Glacier National Park - Need Help Planning

Look into Somers, Whitefish, or Columbia Falls for places to stay. Whitefish will have a lot of dining options.

I’ll have to check, but you will need a pass to enter Going-to-the-Sun Road a couple months prior at least.

My wife and I went last summer and hiked…

Hidden Lake (favorite scenery)
Avalanche Lake (the end opens up to a big lake with mountain streams in the background)
St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trail

We wanted to do Grinnel Glacier, but you need to lodge at Many Glacier Hotel to get access to the trailhead, or be prepared to get out there at 4am.

I can come back later for more specifics, but I would start off there.

Oh, and rent a canoe for an hour or 2 at Lake McDonald.

Friend,


Glacier is one of the most beautiful spots in America. We find that flying into Missoula, which is about 2.5 hours away, is the easiest way to get there.


Unfortunately, you are asking lodging questions a month after NPS lodges began taking reservations for your trip. Without question the two places you want to stay are Many Glacier Hotel and the Lake McDonald chalet, both are operated by Xanterra through the NPS. Only make such reservations at the official website, LINK because there are unscrupulous companies out there that pretend to have NPS lodging reservations, charge you for their service, and then stick you at a motel outside the park.


On the positive side of lodging, if you check that website daily, you will almost certainly find availability for your trip. We have never stayed anywhere but inside Glacier, either at Many, Lake McDonald or Granite Park Chalet and Sperry Chalet, the latter two which require a hike at which to arrive. I would do what you can to stay inside the park. It is how the park is meant to be visited, puts you in the center of things, and helps you avoid traffic.


Glacier is a fairly large national park, and it has three primary nodes: Lake McDonald, Two Medicine Lakes, and Many. I would not recommend moving between any two on a daily basis, especially in the height of tourist season. I would spend two nights at Lake McDonald and the rest of them at Many, as Many is among the three most beautiful spots in America and the chalet there is beautiful and quite comfortable. If you plan on spending more than a good hike at Two Medicine, you could stay at a motel in East Glacier Park, which is something we have never done.


If you like hiking, do all you can to stay at either Granite Park or Sperry Chalet. Those have been part of my favorite experiences at Glacier. But be forewarned: the bears are a problem at Glacier. Be careful, make noise, and petition your Congressmen and women to have bears eradicated from our national parks. They are violent and they hunt humans. I was nearly mauled by one once and I will forever hate bears.


Yours,
TulaneLSU

Check the park website for how they operate as I don’t think the daily reservation pass to is still valid. Note you can only park at Logan pass visitor center for 3hrs. That lot is your direct access to hidden lake trail which is a 3ish mile hike. Other hiking options really depend on your family’s ability to some degree. Highline trail to the glacier overlook is 16ish miles round trip and decent amount of elevation change and fully exposed if it is a warm day. This also starts at Logan pass but you’ll have to shuttle with the 3hr limit unless you just go for a few miles and turn around. East side of the park you have iiceburg and cracker lake.
I’d look for Airbnb maybe in Columbia falls that way your b/w the west park entrance and whitefish. Rental car availability has been a problem in the past which then dictates where you fly into. Kalispell is close then you can look at Missoula and great falls.

We rented a cabin (5 star) between Columbia Falls and the Parks West entrance. We found it on VRBO and it was on Spoon Lake....Great location.

Flew into Spokane WA it was about 5 hours ish drive but the airfares (SWA), and car rentals were good. Columbia falls had everything needed for your stay. In the park plus restaurants. Whitefish really is awesome to visit but its a drive to get to West entrance...If there is a lot of visitors then its hard to get in park and then park when you are in it...Early entrance is important.

Had the grandkids 6 and 9 when we went. Glacier rafting, trip down the Flathead, some of the tour boats on the lakes, red bus through Going to the Sun Road, visit Many Glacier....Hikes in the park......Drive to Polebridge

Outstanding place to visit there's other things to do but remember cel phones are almost useless in park. Get All trails and figure out how to download things. We have been three times over the last 6 years .

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I was looking at staying a night or two here just for the experience. Just cant decide if I should do so towards the end of my trip or at the start. Leaning towards end, if I can get a room as we are behind on that side of things.

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We stayed here 3 nights in the beginning of our trip and then did two nights in whitefish in an Airbnb. We preferred this as it was nice to relax with some creature comforts after hiking hard for days, especially with a pregnant wife. Highly suggest grinnel glacier trail, high line trail, and driving the whole going to the sun road if it’s open. Avalanche lake is a nice easy one as well.

I’m not sure if park reservations have changed, but you used to have to make them a year in advance to the day to snag a room at many glacier hotel. Also, watch out for grizzlies! One of the trails we wanted to hike was closed because of aggressive bear activity in the area.

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So when should I start booking stuff? If we want to rent a VRBO, what areas should we look at? Where to avoid? When's the best time to book flights for this? Any weird things that I would need to book months in advance due to limited availability?

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Two years ago some family members and I rented this propertry just outside Whitefish and a five minute walk from Whitefish Lake. It was very quiet and remote but we were five minutes from downtown Whitefish and about 45 mins to the West Glacier entrance to the park. I highly recommend. There are a ton of similar properties out there on the site.

Scouts Retreat