We made it to Montana, the last stop of our road trip.
You’ve probably heard of Glacier National Park, although it is not talked about quite as much as Yellowstone. But if you’ve never considered a trip, you should reconsider. This park holds some of the most stunning sites (sights? It has sites that are sights to see, so maybe both…) you will ever behold.
A few things to know before you go:
You will need a separate ticket (aside from your entry pass) to drive on Going-the-Sun-Road, the main road that runs through Glacier. These tickets must be purchased online ahead of time and you will be asked to present it before entering the park. Also note that this road is not fully open most of the year (sometimes only a few weeks) due to snow. If you have your heart set on visiting a certain part of the park, plan ahead. You will not be able to drive from West Glacier to East Glacier through the park until GTSR is fully open. You can drive around the park, but sometimes those roads are closed as well due to snow and other weather conditions. This area is at a very high elevation.
Another important thing to remember is that this is grizzly bear country. Grizzlies are typically more aggressive than black bears and are less likely to run (and more likely to attack) if they feel threatened. If you don’t already have bear spray, we would recommend either purchasing or renting it. Almost every store in the area (and inside the park) sells it anywhere from $35-$50 and our hotel rented it for $5 per day. You can purchase it online ahead of time, but remember you cannot take it on an airplane. You should also never leave it in a hot car. If you don’t use your bear spray, you can turn it into a park ranger as they use them for training purposes.
Even in the summer, Glacier can get a bit cool. We would recommend bringing a jacket or sweatshirt for layering. It also does rain quite a bit, so having a rain jacket handy is a good idea. In the colder months, prepare to bundle up.
We only visited West Glacier due to limited time and road closures, but still had an amazing trip. If the road is open, and you don’t have a serious fear of heights, head up to Logan Pass. We did not have the chance to make the drive because roads still weren’t open for the season (this was early June).
For an easy but beautiful hike, check out the Trail of the Cedars. As you may have inferred, you will see many cedar trees on the hike. Much of the trail is a boardwalk and mostly flat surfaces. This trail is also the start of the Avalanche Lake Trail.
How many times have you heard the phrase “pictures just don’t do it justice?” In the case of Avalanche Lake, that is absolutely true. The hike is five miles round trip and while it isn’t easy, it also is not hard. We went on much harder hikes on this trip and considering we had gone on those for days on end before we reached this one, it just really wasn’t bad. The hike takes you through a lush forest of tall trees up to Avalanche Lake.
The crystal clear lake has almost mint green waters set against a backdrop of mountains. There was still a fair amount of snow on the mountains making little rivers down into the lake. You can walk around the lake a good distance (or even farther depending on how adventurous you are) and wade into the cool waters as well. We have been to a lot of beautiful places and this is definitely top three.
On our second day in the park, we stopped in first at Lake McDonald to book a boat tour of the lake. (We would definitely recommend booking this tour early because it sells out fast.) Since our tour wasn’t for a few hours, we decided to check out another hike along the Rocky Point Nature Trail. Here you can see the areas of the park that were destroyed by fire in 2003. This is a moderate 2-mile hike and was not very crowded when we went. In fact, we actually talked loudly to each other almost this entire hike in case any bears were in the area. As previously stated, this area has grizzlies.
After our hike, we ventured back to Lake McDonald for our boat tour. On the tour you’ll learn more about the history of the park and about how the lake formed (spoiler alert: glaciers were involved). The tour lasts about an hour and costs $22 per person for adults and $11 for kids under 12. The tour was very informative and we were glad we did it.
Cost of Entry: $35 per vehicle (pass is good for 7 days), Glacier is also on the National Park Pass ($80 per year)
For the most up-to-date information, check out the National Park Website.
Where to Eat/Drink: , Glacier Grill & Pizzeria (Hungry Horse), Carolyn’s Café (Hungry Horse), Bias Brewing (Kalispell), Hops Downtown Grill (Kalispell)
Once we arrived in Hungry Horse, we had dinner at Glacier Grill & Pizzeria. The pizza was good and the huckleberry wine was sweet and delicious. The huckleberry beer was good, but not as good as the wine. This area, we quickly discovered, was huckleberry country, so we tried a lot of huckleberry stuff. The BBQ pork salad and soup beans were also really good.
Before heading to Glacier, we stopped in at the recommended Carolyn’s Café for breakfast. This small café is nestled in with a gas station. The food is great and you get a lot for the price. The huckleberry pancakes were so fluffy and had that sweet and tangy huckleberry goodness.
For dinner, we made the drive into Kalispell and ended up having dinner and drinks at Bias Brewing. They had a great frozen daquiri and a selection of bowls, burritos, and pizzas to eat.
For our final dinner of the trip, and at the recommendation of our hostess, we ate at Hops Downtown Grill. We split two different burgers (Pub Burger and Burn Burger) and both were delicious. This was one of the best meals we had on the entire trip. The burgers were super flavorful and their fries were crispy and well seasoned.
Court- I also had to get some ice cream from Sweet Peaks because I love ice cream. I had two scoops in a waffle cone and it was amazing. The honey cinnamon was everything I dreamed of because cinnamon ice cream is my favorite of all-time. I also had the huckleberry lemon and it was so tart but sweet and the two combined were perfection.
Where We Stayed: Beargrass Lodging & RV Park (Hungry Horse) , Airbnb- Historic Downtown Hostel (Kalispell)
We opted to stay in Hungry Horse right outside the West entrance of Glacier National Park. Beargrass Lodging was one of the best stays we had on this trip. Our room had a cabin vibe but with vaulted ceilings, a full kitchenette, two king sized beds and a dining table. It was affordable and only 15 minutes from Glacier. Highly recommended.
Since we were flying back home from Kalispell, and had to be at the airport at 4:00 AM, we wanted to get a convenient and cheap place for our final night. We found a hostel on Airbnb that worked out great. We had time to shower and take naps before heading to the airport. The hostel had a large common area with a tv and kitchen and our room had bunk beds a lot like a college dorm room. It was perfect for a short stay.
Overall, we had a great time on this road trip. It was one of our longer trips and we were definitely exhausted by the time we made it back home, but in the best way. We hope you found this blog series informative (and at least mildly entertaining). Until the next trip!
If you missed any of our previous posts from this trip, check them out below:
The Ultimate Mid/Northwest Road Trip Through SD, WY, MT
Packing for a National Park Road Trip – SD, WY, MT
Sioux Falls, SD + The Corn Palace
Black Hills + Custer State Park
Our McTravels 
Wow Glacier National Park looks like an amazing place to explore and photograph especially Lake Mcdonald, it’s so scenic! Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😊 Aiva xx
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