This 7 mile hike is an easy one, with relatively little elevation gain. One of our favorite areas of the park is Many Glacier. Avalanche LakeĪ 4 mile round-trip trail takes you by the popular (and beautiful) Avalanche Gorge and up to an alpine lake. You have high odds of spotting mountain goats and big-horn rams along the trail. Hidden Lake OverlookĪ popular 1.5 mile trail behind Logan Pass leads up to a scenic alpine lake in a cirque. Two beautiful falls along an easy, kid-friendly hike. It’s a narrow trail and not for the acrophobic, but it’s a great hike and gives incredible views over Logan Pass. One of the parks most iconic hikes follows the ridge of the Garden Wall. Here are a few (a very few!) of our favorites: Highline Trail There are trails here for everyone and the best way to find one suited to your ability is to ask a ranger or do some research on a site like AllTrails. Glacier is one of the top hiking destinations in the country and hiking is the best and most accessible way to experience the park. As with most things in life, the best advice is to not be an idiot. Moose can be extremely dangerous, especially the mothers. Rangers at Glacier told us people tend to give bears proper space and respect, but fail to do so as often with moose. Keep your eyes open and remember to keep your distance. Bears can pop up anywhere in the park (our one bear sighting at Glacier was on our way out-one jumped onto the road in front of our car. Moose spend most of their time near lakes the Swiftcurrent Valley sees large numbers of moose. Watch for sheep and mountain goats on the steep hillside of Logan Pass. You might spot black or grizzly bears, moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, marmots and much more. Glacier is one of the best parks in the lower 48 for wildlife viewing. Bring your own horse, or hire animals and a guide from Swan Mountain Outfitters. Many of Glacier’s trails are open to stock. Outfitters primarily run from West Glacier. There are also opportunities for white-water rafting and river floating, mostly on the Flathead River. Non-motorized and hand-propelled boats are allowed on these lakes and several others. Make sure your hamstrings are ready for the incline! Boating:īowman Lakes, Two Medicine Lakes and Lake MacDonald are opened to motorized watercraft. We’ve heard this is one of the best possible ways to see the park. But in the spring, before Going-to-the-Sun Road is open for cars but after it has been plowed, it’s open to bikers and hikers. Activities: Biking:īikes are typically allowed only on park roads, with the exception of a few short trails. Waterton is a bit quieter than Glacier in the high season, and has great opportunities for paddling and hiking. Glacier forms an International Peace Park with Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. A fall visit can mean more solitude and maximum accessibility. July and August see peak visitation and the park can get extremely busy. Many places in the park are only accessible from late June/July to September. If you only have time for a shorter visit, try to make it at least 3-4 days. We recommend staying a week, more if you can swing it. Glacier is extensive and out of the way for most visitors. Since the park is huge, decide first which entrance you’d like to be near and search for lodging from there. Outside the park, there are loads of lodging and camping options. Glacier has 5 hotels and 4 lodges, 2 of which are in the backcountry and must be hiked into. Get permits at any visitor’s center or wilderness office.īut your options for staying in the park aren’t limited to camping. There are also numerous backcountry sites. Some campgrounds accept reservations some are first-come, first-served. Mary Visitor Center.īeyond avoiding parking, the shuttle allows you to focus on the scenery of Logan Pass rather than the nerve-wracking drive on the narrow road. From there, you’ll transfer to a smaller shuttle to get up to Logan Pass, then back into a larger shuttle to go down to St. Large buses run between Apgar Visitor Center and Avalanche Creek. Parking lots fill up fast along this road and the shuttles are a great way to skirt the parking issue. Once you’re in the park, it’s worth it to use the park’s free shuttle bus to get to popular spots along Going-to-the-Sun Road. The best way to get to the park is by car, either on US 89 or US 2. Public transportation in this region is sparse, but you can get to the park by train on Amtrak’s Empire Builder. The closest airport to the park is Glacier Park International in Kalispell, about 30 miles away. Glacier is in northern Montana, on the Canadian border.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |