Glacier National Park in early June?

[DaveNV]

So our Glacier NP trip is two weeks away. The Park's website says the Going To The Sun Road plowing is not going well, due to late-season snows and avalanche dangers. (Although I don't know if the website is up to date.) But I'm thinking it's not likely to be open for driving during the week we'll be there.

Does anyone who has experienced this situation have any advice to share? How best can we see the park if we can't reach the primary feature? Other than some easy hiking, what other options do we have? We're staying the week at Glacier Wilderness Resort.

Dave

 

[Laurie]

21 miles of it are open, that's something, and more will probably be open during your stay...

You can check status of other roads here (you probably already know this):
http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm

The Many Glacier area is beautiful, the map shows another road open there (I'm not sure what you'll see and what you'll miss.).

The Avalanche Lake hike is a good one, trail could still be under snow but looks like you can get to the beginning of it. Bring boots and snowpants...

With any luck you'll be there right after the road opens. We got to drive Grossglocker High Alpine Pass in Austria a day or 2 after opening, when the plows were still going. It was absolutely amazing to watch them, and the miles and miles of pristine landscape was even more so.

What's too bad is you're apt to miss some of the best walking trails, such as the one at Logan Pass, but that just means you'll have to go back! There's a lot to see at Glacier, and 2 weeks isn't too many. In the meantime, I'm sure the park HQ will have lots of info on best trails that are accessible.

 

[DaveNV]

Hi Laurie. Thanks for the good ideas. I've been closely watching that website, and that status hasn't changed in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping it gets better. I was at Glacier about 15 years ago in the height of Summer, so remember all there was to see and do. Problem is, if the Park is still snow packed this year, we're wondering what can we still enjoy doing. We're trying to develop a contingency plan.

Living in the Pacific Northwest and having just gotten through a terribly wet and extra-snowy Winter, hiking a snowed-in trail isn't really an option. LOL!

Dave

 

[Laurie]

In that case... Flathead Lake is pretty, and the Bison preserve nearby.

Eat pie at the restaurant on the road between St Mary and Many Glacier area - I think it's Park Cafe.

Did you do any of the boat tours at Glacier? We did one at Many Glacier, to a trail + hike tho. I looked more closely at the map, and that separate road is definitely how we accessed that park HQ and tour, so at least that boat should be running. Lake Macdonald I'm sure has a boat...

Glacier Wilderness Resort has a beautiful waterfall on site, but maybe snow on the trail.

 

[DaveNV]

In that case... Flathead Lake is pretty, and the Bison preserve nearby.

Eat pie at the restaurant on the road between St Mary and Many Glacier area - I think it's Park Cafe.

Did you do any of the boat tours at Glacier? We did one at Many Glacier, to a trail + hike tho. I looked more closely at the map, and that separate road is definitely how we accessed that park HQ and tour, so at least that boat should be running. Lake Macdonald I'm sure has a boat...

Glacier Wilderness Resort has a beautiful waterfall on site, but maybe snow on the trail.

Great ideas. Thanks! It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Dave

 

[NWL]

Winter hung on a bit longer this year. The plowing of the Going to the Sun Road will continue until it stops snowing up there. They want to open the road just as much as you want to drive it. There's always the option of driving up from the west side as far as you can go one day, then driving around the park on Hwy 2 to the east side and driving up the road as far as you can go from there on another day. Here's a link to the road report web site:

http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm

As for other possible activities, the rafting should be excellent this year. Here's a link to a raft company in the area:

http://www.greatnorthernresort.com/

The owners are also one of our newest distillery competitors (although they are concentrating on whiskey while we concentrate on vodka), and they have a fancy new tasting room. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

If you head into Columbia Falls or Whitefish, make sure you take a look at our new billboard along Hwy 2 outside Columbia Falls. I'd post a pic, but I'd probably get dinged for advertising.

Cheers!

 

[DaveNV]

Winter hung on a bit longer this year. The plowing of the Going to the Sun Road will continue until it stops snowing up there. They want to open the road just as much as you want to drive it. There's always the option of driving up from the west side as far as you can go one day, then driving around the park on Hwy 2 to the east side and driving up the road as far as you can go from there on another day. Here's a link to the road report web site:

http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm

As for other possible activities, the rafting should be excellent this year. Here's a link to a raft company in the area:

http://www.greatnorthernresort.com/

The owners are also one of our newest distillery competitors (although they are concentrating on whiskey while we concentrate on vodka), and they have a fancy new tasting room. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

If you head into Columbia Falls or Whitefish, make sure you take a look at our new billboard along Hwy 2 outside Columbia Falls. I'd post a pic, but I'd probably get dinged for advertising.

Cheers!

Thanks, Nancy! If the weather gets awful, maybe we can curl up by the fire in the cabin with a glass of your favorite spirit...

Dave

 

[NWL]

Thanks, Nancy! If the weather gets awful, maybe we can curl up by the fire in the cabin with a glass of your favorite spirit...

Dave

Absolutely! Early June will definitely have some chilly nights. We'll be featured in all of the restaurants in the park this summer, but for retail purchases, I believe the Hungry Horse Liquor Store (on Hwy 2 on the way to Columbia Falls and Whitefish) is the closest. We have a new coffee infusion, too. We teamed up with our local coffee roaster, Montana Coffee Traders, for that one!

Here's a link for the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce that has a monthly calendar of events for the Whitefish and Flathead areas:

http://whitefishchamber.org/whitefish_event_calendar.php

Cheers!

 

[Laurie]

Oh yeah, we did a 1/2 day scenic float trip there - not sure what company we used but we enjoyed it. So you have lots of water options!

 

[NWL]

Lake McDonald Lodge opens tomorrow to visitors so you know you can get that far on the Going to the Sun road.

BTW, are you driving to Glacier or flying?

Cheers!

 

[DaveNV]

Lake McDonald Lodge opens tomorrow to visitors so you know you can get that far on the Going to the Sun road.

BTW, are you driving to Glacier or flying?

Cheers!

Thanks to both you and Laurie for the great tips. We won't have a problem filling our days I'm sure. Really looking forward to this trip - my first vacation in almost a year. I'm so ready!

We're flying from Seattle to Missoula, getting a 4WD SUV rental car, then driving up to the park. We'll stop in Kalispell for the basics for the week, then drive to the Park and on to Glacier Wilderness Resort. On the way back we turn in the rental in Kalispell, and fly home from there.

Doing the multi-city flight was actually the same price as to/from Kalispell, but the rental car was less than half price. I've driven the route before, and wanted to see Flathead Lake, maybe even stop at the Bison Range again. I love it up there.

Dave

 

[NWL]

Thanks to both you and Laurie for the great tips. We won't have a problem filling our days I'm sure. Really looking forward to this trip - my first vacation in almost a year. I'm so ready!

We're flying from Seattle to Missoula, getting a 4WD SUV rental car, then driving up to the park. We'll stop in Kalispell for the basics for the week, then drive to the Park and on to Glacier Wilderness Resort. On the way back we turn in the rental in Kalispell, and fly home from there.

Doing the multi-city flight was actually the same price as to/from Kalispell, but the rental car was less than half price. I've driven the route before, and wanted to see Flathead Lake, maybe even stop at the Bison Range again. I love it up there.

Dave

Here's an article from the local paper on the road clearing:

http://dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_dee5adba-833b-11e0-99b6-001cc4c03286.html

For shopping in Kalispell, Costco, Target, and Super Walmart are here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=...local_group&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CAQQtgMwAw

Super 1 supermarket in Columbia Falls and the O'brien's Liquor and Wine (buy a bottle of our vodka and get a free t-shirt if any are left) are located here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?jsid=2&...a=X&ei=3efXTfyaMqbZ0QHK49D7Aw&ved=0CAIQkwMwAg

If you need any other info for purchases, let me know!

Cheers!

 

[Darlene]

Take your winter coats, hats, and gloves, and you will need water proof boots for hiking because the trails will still have snow. Think layers!
Even if you can not go over the Going to the Sun Road, you can drive around to get to the other side of the park.
The resort is great and has an indoor pool, and hot tub on the deck of each unit.
Even here in Utah, our mountains are still covered in snow and a lot of the campgrounds are still closed and under snow. They were warning people not to plan to go camping over Memorial Day in the north part of the state. The roads in the High Uintas here are not plowed either, and they say they will not open until late July.
That being said, with a little preparation you can still have a great time and be able to enjoy the beauty that Glacier has to offer.

 

[LMD]

Glacier

We were there last June 19-26th. The road to the sun was open half way until the Friday before we left when all the snow was finally clear and we could drive the entire road. We did quite a few hikes. We did a guided on on the East side up to 6000 feet hiking in snow the last mile. There were other trails that were closed due to snow at the higher elevations. Make sure you bring your bear spray! The week before we were there a mama grizzley charged a couple on one of the popular hikes! Luckily she did not attack but the husband pushed the wife out of the way of the bear and when she fell she fractured her arm
We loved it there and hope to go again sometime later in the summer. Have a great trip!

 

[DaveNV]

We returned from our trip on June 11th. It was a great time, and we had a lot of fun. The weather was pretty uncooperative most of the week, but we still had several nice days.

Glacier National Park is currently experiencing "lingering snow," which is their nice way of saying things are still closed in many areas due to the sheer volume of late-season snowfall. The Going To The Sun road is open only part of the way from each end, but the middle section over Logan Pass is still under many feet of snow. They're going to be plowing it for quite a while yet.

The Lake McDonald Lodge is open near the end of the open section of the GTTS road, as is the Trail of the Cedars hiking trail. The road is currently closed just beyond that.

Due to the extra snow pack, the larger animals are staying at lower elevations. During our trip we saw a black bear, a grizzly bear, a moose, three Bighorn Sheep, two Rocky Mountain Goats, two Mule Deer, and a Bald Eagle. It was pretty impressive.

We explored as much of the park as we could, and used the rest of the time exploring the towns in the area (Corum, Hungry Horse, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, East and West Glacier, and even Kalispell.) We enjoyed shopping for local products (LOVED the Flathead Vodka we bought - thanks Nancy!) and the visit to the Flathead Lake Winery in Columbia Falls was a treat. Very original and innovative winery, and owner Paddy Fleming was an excellent host.

Our stay at Glacier Wilderness Resort was nice, and we'd stay there again. I'll write a full review of the resort, and submit it for inclusion in the Reviews section of Tug. I have a resort map (such as it is), and will include photos with my review.

The week ended before we knew it, and today was the first day back at work. Time sure flies! After 18 months of waiting to go to Glacier National Park, the trip sure went by in a flash! Guess it's time to start serious plans for the next trip: The Manhattan Club in New York City in late September. Oh yeah!

Dave

 

[shagnut]

I want to go there but I'd want to do the GTTS road so I'd have to do a summer month. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to see the pics. shaggy

 

[DaveNV]

I want to go there but I'd want to do the GTTS road so I'd have to do a summer month. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to see the pics. shaggy

The GTTS road is really a high point of seeing Glacier. July and August are obviously the best time to go, for that reason alone, as long as there aren't construction delays. Definitely check the park's website for the latest news. The park is beautiful at any time of year, but dealing with all that snow kind of limits the sort of thing that can be done outdoors.

I'll post some Glacier shots in this thread when I get them out of the camera, and I'll post pictures of the Glacier Wilderness Resort cabins with my review. You'll have to use a bit of imagination - the resort map they gave me was drawn with a magic marker. It's functional, but very low-tech.

Dave

 

[DianneL]

Going 2012

I traded in for an August, 2012 week at Crestwood Resort in Whitefish, MT. We are looking forward to the trip as we have not been to Glacier. Also looking forward to seeing photos posted.

 

[DaveNV]

Snow Pack on June 4, 2011

This image was in the local newspaper at Glacier last week. They did a fly-over of Logan Pass at the top of the Going To The Sun road. That snowbound building is the Logan Pass Visitor Center. There is a LOT of snow left to move before the road will be open.

Dave

 

[jlwquilter]

We go in two weeks. I sure hope the snow has been dealt with by then. Although DD is so excited to see snow - for the first time she'll be able to remember.

We are also at Crestwood in Whitefish.

We are very excited about the trip and today I am booking our activities... horseback riding and calm water rafting. The rest of the time will be driving and hiking.

Oh! Should I book a boat tour? I forgot about that until now. There's a boat that cuts out some of the hiking around...? Many Glaciers? Drat, I can't remember. Help?

 

[DaveNV]

We go in two weeks. I sure hope the snow has been dealt with by then. Although DD is so excited to see snow - for the first time she'll be able to remember.

We are also at Crestwood in Whitefish.

We are very excited about the trip and today I am booking our activities... horseback riding and calm water rafting. The rest of the time will be driving and hiking.

Oh! Should I book a boat tour? I forgot about that until now. There's a boat that cuts out some of the hiking around...? Many Glaciers? Drat, I can't remember. Help?

Whitefish is snow-free in the lower elevations. There is just mountain snow in many areas, so you shouldn't have any problem in that regard. You may want to touch base with the tour operators you're using and ask them the current status.

We weren't able to get into the Many Glacier area - the road was still closed. Again, check with your tour operator. They were launching the tour boats at St. Mary lake when we were in that area, and the Lake McDonald boat cruise that leaves from the lodge was operating. We took that boat - it was a nice view of things from the lake, and pretty informative.

It's such a beautiful area, you'll be sure to have a great time. The only place snow was a factor was on the roads that go pretty high up. Have a great time!

Dave

 

[jlwquilter]

Thanks Dave. That's a great idea - I will contact the providers to see what they are predicting/seeing for the activities. Both are out of Whitefish so are probably fine but better to be sure.

Yes, I think it is St. Mary's boat trip I was thinking of now that you mention it. I research and bookmark a ton of stuff during the planning stages but somehow that one fell thru the cracks. I will go find it next -thanks!

 

[Cheryl17]

This image was in the local newspaper at Glacier last week. They did a fly-over of Logan Pass at the top of the Going To The Sun road. That snowbound building is the Logan Pass Visitor Center. There is a LOT of snow left to move before the road will be open.

Dave

Great photo. Thanks for posting it.

 

[NWL]

Glad you had a good time despite the weather. June is always hit or miss. The GTTSR is still not open all the way. It keeps snowing up there and raining down here. The good news is with all the moisture, we won't have to worry about fires around here this year.

Thanks again for your patronage!

Cheers!

 

[DaveNV]

For those who were curious: I've just completed and uploaded my review of our stay at Glacier Wilderness Resort. I was as fair and impartial as I could be. It's a nice place, not great, but clean and comfortable, with a few drawbacks. I'd stay there again. [Moderators: The TUG resort page says my review is eligible for a review award. Please consider it in that light.]

I also uploaded a number of images of our cabin and the waterfall on the property, as well as the low-tech resort map they gave me. These should give more to see than the two very small images already on the resort page.

I'll post images we took of Glacier National Park in this thread. Still working on editing them down to fit TUG requirements.

Dave