park. If you have a limited amount of time to spend in Glacier, the best way to experience the park's full beauty is to drive Going-to-the-Sun Road, the 50-mile road that crosses the park between West Glacier and St. Mary. You’ll see in this post why it’s in our top ten list of favorite national parks! We spent 5 weeks work camping at Timber Wolf Resort. The U.S. National Park System technically consists of 59 parks, but 12 of them are in Alaska, Hawaii and other U.S. territories. While smelling like a huckleberry may be great for the Florida beaches, it is an absolutely wonderful way to attract grizzly bears from miles around when hiking in Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is known as one of the most beautiful parks in America for a reason! 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