Glacier NP- lottery system/general questions

Glacier National Park is my family's favorite vacation spot, I've made eight trips there. It used to be more of a hidden gem but the word has gotten out unfortunately and the park visitor numbers are through the roof.

The Going to the Sun Road has limited parking on it, which is why given the sharply higher number of visitors seen in recent years they decided to do a lottery system to limit the number of drivers on it for any one day. I think the cost is $2/day for the ticket. Even with this lottery system, you won't find a parking spot at Logan Pass between 8 AM- 5PM most summer days. They do have a bus shuttle system that I would recommend taking to avoid the parking nightmare. It makes stops at most of the main spots along the Going to the Sun Road (Avalanche Creek/ The Loop/ Logan Pass/Rising Sun/etc.).

Strongest recommendation would be to come visit Glacier in the September-early October timeframe to avoid the crowds. Beautiful fall colors, not near as many people, Going to the Sun road still open. So long as your kid's school schedule will allow it, it's a no brainer to visit in early fall instead of summer.

There is plenty to do in GNP and Whitefish for kids aged 3-10. No need to wait till they are older. Whitefish is more for fine dining and touristy shopping and what not.

Favorite hikes in the park:
Apikuni Falls
Highline Trail (must do on your first trip)
Iceberg Lake
Scenic Point
Siyeh Pass

If you want to ditch the kids, you should look into a fly fishing trip at the Spotted Bear Ranch. It's at the south tip of the Hungry Horse Reservoir, you have to drive 50 miles down a winding gravel road to get there, to give you a sense of how remote it is. 3 day packages there (including lodging/gourmet meals, etc) are about $2K per person I think. This is one great way to get away from the crowds.