Glacier National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks and the secret is out, or really has been out. I would definitely say it is super high on most people's national park bucket list and for a good reason. The teal blue waters and glacier lakes are such a rare thing to see and they take your breath away. With that popularity, comes crowds, sold out campgrounds and on/off reservation entries into the park. It can be overwhelming to try and figure out the best way to enjoy the park and get the most out of your time. I have 6 tips below on things we learned before going to the park and after to help you plan your trip to one of the most beautiful national parks!
Tip 1: Book your campsite early and be prepared!
The first thing I would put on your to-do list is booking your campsite and/or hotel. Campsites are known to sell out within minutes of opening up. Do your research early and have your ideal campground AND campsite in mind, also have a few back-ups in case someone beats you to it.
You can book campsites on Recreation.gov, most campgrounds open their booking dates at the beginning of the year. This is where planning early comes in, you will see the date campsites open up, put this on your calendar, set a reminder and get the exact time booking opens up correct. Seriously, 5 minutes after booking our campsite I went back to check and campsites were sold out.
Tip 2: When to visit Glacier NP
We decided to visit Glacier over Labor Day weekend. Mainly so we could take advantage of a long weekend and avoid taking more PTO than we had to. I would say overall, this was ideal in terms of avoiding heavy crowds and lovely temperatures. We did get quite have to circle around to find a parking spot on popular hikes, but I can only imagine what it is like in the popular summer months. If you want to avoid crowds even more, obviously nix the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Tip 3: Where to camp
We wanted to see as much of the park as possible. So we decided to start on the east side and head over to the west as we made our way over to Whitefish for a few days. Many Glacier Campground is the perfect campground. It's super close to a lot of amazing hikes, including one of my favorite hikes I've ever done Grinnell Glacier (more on that below). It provides lots of secluded spots and is walking distance to a lodge with ice cream, absolutely killer after a long hike. The bathrooms are the nicest I have encountered, they included showers and an outlet. Not sure what I would need an outlet for, but if you need it, it's there. This campground does not have cell service, but there is access to a pay phone. I have a story with this one too, the anticipation should be building. It is also close to Many Glacier Hotel. If you want to stay in the hotel, again plan early and be prepared!
Tip 4: Going to the Sun Road Reservations
Going to the Sun Road is absolutely beautiful and is the main road to access the majority of hikes in Glacier NP. However, due to the growing number of visitors each year, a vehicle registration is now required May 24 to September 8 from 6am to 3pm. Here is where things can get confusing, I was under the impression that since we had a campground reservation we did not need a vehicle registration because we had a reason to be in the park aside from day hiking. That is true, if you are staying in a campground along Going to the Sun Road. Many Glacier Campground is not. Thankfully our campground host gave us a heads up and let us know that we could possibly get a next day entry. This is where the pay phone came in, I had to call the reservation line to see if we could get in. Unfortunately, that was not possible. Looking at their website, it appears you can reserve a spot up to 4 months in advance. I would add this to your checklist of to-dos, right after you have reserved your campsite, if it is not along Going to the Sun Road.
Alright, so let's say worst case scenario happens or you were able to swing a spontaneous trip to Glacier but you still don't have a vehicle reservation. There is a key piece of information in their requirements, the timing is everything! We woke up super early to make sure we were able to get into the park before 6am. We picked out our trailhead and headed straight there to make breakfast in the parking lot. Once it warmed up a bit and the sun came out, we headed out for our hike and were able to spend the rest of the day in the park stress free.
Tip 5: Hike Recommendations
There are so many hikes to choose from and if you have time to hit them all, I am super jealous! We had to be a bit more selective with our time, however, I still think we were able to get quite a few in and see the diversity within the park from the east to west side.
Below are my hike recommendations for a 2-day trip to Glacier:
*Note: Distances and elevation gain are from my Garmin recording, never trust All Trails. ;)
Grinnell Glacier - Distance 11.7 miles/Elevation 2,192 feet
In all honestly, I would plan your first day around this hike. This is why we decided to stay in Many Glacier Campground, we started our hike from our campsite and headed up the trail to the most beautiful glacier lake I have ever seen. This is a long hike and I don't recommend it for everyone. It definitely took a lot out of me towards the end, but I am not lying when I say it is the best hike I have ever been on. If the photos below don't convince you, nothing else will.
St. Mary & Virginia Falls - Distance 3.73 miles/Elevation 617 feet
This was our first hike along Going to the Sun Road. The waterfalls were beautiful and it was overall a great hike to warm up our legs for the day.
Avalanche Lake - Distance 4.96 miles/Elevation 801 feet
This is definitely a popular hike and I would 100% agree that it should be on your list. Overall it is super doable for families and people who aren't able to hike as much as they'd like to. The lake is a perfect place to rest and eat some snacks before you head back down the trail. It is towards the end of Going to the Sun Road if you are driving from the East side.
There are many other places you can stop, we were starving and ready to get to Whitefish for dinner. Below are places I would add to your list if you have more time, I will be going back one day for some of these hikes.
Stop and enjoy Lake McDonald. I would make a pit stop to take photos and enjoy the crystal clear water.
Gunsight Pass Trail - Ideally this would be a backpacking trip for us. The trail covers a lot of ground in the park and looks absolutely beautiful.
Glacier Crest Trail - This is a hard push for the views trail close to the Canadian boarder.
Tip 6: Bear Protection
While we were out hiking, I had a bear bell on my pack. We have found that when we are forced to make conversation while huffing up a trail it just doesn't work. The bell saves our breath and helps us alert wildlife we are in the area. I love this particular bear bell because it has a magnetic silencer which makes it super easy to "shut it off" whenever I want.
It is also recommend that you carry bear spray. While I didn't get a chance to see any bears in Glacier (#beargate), they are there and grizzlies are not something to mess with. Get the bear spray!
At the campground they have bear boxes so we were able to lock up our food and other smelly items, but if you plan on backpacking I would highly recommend a BearVault. They can be bulky, but out of all of different brands this one has been the easiest to use.
I hope these tips help you as you plan your trip to Glacier NP and finally check it off your bucket list! You'll have the best time in this national park!
Let me know how your adventure goes!
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