Seeking GNP info

[AtomicNo13]

I am planning our trip to Glacier National Park for next season. Having never been up there I am looking for advice/ info in regards to finding a good place to stay. I have read reviews on several places and I am getting mixed reviews, some love some hate! What was your experience.
I will be in a 34' triple axle, so that is a consideration. I am very well equipped to camp dry if need be.
I am looking for someplace with a great view!

[Lily&Me]

We have just spent several weeks in Glacier/Montana and found the no-reservation national forest campgrounds plentiful and perfect for us. Some are prettier than others but all had a view of something if you like those beautiful mountains.

Get to your campground early in the day, find a site and then do your exploring. You look big-ish, would need more out of a site than some of us, but there are pull-throughs there and we found plenty of sites available early in the day at every campground we entered.

All do not have dump stations, but enough do that we had no problems even with our limited holding capacity. We also experienced no problems just driving into the dump stations and using them--no signs restricting usage or requesting a fee.

We loved the Columbia Falls area pre-Glacier. Plenty of nice campgrounds there and anything you would need prior to roughing it a bit without hookups.

My suggestion is to not get too fixated on finding the perfect camping site before you go. Just go, find something to get you started or to use as your home base within the park. It's kind of like boon docking for the first time, requires a bit of a leap of faith on the info from others that it can be done and really will be okay.


Maggie

[AtomicNo13]

Thanks for your input! I am the inventer of not planning and take most things as a leap of faith!

All I care about is my proximity to nature and the view!

[Lily&Me]

Well, nature and a view are abundant in GNP.

If you don't have the CampWhere app for iPad, or the public campsites website, this would be a good one to get. Very helpful, shows information on near-every public campground wherever you are.


Maggie

[BAB BMRZ]

Maggie:

Could we have the link to the "public campsites website".

Tnx, Lyle & Margie

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, just make sure that you don't take any wrong turns; There is a road there where the length limit is 21' total for any vehicle or combination of vehicles.

[Len n Jeanne]

Just click on "search" on the main page, type in Glacier, and you will see several recent threads on camping in and near this wonderful park.

A reminder that Going to the Sun Road is not open to vehicles longer than 21 feet total, but if you drop your trailer you can drive your tow vehicle or ride one of the NPS or concession shuttles. Well worth it, despite current construction on the west side! HY 2 goes around via the southern border of the park and has no big passes.

[Jim J]

See my blog and pictures this subject.

There are no reservation and reservation camping spots.
"Most campgrounds in Glacier are first-come first-served with the exception of Fish Creek, St. Mary and half of the group sites in Apgar.These camp sites can be reserved in advance. "

If you go to the GNP website, Glacier National Park Campground Status
they post what time the no reservation campgrounds filled up for the last several days.

Apgar, Fish Lake, Many Glacier and St Mary Campgrounds can accomodate your Airstream. Each one has advantages and disadvantages. They all have views and wildlife. We camped in St Mary and it was very convenient but we saw a lot of larger units in the Many Glacier Campground. Your choce may be more influenced by your direction of approach than anything else.

St Mary had a nearby store, gas station, and several restaurants. Many Glacier is more remote but near a historic lodge.

There is a free shuttle service that runs from St Mary to MacDonald lodge so if you get near one of them you can go up and over the Going to the Sun highway on the shuttle and hop off at many of the trailheads for hiking.

Buy bear spray before you get to the park and you will save $ or just don't shower for four days and save even more!

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by BAB BMRZ

Maggie:

Could we have the link to the "public campsites website".

Tnx, Lyle & Margie

Hmmm, will have to dig out the laptop. Don't know how to do that on the iPad.

Give me a minute, I'll get it up here.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Ta-daaaa!!


ALL US AND CANADA CAMPGROUNDS: STATE PARKS NATIONAL PARKS FORESTS MORE california oregon washington new york pennsylvania more


When I went into this site from the iPad, it told me of an app which I then downloaded and have been using ever since. I believe this is also available for iPhones, which we don't have.

A great app, we are using it while headed home for local campgrounds overnight.

Travel safe,


Maggie

[Len n Jeanne]

We have stayed at Fish Creek several times because they do take advance reservations. Some of the really popular campgrounds in the park that do not take revs tend to fill up early in the day during the high season (as in, by 10:00 am.) We have found at Fish Creek, that there are often open sites for "walk-ins" on a one-night basis. Apparently a lot of people like us want to stay for several nights in the same site. With so many advance bookings, a number of sites open up for one night only.

Also, some of the campgrounds that show up on the map are for tents only. Some loops in RV-suitable campgrounds do not allow generators.

The ReserveAmerica concession for revs at GNP lets you choose your own site in advance, unlike Xanterra at Yellowstone, where you reserve a type of site at a particular campground, and then they slot you in once you arrive.

For some reason we usually wind up in the "A" loop at Fish Creek. I forget the numbers, but the toe of this loop has a few sites with a nice view of Lake McDonald.

The Glacier Campground RV park in West Glacier is also a nice place to stay.

[hollyhunter]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Ta-daaaa!!

ALL US AND CANADA CAMPGROUNDS: STATE PARKS NATIONAL PARKS FORESTS MORE california oregon washington new york pennsylvania more

When I went into this site from the iPad, it told me of an app which I then downloaded and have been using ever since. I believe this is also available for iPhones, which we don't have.

A great app, we are using it while headed home for local campgrounds overnight.

Travel safe,

Maggie

Terrible luck downloading this app. I downloaded but it won't show up without logging onto the itunes store, which is not working. An expensive app so I am trying to get a refund now.

[hollyhunter]

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

We have stayed at Fish Creek several times because they do take advance reservations. Some of the really popular campgrounds in the park that do not take revs tend to fill up early in the day during the high season (as in, by 10:00 am.) We have found at Fish Creek, that there are often open sites for "walk-ins" on a one-night basis. Apparently a lot of people like us want to stay for several nights in the same site. With so many advance bookings, a number of sites open up for one night only.

Also, some of the campgrounds that show up on the map are for tents only. Some loops in RV-suitable campgrounds do not allow generators.

The ReserveAmerica concession for revs at GNP lets you choose your own site in advance, unlike Xanterra at Yellowstone, where you reserve a type of site at a particular campground, and then they slot you in once you arrive.

For some reason we usually wind up in the "A" loop at Fish Creek. I forget the numbers, but the toe of this loop has a few sites with a nice view of Lake McDonald.

The Glacier Campground RV park in West Glacier is also a nice place to stay.

Grant Lake took a res from us 2 days ahead last week for 3 nights. Centrally located, showers nearby, seemed the best of what was available. Heard Pebble Creek was nice.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by hollyhunter

Terrible luck downloading this app. I downloaded but it won't show up without logging onto the itunes store, which is not working. An expensive app so I am trying to get a refund now.

That's really weird. Maybe their tech support folks can help you fix it.

You can also just use the website. www.uscampgrounds.info/

Maggie

[hollyhunter]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

That's really weird. Maybe their tech support folks can help you fix it.

You can also just use the website. www.uscampgrounds.info/

Maggie

Thanks! Trying to work out the issues with it as I already paid for it. Thanks for the posting the sites are helpful.

[ebair]

We went last year with our 34' triple. Stayed at St Marys, there was no problem finding a site, a little tight but no real problem (there were several pull throughs)and took the shuttle across the Road to the Sun (much less stressful then driving), stayed at the lake one night and took the tour in the touring car and a boat ride. Hiked at Many Glacier and other spots. What a great time and Glacier is the "Crown of the National Parks" Awesome