Information to Visiting Glacier Nationwide Park

Of all of the nationwide parks inside america, Glacier Nationwide Park stands out as one of many best possible — and thus one of the vital common. Positioned within the northwest area of Montana, bordering Canda’s Waterton Lakes Nationwide Park, the 1,583 sq. miles of protected land welcomes round three million guests yearly. Many come for the mountaineering trails, wildlife sightings, and pockets of unparalleled quiet and peace within the park’s extra distant spots; others are there with the aim of driving the 50-mile-long Going-to-the-Solar Highway.

Regardless of your perfect itinerary, one factor’s for positive: You’ll need to arrive to Glacier Nationwide Park with no less than a primary understanding of the realm’s structure and what to anticipate. And to offer you a complete information to the park, we spoke to a couple native specialists.

Learn on to find the whole lot it’s good to know earlier than visiting Glacier Nationwide Park — together with tips about when to go to and the place to hike, eat, and keep.

Easy methods to Get There

Glacier Park Worldwide Airport (FCA) in Kalispell, Montana is the closest main airport and a few 30-minute drive from the park’s west entrance. It’s served by six main airways: Alaska, Delta, United, Allegiant, American, and Solar Nation. Missoula Worldwide Airport (MSO) and Nice Falls Worldwide Airport (GTF) — 120 and 200 miles away, respectively — are additionally choices for these touring by aircraft. Upon arrival, a rental automotive will probably be needed in order for you the flexibleness and freedom to discover the park and surrounding space by yourself time.  Taking the practice to Glacier Nationwide Park is one other transportation possibility. Amtrak’s historic Empire Builder line makes year-round stops at West Glacier and serves East Glacier seasonally.

“Throughout peak season, parking could be difficult,” says Glacier Guides and Montana Raft’s Nicolina Baldassari, who suggests utilizing the first-come, first-served shuttle service alongside the Going-to-the-Solar Highway, “which may help you keep away from parking hassles and nonetheless entry common trailheads.”

Know Earlier than You Go

Any journey to Glacier Nationwide Park begins with getting a move. “You need to have a park move to enter any gate into Glacier Nationwide Park, after which sure corridors — North Fork, Many Glacier, and Going-to-the-Solar Highway — additionally require a car reservation to enter the hall between 6 a.m. and three p.m. throughout peak season,” says Aubrie Lorona, proprietor of Swan Mountain Outfitters. If you have already got the $80 annual America the Lovely move, which grants move holders entry to most U.S. nationwide parks, you’ll be all set on the doorway charge.

You’ll additionally need to put aside no less than two days to see the park — although three to 5 will assist you to examine off all the primary websites with out dashing. In spite of everything, says Lorona, “Montana is an enormous state, and it takes over two hours to get from one facet of the park to the opposite… [and] guests ought to examine driving instances and distances between lodging and actions.”

Given the park’s identify, it’s not unusual for guests to come back seeking the glaciers themselves. “Many individuals come to the park after which ask the place all of the glaciers are. Not a number of vacationers are conscious that most of the glaciers have melted away, leaving solely about 25 left within the park in the present day as a consequence of world warming,” says Baldassari. Seeing a glacier can also be comparatively troublesome, as most of them are positioned excessive up on the Continental Divide. Jackson Glacier, nevertheless, is the best glacier to see within the park; Jackson Glacier Overlook is positioned on the east facet of Going-to-the-Solar Highway.

As is the case for a lot of nationwide parks out west, wildlife is among the largest attracts. Inside the park, there are bats, beavers, bighorn sheep, elk, mountain goats, wolverines, and, sure, bears. “Bears are widespread within the park. All the time carry bear spray and know easy methods to use it. Retailer meals correctly and pay attention to your environment, particularly when mountaineering,” says Baldassari. Guests must also brush up on the park’s wildlife security rules. That features staying no less than 75 ft from most wildlife (the likes of moose, deer, mountain goats, and elk) and no less than 300 ft from wolves and bears.

This a part of Montana can also be deeply tied to the historical past of the Blackfeet, Pend d’Oreille, Salish, and Kootenai individuals. “It’s largely unknown that Glacier Nationwide Park is conventional territory for a number of Tribes, most particularly the Blackfeet on the east facet,” says Derek DesRosier, the overall supervisor of Solar Excursions. “All Tribes nonetheless follow some type of conventional and trendy use of the panorama, and regardless that it’s globally acknowledged as a nationwide park now, to us, it’s a sacred place, full of drugs, connection, and historical past.”

Finest Time to Go to

Glacier Nationwide Park is open year-round, although its enchantment, actions, and variety of guests shift by the season. Summer time is, unsurprisingly, the preferred time to go to, because the climate is hotter and all the park’s services are open. In the event you’re ready to navigate the crowds, you’ll be rewarded with good circumstances for driving the Going-to-the-Solar Highway and the potential for seeing purple asters and beargrass, amongst different wildflower species within the park. “I imagine one of the best time of 12 months to go to GNP is mid to late July [when] many of the snow has melted off the paths and the wildflowers begin blooming,” says Baldassari.

If you wish to keep away from the bumper-to-bumper visitors of July and August, however nonetheless drive all the Going-to-the-Solar Highway, see wildlife, and get a glimpse of the colourful foliage, head to the park in early fall. “My private favourite time to go to Glacier is in September or October when the crowds have died down and we’re within the peak of fall colours,” says Lorona. “Typically, you may even get the beautiful mixture of snow-capped peaks up excessive and fall forest colours down low. It’s breathtaking.” Most roads within the nationwide park are open seasonally, so examine the web site for present circumstances as you intend your journey.

Finest Issues to Do

Drive Going-to-the-Solar Highway.

If there’s one factor to examine off your record in Glacier Nationwide Park, it’s the 50-mile drive between West Glacier and St. Mary. “Driving Going-to-the-Solar Highway at dawn or sundown is a deal with,” says Lorona. “I’ve pushed that street a whole bunch of instances through the years, and it at all times seems to be totally different as a result of it modifications with the climate, mild, and time of day.” The route takes you by glacial lakes, waterfalls, commentary factors, and even throughout Logan Cross, the best level on the street and the placement the place it crosses the Continental Divide.

Discover the park on horseback.

“Glacier is now extra common as a mountaineering park, however all the paths within the park had been initially based through horseback, so there’s something very genuine and nostalgic about seeing the park’s magnificence from the again of a horse,” says Lorona. Her firm has stables at Many Glacier, Lake McDonald, Apgar, and West Glacier, and the crew presents a spread of experience varieties — from beginner-friendly one-hour experiences to half-day and full-day excursions for superior riders.

Get out on the water.

With greater than 700 lakes (131 of that are named) inside Glacier Nationwide Park, it comes as no shock that water actions take priority in the summertime months. “I really like swimming, paddleboarding, or kayaking in Lake McDonald. The water is crystal clear, which lets you see the rocks [that] are actually rainbow coloured,” says Lorona. Remember the fact that the water will probably be chilly, so it’s finest to train warning and keep away from swimming for extended durations of time. Baldassari additionally recommends “rafting on the Center Fork of the Flathead,” and there are a number of firms that provide guided raft journeys alongside the category two and three whitewater rapids.

Attempt to see the northern lights.

Glacier Nationwide Park is an authorized Worldwide Darkish Sky Park and the most effective locations to see the northern lights in america. On account of elevated photo voltaic exercise, the aurora borealis is meant to be notably robust in 2024 and 2025; park guests can put together for a light-night viewing in Apgar Village or Logan Cross, or alongside the shorelines of St. Mary Lake or Lake McDonald.

Finest Hikes

In the event you’re going to Glacier Nationwide Park — residence to greater than 700 miles of mountaineering trails — you’ll need to pack numerous layers, water, and applicable footwear. You’ll want to analysis trails forward of time to pinpoint your perfect sort of hike, because the park has the whole lot from straightforward out-and-back routes to tougher in a single day routes.

Highline Path

“One of the beautiful hikes within the park is the Highline Path, however it’s 12 miles and never for the faint of coronary heart,” says Lorona. The precise distance you hike might fluctuate, although, as there are a number of other ways to deal with the path. You may both full it as a one-way path — from the Logan Cross Customer Heart to The Loop Trailhead, taking the shuttle again to your automotive — or as an out-and-back path; there’s additionally the choice to enterprise out to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook, which provides about 1.6 miles to your trek.

Avalanche Lake

“Avalanche Lake is a extra accessible hike for all ranges of health,” says Lorona. Just below six miles in size, the mountaineering path can also be one of the vital trafficked routes within the park; it’s really helpful to begin your hike earlier within the morning if you wish to discover parking.

Hidden Lake Overlook

“A straightforward, but beautiful view can also be going to the Hidden Lake Overlook; it is a should,” says Baldassari. About 2.7 miles in complete, the route takes, on common, about an hour and 20 minutes to finish, and it’s recognized for its mountain goat sightings in the summertime months.

Different Mountain climbing Trails in Glacier Nationwide Park

DesRosier additionally suggests “getting off the street onto a much less common path,” recommending Aster Park Overlook to Two Drugs, Peigan Cross to Siyeh Bend, and Ptarmigan Tunnel to Many Glacier.

Locations to Keep

Lodges and Lodges

“If you’re trying to keep straight within the nationwide park and wish a number of extra facilities, Many Glacier Lodge is my favourite historic lodge,” says DesRosier. Lorona can also be a fan of the 214-room property, which she says is “on the east facet and positioned proper on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake… speak about beautiful views.” Lake McDonald Lodge, which dates again to 1913, is one other nice possibility, with 82 visitor rooms, three eating choices, and modest but comfy facilities.

Historic Chalets

Two of the unique 9 chalets inbuilt Glacier Nationwide Park stay open in the present day for in a single day vacationers — and our specialists agree they’re a magical addition to any summer season journey.  “If you’re extraordinarily fortunate, and are up for some mountaineering, Sperry Chalet and Granite Park Chalet are once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” says DesRosier. Lorona notes that “getting a room could be troublesome as they promote out in a short time, however [it’s] so value it.” Reservations could be made on-line for each chalets. 

Campgrounds

Tenting could be a extra reasonably priced lodging possibility, and Glacier is residence to over 1,000 tenting websites throughout 13 frontcountry campgrounds. Reserving a campsite is extremely really helpful, particularly when you’re touring to Glacier anytime between June and early September; most campgrounds could be booked on Recreation.gov. Baldassari recommends Apgar Campground or St. Mary Campground, and Lorona is keen on “the backcountry campgrounds within the Stomach River space as a result of it feels off the overwhelmed path.” Alternatively, says DesRosier, “If you’re tenting and are okay with being on the periphery of the park, you may have phenomenal views of the mountains and revel in much less crowded areas at any of the Blackfeet Tribal Campgrounds: Purple Eagle, Chewing Black Bones, and Buffalo Calf.”

Locations to Eat

“There are very restricted choices throughout the nationwide park,” says DesRosier, “however the eating room within the Glacier Park Lodge and [the] Prince of Wales Lodge are particular highlights.” Or, as Lorona suggests, be at liberty to convey a “picnic lunch [to eat] alongside a lake or waterfall or on high of a peak.” Different eating places within the park embody Eddie’s Café, Russell’s Fireplace Eating Room at Lake McDonald Lodge, and Nell’s at Swiftcurrent.

The variety of eating places and locations to eat will increase simply exterior of the park. “If I had been to go to a restaurant, I’d go to Final Finest Pizza proper exterior the park’s west entrance if I wished one thing informal. If I used to be searching for one thing slightly fancier, I’d do The Kitchen at Josephine’s Speakeasy in Coram,” says Lorona. Baldassari says certainly one of her favorites is the Sunflower Cafe at Glacier Campground by the park’s west entrance.