“Excuse me, moshi, where are you going again”

“Montana”

“Okay. I get you going to New York for kicks, but why Montana”

pretty much what people think of when they imagine what montana is like

Glacier National Park has been on my bucket list for quite a while - it’s the combination of:

  1. Wow pretty scenary!
  2. Wow impressive infrastructure engineering (lol)
  3. Glaciers gonna melt soon so better see it now

Before I went to university, I had the chance to visit Waterton Lakes National Park on the Canadian side of Glacier National Park. It was stunningly beautiful (and we also pulled a dude who got dumped by his girlfriend into out of a lake when we rented a boat), so I’ve always wanted to visit its larger, southern sibling. Glacier and Waterton Lakes together made up the first international peace park when created in 1932, and in 1995 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural beauty.

It’s not surprising that Glacier National Park, as remote as it is, is popular with everyone: hikers, families, Instagram influencers… you name it. Park visitation rose from 4000 visitors when it first opened in 1911 to 2 million in the 90s, and over 3 million in 2019. Okay, I was pretty surprised with how many people were there, since Glacier National Park is so remote and, well, not Yellowstone or Yosemite. In any case, crowds mean that both planning and flexibility is required so you get the most out of the trip.

you’re immediately greeted by Lake McDonald when you enter through West Glacier

Important notes about Glacier National Park

  • Cell service is limited or nonexistant in many parts of the park. Make sure to download maps on a service such as Google Maps or AllTrails before heading out.
  • There are limited lodging options in the park. You’ll need to book many, many months ahead of time as they do sell out quickly. Otherwise, your best bet is staying in the nearby towns and brave the entrance lines to enter.
  • There are a few food options in the park, but not many. However, there are no gas stations in the park. Be prepared before entering the park.
  • The park limits the number of people inside the park to try to protect the ecosystem and not letting hoards of people ruin the experience. If you’re going on a weekend, aim to arrive early…generally, before 8AM is a safe(r) bet on weekends. Even when you get in, parking is very, very limited.
  • The park runs a shuttle between the visitor centers at either end of the park to Logan Pass, but you’ll still have the problem of finding parking at the visitor centers, and waiting in line for the shuttle.
  • There is an entrance fee for the park. If you have an annual pass, sometimes they open the shoulder for those people to enter faster and skip the line.
  • Weather can change ridiculously fast. Be sure to dress in layers and be prepared.
  • There are bears and they’re not afraid to destroy your car (or you) to get food.

Map of main POIs in Glacier National Park

Link to Google Maps of roughly the same area

Glacier National Park Series

Day 0

Getting There

The closest airport to Glacier National Park is Glacier Park (Kalispell) International Airport, roughly 27 miles south of the West Glacier park entrance and 6 miles north of Kalispell. (The next closest major airport is in Missoula, which is a 3 hour drive away). We were able to find a flight from San Francisco to Kalispell via Denver, but we were hit by severe thunderstorms while in Denver, delaying our flight significantly. If you ever wondered what it’s like to sit a few hundred feet from the gate but unable to deplane for an hour (which I doubt), I can assure you that it is a very unpleasant experience.

I did get a free upgrade at least, so wine and cheese it is I guess

San Francisco Int'l Airport → Glacier Park (Kalispell) Int'l Airport (4 Jul 2019)
SFO (14:09) → DEN (18:59 - originally 17:54)
3h 50m via UA 720
DEN (23:51 - originally 19:20) → FCA (2:11 +1 - originally 21:31)
2h 20m via UA 574
6h 10m flight time, 4h 52m transfer

Glacier Park Airport is really quite small (not as small as Canyonlands Field as it still has Real Gates and a Real Baggage Claim). Thankfully the car rental companies stayed open much later than their usual hours to serve our flight that arrived at 2 in the morning.

Lodging

Hilton Garden Inn @ Kalispell, MT
1840 Highway 93 South, Kalispell, MT 59901
Review It’s not new, but it feels like they did a gentle renovation to be more….western. Other than that, while it wasn’t expensive for peak season, it wasn’t cheap either. It’s clean and gets the job done otherwise. Interestingly enough, it’s next to the old Kalispell Airport, but with most flights moved to Glacier Park International Airport, it shouldn’t bother your sleep.
Verdict: 4/5 — Good sleep, then we left. It’s a pretty standard Hilton Garden Inn.

Day 1

Going-to-the-Sun Road

The actual adventure begins. We departed from Kalispell and headed for the West Glacier entrance. We made a few quick stops for views on the way up to Logan Pass, including the following:

Looking at the valley after passing The Loop

The Going-to-the-Sun Road, while beautiful, can be a bit tight at times with mountains on one side, and cliffs on the other

The Triple Arches (as opposed to the Golden Arches)

The Going-to-the-Sun Road was opened in 1932 as the only road the crosses through Glacier National Park. Crossing the continental divide at Logan pass at a height of 6,646 feet, it can get as much as 80 feet of snow, making it one of the most difficult roads to plow in the United States. It can take up to 10 weeks for the road to open in late June! In any case, Going-to-the-Sun Road cut down what used to take days to cross to a few hours - truly an engineering marvel.

Infrastructure gushing aside, when we reached Logan Pass, the lot was (expectedly) full, so we drove a bit further past Big Drift to have a few bites to eat.

We spotted some bighorn sheep crossing the road too! (I don’t have a ‘why did the bighorn sheep cross the road’ joke)

Out of curiosity, we made a u-turn to check if there were spots at Logan Pass, and, lo and behold, we did find one! Magical.

in between the pacific and the atlantic

The Highline Trail

Logan Pass has two trailheads: one for Hidden Lake and one for the Highline Trail. Since the rangers said Hidden Lake was foggy, we decided to see how far we can go on the Highline Trail.

courtesy cable to hold on to included. it’s a few hundred feet drop to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and the trail is maybe about 6 feet wide, but it’s worth overcoming this section for all the spectacular views that follow

The Highline Trail hugs the side of the Garden Wall as a narrow path, crossing mile-long waterfalls and with stunning vistas throughout. If you’re in for the long hike, people highly recommend making it out to the Glacier Point Overlook, though apparently the last mile is a brutal, 1500 feet ascent to the clifftop. My parents and I, being a lot more casual, decided to just go as far as we can go, and then head back after (after all, our flight delay meant we didn’t get as much sleep as we would have liked.)

looking back toward Logan Pass

There were more people for the first mile along the trail, and they gradually thinned out the further we walked. Somehow, the scenary keeps changing with new perspectives the further along we walked, even though it technically is the same view.

mountains for days

We eventually turned back at about where the Weeping Wall was below us, as more clouds were rolling in and we were afraid of being rained on. The way the clouds flow over the Garden Wall like a waterfall of sorts was also very beautiful.

flowers for days

At least for the portion of the trail we walked, the incline was consistently pretty moderate and not particularly straineous. There are many streams that we crossed, so good hiking boots help a lot with keeping your feet dry!

Highline Trail @ Glacier National Park
Review True to its name, you’re skirting along the Garden Wall and taking the high ground. The marked destinations are pretty far (though you can do a one-way trip to The Loop via the Granite Chalet Trail and hop on the park shuttle back to Logan Pass). However, even without trying to get to specific viewpoints, the journey along the trail is stunningly beautiful. It’s one of those trails that’s just views, views, views.
What to Expect Depending on how far you want to go, be prepared with water and sunscreen lotion (and potentially bear spray). There generally isn't very much cover since you're so high up, so when the sun hits, it hits hard. The weather can also change any time, so be prepared with layers as needed. The trail doesn't particularly go up or down until you go behind Haystack Butte. It's mainly difficult for how dang long it can be.
Notes There's quite a few people in the beginning, but disappear quickly maybe a mile in. Being so high up means that, especially earlier in the season, the trail is often wet with runoff and small creeks. There is no signal on your phone, and the only bathroom is by the visitor center.
Verdict: 5/5 — Beautiful (but I hope you aren’t afraid of heights)

We started our drive to our next Airbnb in East Glacier Park, and stopped for a sandwich dinner at St. Mary. (They also had ice cream oh no I guess we get that too.)

we saw our first mountain goat of the trip on the trail

If you are staying in East Glacier, your maps will probably guide you to take Montana State Route 49 down instead of looping to Browning and doubling back. Montana 49 is…surprisingly windy and a bit more technical with sharp dropoffs into Two Medicine Lake, so it might be worth the extra 20-30 minute drive via the roundabout (but flat) route than the shortcut into the village. When we drove through it we hit a strong thunderstorm at night, so that was definitely no fun.

blurry photo is blurry because it was dark. taken maybe 5 minutes before the sky opened up and just dumped ridiculous amounts of rain. but yeah, this is route 49 - travel at your own risk

Food

Curly Bear Cafe @ St. Mary, MT
3 Going-to-the-Sun Rd, St Mary, MT 59417
Review It’s not like you have many options for food anyways, but this cafe mainly deals in different kinds of sandwiches. They’re decent sandwiches - nothing to write home about - but they’re not bad. It’s easy to get it to go as well for food inside Glacier National Park. The Sweet Peaks Ice Cream they serve though…the lavender flavor and huckleberry flavors are absolutely delicious. A+ ice cream.
Verdict: 4/5 — Bumped up a point since wow, good ice cream. Thanks Montana. (Get the ice cream).

Lodging

the neighborhood, two blocks away from ‘downtown’

Two Medicine Lodge (Airbnb) @ East Glacier Park, MT
Review Pretty simple but comfortable stay. It’s a 1 bedroom suite, but with a queen and a twin bed. The space itself is pretty spacious with its own washer and dryer (wow!), as well as consistent Internet. Clean, affordable, and good for getting to Glacier National Park.
Notes East Glacier has little or no cell service whatsoever. Be sure to keep directions and check in instructions saved offline in case you can't access the Internet.
Verdict: 5/5 — Not that there were many options in East Glacier, but it’s an interesting and nice space.

Day 2

Day 2 continues here!