Advice on glacier

[1965 mustang]

We are stopping in glacier on our way to Banf, any thoughts or advice is appreciated.
Thanks, Tim


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[OilnH2o]

If you're on the west side, Apgar campground inside the west entrance is usually available, close to Lake McDonald and a good place to base out of to see the park - no hookups, though. On the east side, Many Glacier is hard to get a spot in summer but this time of year should be easy to find a site if you arrive before noon. Ditto - no hookups. Allow at least a full day to do just the Sun Road back and forth - more if you want to get in some short, but great hikes. Avalanche Lake on the West side is super, Virginia or St. Mary or even Baring Falls on the east side at St. Mary. Up for a spectacular but long hike? Try Iceberg Lake in Many Glacier valley. Take your bear spray.**

Hope that's helpful to a pretty open question.

** Don't have or want to spend $40 on bear spray? Then keep your two twenties in your pocket. If you see a bear, throw one at them and if they're scared away, you've saved twenty bucks! Okay - just kidding - the bear spray is good insurance.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . we stayed at the West Glacier KOA (nicest KOA we've seen) and at East Glacier KOA ( ehhh). . . probably need reservations for either. . . We took the 'back" way to Waterton (Big Chief Hwy) on the East side, pretty road, VERY quiet border crossing. . . we thought the Icefields Pkway Banff to Jasper was as pretty a drive as we saw on AK trip, did it coming & going . . . regards, Craig

[silverlabs]

We just returned from going to Glacier. It is well worth the stop over. We camped in Kalispell along a river and drove into the park each day. We inadvertently landed in Glacier at the same time as their centennial celebration so campsites were at a premium and it was crowded. Neither of those things deterred us at all from having a great time. Be sure to do two hikes while you are there. Avalanche Lake and St. Mary's/Virginia Falls are not to be missed but be sure to pack either heavy snacks or a lunch for both. The crowds should be gone now and you should have easy access to camping but some roads do close in mid September, I think, so be sure to check that just like one person mentioned in Yellowstone.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by OilnH2o

** Don't have or want to spend $40 on bear spray? Then keep your two twenties in your pocket. If you see a bear, throw one at them and if they're scared away, you've saved twenty bucks! Okay - just kidding - the bear spray is good insurance.

Remember you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the other guy.

[Len n Jeanne]

We try to get to Glacier NP once per year, and were just there in late August.

How much time to you have?

Going-to-the-Sun Road is not open for trailers. So leave it at your campsite or a day-use parking area. Better yet, take one of the free park service shuttles or concession red touring cars, as parking at the visitor center at Logan Pass is limited.

To take your AS between East and West Glacier, use HY 2, along the park's southern border.

This time of year, hopefully the crowds will disperse some. We prefer the less-known side-jaunts. Leave your AS and the crowds behind and take the dirt road up through Polebridge to Kintla and Bowman Lakes. The Many Glaciers and Two Medicine Lake areas on the east side are beautiful. If you're paddlers, these are nice lakes for a canoe or kayak.

If you're hikers, bring along or purchase bear spray. Local shops will sell it.

If you get up to Waterton Lakes NP on the Canadian side, we recommend the boat ride to Goat Haunt. There are shorter boat tours on McDonald and St Mary lakes, but this is the one that gets you into country you won't see otherwise. There is a big campground at the Waterton townsite. You might want to have an elegant meal or cocktails at the Prince of Wales hotel there.

It will get cold at night this time of year.

We've stayed at the Fish Creek and St. Mary CGs in the park, because they take reservations. We've also stayed several times at a more back-woods RV park in West Glacier called the Glacier Campground. It's more primitive than the KOA but there is vegetation screening between sites, and it's a lot cheaper.

The in-park campsites are basically boondocking, with no on-site hookups. There are water taps and a sani-dump in the CGs, however. So fill your water tank, and make sure your batteries are nicely charged. Most of the loops are fine for generators, but they are forbidden in a few on account of the noise.

Have a great trip to some beautiful country!

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

Better yet, take one of the free park service shuttles or concession red touring cars

Way cool! Vintage open air touring coaches.

[Rpatrick16]

Athough many have shared great info....as a Montana resident I must add...."WATCH THE WEATHER". Winter is trying it's best to get an early start and we have already had two "winter weather advisories". Just last night Marias Pass, which is a southern connector between the two sides of the park was closed due to snowfall. And, you can't pull a trailer over the "The Going To The Sun Road". You didn't mention when your planning your trip so this info may be "null and void" by now. But if you haven't left yet....then pay attention to the weather.

Pat

[ericpeltier]

I stayed in Fish Creek campground this summer for a week. Very nice. We nabbed a last minute cancellation in a loop that was what I would call old-style. It was not really set up for trailers at all, but we squeezed in. We walked some other loops that were WAY better for trailers like yours, though. Pull-throughs and more level.

LOVE that park.

[Rocinante]

In addition to the cautionary notes below, we have friends who are volunteer hosts at Apgar right now - they said Going to the Sun Road is currently closed at the Big Drift due to snow storms above 5K feet. Not sure whether the road will be closed for the season, but it's clear we're getting close to that.

Originally Posted by Rpatrick16

Athough many have shared great info....as a Montana resident I must add...."WATCH THE WEATHER". Winter is trying it's best to get an early start and we have already had two "winter weather advisories". Just last night Marias Pass, which is a southern connector between the two sides of the park was closed due to snowfall. And, you can't pull a trailer over the "The Going To The Sun Road". You didn't mention when your planning your trip so this info may be "null and void" by now. But if you haven't left yet....then pay attention to the weather.

Pat

[KJRitchie]

Check the Glacier Webcams

https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photo...ia/webcams.htm

Snow showing on the mountains at Many Glacier and Two Medicine too.

I was there a month ago; Many Glacier and Fish Creek. Weather was mixed with sunny days with a rainy day, partly cloudy and partial showers. I managed to get in most of my favorite hikes plus a couple of new ones in sunny weather. If you are staying at any of the park's campgrounds for several days there are no hookups, sites are shaded so a generator is a good idea to have even if you have solar.

Fish Creek is closed for the season. Apgar has more sites that will fit a 25 and they are more level. Many Glacier sites are all pretty level but its the length you have to watch.

Kelvin