re: Favorite National Park?

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Going to glacier this summer with the family, where should we camp? We tent camp and will do the entire week in tents.

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That really depends on what you want to do while here. The east side is more open prairie with scenic viewpoints while the west is more lush and forest covered. With that being said, one of the most photographed spots in the park is of the Livingston range on the west side beyond Lake McDonald. You could stay a single night at Apgar and rent kayaks or a canoe.



My recommendation is stay a few nights at a frontcountry campground on both sides. Maybe stay at Avalanche for a couple nights in the west and then shift to St mary or Many Glacier in the east for the rest of your stay so you see most of the park. It also just depends on what you wanna do while here.... the west is accessible to the towns like Columbia Falls, Coram, and Whitefish (where I live). But the east has the best day hiking and backpacking in the park.

Other options for camping are staying at Bowman Lake or Kintla Lake on the north Fork side (less crowds). And for low crowds in the east look into camping at Cut Bank campground and hiking to triple divide peak. You won’t regret it!


Your biggest obstacle is that frontcountry camping at Glacier is 90% first come first serve. There are exceptions for Fish Creek, St Mary and Many Glacier campgrounds (the reservations fill up quick!) In order to reserve for these you have to make plans no sooner than 6 months and no closer to 3 days in advance.