Things to do/see Glacier N/P?

[kiyotaka]

We will be staying in Edelweiss Big Mt. Ski & Summer Resort in the beginning of Sept. We’ll certainly visit Glacier N/P. Is there anything that we shouldn’t miss in and around the park? Also any suggestions on near by restaurants? Thank you.

 

[jkweber]

We live in Missoula, MT, and visit Glacier once every blue moon. We have found that it is generally better to pack a picnic lunch and take it into the park with you, as the concessions in the park re usually expensive and not the best quality. The Going to the Sun road is the highlight of Glacier. It is a little skinny road that goes way way high into the mountains with lots of scary switchbacks. It actually makes me a little bit nervous driving that road because there is a sheer cliff on one side, very few guard rails, and no shoulders on the road. There is barely enough room for two cars to pass.

I can't advise you as to the restraunts because we usually make our food at the timeshare. But...if anybody in your party is over 62..(or maybe it is 65), check out the Golden age pass. For $10.00, a Senior can purchase a Golden Age pass which allows them free entry into every National Park the rest of their life. Plus everybody in the vehicle with a Golden Age Pass holder goes in free also.

Just some ideas for you...

 

[kiyotaka]

Thank you JK for your reply. Yes, I have Golden age pass, we visit ~ 10 n/ps a yr, so the pass is great $ saver.

We heard of the Going to the Sun rd & wanted to visit, but I'm not too sure now after hearing it is scary. I drove up to Mt. Washington in NH and Rocky Mt n/p in CO and both times I was scare to death. Is there any tour bus to the Going to the Sun?

 

[Makai Guy]

Glacier is a mountain hiker's paradise. Unfortunately, Ol' Arthur* won't let me do much hiking any more. But if you love mountain scenery, there's plenty for you to see even if you're not a hiker. :whoopie:

If driving in Rocky Mountain NP was frightening for you , then Going To The Sun Road could be a problem. But the scenery along it is spectacular, so you don't want to miss it. If you have Quicktime installed on your computer, this link will give you a panorama of some of the scenery along the road. ( (Hold down your mouse button on the image and move left and right to navigate.) Glacier National Park Panoramas - Along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, August 25, 2005

The park has historic red tour buses you can take. See: Glacier National Park Concession Services

The GTTS Road is the only road through the park connecting the east and west sides across the Continental Divide. But when you're done on one side and want to go to the other, US 2 skirts around the south side of the park for a much easier passage and is a nice drive in its own right.

Visits to the historic old lodges at MacDonald Lake (west side) and Many Glacier (east side) are almost mandatory both for the lodges themselves and for their settings. And there are boat tours on both Lake McDonald (west) and St. Marys Lake (east)

One nice, not too difficult, hike is from Logan Pass (where GTTS Road crosses the Continental Divide) to Hidden Lake. It's only 1.5 miles each way and is a relatively easy way to get into the mountain back country. The air is thin, so if you're not accustomed to it you should take it slow.

If you have time, you can drive up the east side and cross into Canada to view Canada's adjoining Waterton Lakes National Park.

The NPS has put together a really nice website to help you in your planning (where the above links are located):
Glacier National Park Website Visitor Center

*arthritis

 

[sfwilshire]

We heard of the Going to the Sun rd & wanted to visit, but I'm not too sure now after hearing it is scary.

I didn't find the drive scary at all. Traffic keeps it slow. Lots of opportunities to pull out and look around.

The only thing that made me a little nervous when we were there a couple of years ago in June were the marked avalanche areas. I wanted to get through them quickly and was always looking over my shoulder. I'm sure the risk was extremely small, but I've seen too many television programs, I guess.

We loved our days in the park and also enjoyed a visit to Waterton Peace Park.

Sheila

 

[Laurie]

We heard of the Going to the Sun rd & wanted to visit, but I'm not too sure now after hearing it is scary.

I also didn't think Going to the Sun Road was at all scary by car. I have occasionally bitten my nails when traveling over certain mountain roads, but not this one. We drove the whole thing several times during our week in Glacier. I think you would really lose out if you miss it. A bus could be scarier than a car, and you wouldn't get to stop wherever you feel like it - there are many overlooks.

I agree with Makai Guy about the hike from Logan Pass to Hidden Lake, it's a really idyllic one. You'd probably need to go by car to have the time for this hike.

 

[kiyotaka]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I have one more question. Which is less scary to travel GTTS, eastward or westward?

 

[jkweber]

Maybe I should revise my definition of scary. If I am the driver, I don't think it is scary because I am not next to the cliff. If the vehicles I pass are small compact type cars, I do not think it is scary. If however...I am the passenger, and we have to pass a big huge car or truck or RV, and I am on the outside looking down the cliff...well I think that can be big harrowing, especially if the roads are wet or snowy. The road is very very very narrow in spots. Some places it is just very narrow. And yes, I have been on scarier roads than Going to the Sun also. It really depends on your tolerance of heights and your trust in the driver, and what kinds of vehicles you encounter going to opposite direction you are. Would I let my 17 year old kid drive that road? No way! Maybe this helps?

 

[Deb from NC]

I loved Glacier National Park! Having said that, I have a fear of heights and
Going to the Sun Road did scare me. It was less frightening for me in one of
Glacier's red jammer buses, though. So if you have a fear of heights, try
it that way. The scenery IS spectacular!
Have fun.. another great (and not too strenuous) hike is Avalanche
Lake Trail (not too far from Lake McDonald Lodge).

 

[gloria]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I have one more question. Which is less scary to travel GTTS, eastward or westward?

hello --

i don't believe anyone has answered your "eastward/westward" question yet......

from ""the loop" to the top of the pass," when heading east, the car is on "the edge".......

from the "top of the pass, to "the loop,"" when heading west, the car in "hugging" the wall......

i HOPE that makes sense to you....

 

[kiyotaka]

Thank you all for the info. I'll probably drive because I like to take many photos at many spots (stop & shoot).

I should drive westward which is less scary, right Gloria? We are staying west of the park (Whitefish), so the best route is take hwy 2-49-89 to get to the east entrance of the park, then drive GTTS. How long would that loop take, provided no hiking (my wife had her both knee operated) and just do stop & shoot?

Thank you.

 

[gloria]

I should drive westward which is less scary, right Gloria? We are staying west of the park (Whitefish), so the best route is take hwy 2-49-89 to get to the east entrance of the park, then drive GTTS. How long would that loop take, provided no hiking (my wife had her both knee operated) and just do stop & shoot?

hello --

first of all, to put this trip into perspective, a "million" people go over the going to the sun road (both east to west and west to east) every year, and somehow i believe you are as capable, smart and talented, or more so than they are.....

the road is a road -- it's GOOD that some posters above have given their feelings, but don't let that scare you from a FABULOUS vacation -- of course if you're a "flatlander," and not fond of mountain roads, then taking a bus may make you feel more comfortable......

from our calculations, it'll take AROUND 3 hours (120 miles) to go from whitefish to st. mary's, on hwys 2/49/89, where you'll catch the "going to the sun road" on the east side -- that is JUST driving and then you'd have the LONG trip back home over logan pass -- and to boot you wouldn't have had the time to visit "many glacier," near st mary's, which is NOT TO MISS if you're that close and the two medicine lake area is lovely as well, and nearby...

personally, i'd recommend making the trip to st. mary's and many glacier and two medicine in one day, and then on another day, drive from west glacier to the top of logan pass (west to east) and take your time and ENJOY the views, and the trip......

the west side is more forested and the east side is more open country....

my true love is from the park and i spent the summer up there over 30 years ago, where i met him -- he's even ridden a bicycle down the west side (east to west) a couple times, MANY years ago...

glacier is a FABULOUS place, which FEW people even know exists....

 

[bbodb1]

Apologies for resurrecting such an old thread, but I just finalized some vacation plans for Glacier National!
I am so looking forward to this trip for many reasons, but one of them will be to compare Glacier National to Rocky Mountain National.

 

[DaveNV]

Glacier had a major fire this Summer. You may want to make sure of what is and isn’t still there.

What time of year are you going? Where are you staying?

Dave

 

[bbodb1]

The trip will be in July of 2019 so while I would expect to still see a good bit of fire evidence, I would hope the views are still just as breathtaking as ever.

 

[Passepartout]

Not often we see a 12 year-old thread reincarnated. I haven't seen Gloria's username for a good while, though it was used earlier this year. I hope she's still getting good from her Lifetime TUG Membership.

Jim

 

[bbodb1]

I probably should not have pulled up such an old thread, but I am surprised I could not find a more current thread on what I thought would be a more popular destination. I did want to tap into the memories of those who had posted here because how often does it occur that we view a vacation much differently several years after the fact?

On the plus side, some of our stays this summer will be in destinations with very few (and not so current) reviews so I will be updating those resort's reviews!

 

[bbodb1]

Now with a bit more time on my hands, I can say that our first and primary goal of this trip will be to see as much of Glacier National as possible. Hiking, driving GTTS, visiting points of interest within the park will all rank at the highest priority on our to-do list. When we spent a week at Rocky Mountain NP, we were very happy spending the entire week in the park - but oh so happy to come home each day / night to a comfortable bed, warm shower, and whatever we felt like eating in the TS unit. From what I have read, it appears we should be able to occupy all of our time inside the park BUT are there things we should not miss while there outside the park?

Also, is Gloria and Doug's advice above still sound after the recent fires in the park?

 

[Deb from NC]

One of my favorite trails in GNP is Avalanche Lake. It’s not long...about 2 miles in and out, and easy. But the lake is beautiful!

 

[bbodb1]

Thank you Deb - I have added this to our to-do list!

 

[Deb from NC]

BTW, we were there in August this year when the fires were raging in the West side of the park, which was largely closed. So we spent most of our time in the Two Medicine area on the east side of the park. It was beautiful! Also don’t miss stopping in the Many Glacier lodge, also on the east side of the park..the setting is incredible. We had been to the west side of the park before, and although we hated to miss it, there was still plenty to do and no sign of fire...not even smoky...on the east side.
Have a great time...!!!

 

[Greg G]

Do a search on the words "glacier" or "GNP" in the US Western States forum and you should find many recent posts.
My profile picture is from my Grinnel Glacier hike in GNP in 2015. I've been to GNP 3 times: 2014, 2015, 2017. Truly an amazing park.

Greg