10 to 14 Days at Glacier - Spend How Much Time Where?

Hi,

First off, thanks so much for all the info on this site - helps a ton!

My husband %26amp; I will be flying into Glacier the end of August 2010. We%26#39;d like to get our lodging set in a couple of months to ensure staying at the places we want. With that in mind, we are hoping to see as much of Glacier as we can. We love to hike and plan to do so each day, even if it%26#39;s a short hike. We know we want to spend a good deal of time in Many Glacier and we%26#39;re also thinking of staying in Apgar for awhile. We%26#39;re wondering if you could give us ideas of areas we%26#39;d want to stay to see the whole park, and how long in each area. I can get quite car sick, so we%26#39;re a bit concerned about Going to the Sun road. We will travel it for sure one way, how hilly/curvy is it? We thought about flying into Kalispell, tour the lower part of Glacier (keep in mind we%26#39;d like to do more hiking than site seeing), and circle around Glacier that way. If GTSR isn%26#39;t too hard to travel, maybe we%26#39;d be better skipping the lower part of Glacier? Any recommendations on East Glacier or St. Mary%26#39;s or stay at Many Glacier and drive to the other spots such as Two Medicine? Or really stick to the East and West sides and eliminate the south side all together? Still trying to decide about Waterton also....

With 10 to 14 days, and thinking we may never get back to Glacier, your suggestions on what areas to see would be great. Thanks so much!! Therese

10 to 14 Days at Glacier - Spend How Much Time Where?

Here%26#39;s a link to pictures, stories and comments from our trip to Glacier.

http://www.alandsuejohnson.com/glacier_np.htm

The pictures have comments and some of the albums try to show what the trails look like. Grinnell Glacier and Hidden Lake both turned out well.

I%26#39;d spend 5 or 6 days at Many Glacier (we stayed at Swiftcurrent). Absolutely beautiful area. We spent one whole day watching moose at Fishercap Lake. Also leave a day or 2 to stay at Waterton, CA. I%26#39;ll let someone else give details since we didn%26#39;t make it up there.

I think Apgar is a good choice.

I wouldn%26#39;t drive to Two Medicine from Many Glacier. I%26#39;d stay down that way someplace but can%26#39;t help with a name.

I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;d have a big problem with Going to the Sun Road. It isn%26#39;t so much that%26#39;s its real crooked as it is that there%26#39;s a drop off. Here%26#39;s a link to an album where we tried to show what it looks like.

alandsuejohnson.com/western%20parks%20trip/g鈥?/a>

10 to 14 Days at Glacier - Spend How Much Time Where?

What type of lodging are you looking for?? There are many choices in the Glacier area. In the Park itself there are Historic Lodges ($150-200 per night), Cheaper Motor Inns ($100-$150 per night) and Campgrounds (around $20 per night). None of the Park lodging is 5-star in the resort sense; no TV%26#39;s, no air conditioning, thinner walls, mediocre food but it is really all about location.

I%26#39;d spend at least 5-6 days at Many Glacier; great hikes close by include Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, Ptarmagan Tunnel and Cracker Lake (all 10-12 miles).

Two Medicine also has tremendous hiking opportunities with Dawson/Pitamakan (18 miles), Scenic Point (6 tough miles), Cobalt Lake/Two Medicine Pass (11/16 miles) being some of the highlights. I%26#39;d recommend two nights here either camping at Two Medicine campground or lodging in East Glacier.

Perhaps the best hiking in the park starts at Logan Pass (some would also argue Many Glacier). My personal favrote is the Highline trail to the Granite Park chalet. Hidden Lake is also a nice but way too popular option.

On the west side good hiking opportunities include Apgar Lookout, Avalanche Lake and further north Quartz Lake Loop.

If you don%26#39;t like driving then I do recommend moving your base camp at least a few times as it takes 1/5 hours to get from Many Glacier to Logan Pass and just a little less to reach Two Medicine.

That should be 1.5 hours......

I agree with staying in Many Glacier area and also Apgar for a few nights, with most of the time in the Many Glacier area. In the Apgar area we like the Village Inn for the location. Beautiful sunrise/sunsets on Lake McDonald. Rooms are dated, but on our stay, very clean. You can also travel to the North Fork area from here as a day trip. Many people don%26#39;t make it to this area, but it is beautiful.Along GTTSR I would also hike Piegan and/or Siyeh Pass (either one 10-12 miles with a good bit of elevation gain) and also St. Mary/Virginia Falls. Waterton is about one hour from Many Glacier and Camping Girl should be able to offer suggestions for hotels if you want to stay the night. If not, it can easily be done as a day trip.

Thanks! You people are good 鈥?and quick!

We were wondering if people liked the North Fork area, glad to hear there are good hikes there. We are thinking of staying at the Apgar Village Lodge in one of their cabins for the West Side, so Hikes, I%26#39;m glad you recommend it. We also think we%26#39;ll stay at Many Glacier Hotel. We don%26#39;t need fancy, at all, just clean with comfortable beds. We won%26#39;t be there much anyway. We much prefer staying inside national parks.

AKJ 鈥?great pics! Very helpful.

Toddnick 鈥?thanks for listing some great hikes 鈥?love to hear what others have enjoyed!! We haven%26#39;t checked into Logan Pass enough 鈥?I will now! Where do you stay that%26#39;s close to Logan Pass? Do you stay there several days?

GTSR 鈥?I haven%26#39;t heard much about people getting car sick 鈥?when we were at Kings Canyon, the drive was tough on me. I was in the back seat though, as we were with another couple, and it%26#39;s just my husband and me for this trip. The drop offs will be OK I think, but hilly along with winding is hard. Is GTSR more gradual? Do you recommend we take it both ways?

I%26#39;m assuming since I don%26#39;t read much about people traveling Hwy 2, that the area doesn%26#39;t have the best hikes, am I correct?

I%26#39;ve been reading about Waterton, we%26#39;ll need to see if we want to get passports or not. It sure sounds like a great place. Would you suggest 2 days there?

Sorry for all the questions. And thanks so much again for all the answers!!

Apgar Village Lodge and Village Inn, that I mentioned, are different lodges. I have read good reviews of Apgar Village Lodge but don%26#39;t know if the cabins all have views of the lake. For Logan Pass, you can drive there from either the Apgar area or Many Glacier. It will be closer to access it from Apgar. Look at the hiking there and if you think it will take more than one day, stay at Apgar and travel from there. You can easily do Hidden Lake as you drive across the park. It will depend how far you want to hike, if at all, on Highline Trail, you may not be able to do both in one day. Avalanche Lake is also closer to Apgar, trail head is not far from Lake McDonald Lodge. As you go to the North Fork area stop at Polebridge. The Mercantile has excellent baked goods and Northern Lights Saloon is a good place to eat after your hike. I suggest Numa Lookout as one trail in that area. You can travel on the Outside North Fork Road, which is gravel and some pavement or the Inside North Fork Road. Last year I don%26#39;t think it was open the entire length due to washouts from heavy rains. (It may have opened later in the season, not sure)Check at the ranger station for road and trail status. Be forewarned though, if you take the Inside Road, it is rough and takes a lot longer to travel than the Outside Rd.

I was also going to suggest you make a day trip to the Polebridge/ North Fork areas.

Waterton is well worth one to two nights of your trip, since you have so much time available. I%26#39;d try to get the passports arranged if you can; I think you%26#39;ll be glad you took the time. Waterton is different geographically from GNP - even though they are in the same mountain range - and so it is worthwhile to make the effort to get ';up'; there.

Thanks so much for the advice 鈥?I really like all your suggestions and will be doing some more research. This site is a huge help!!

Hikes, thanks for the details!! 鈥?I%26#39;m copying your ideas into my notes 鈥?what a help!

Camping Girl 鈥?I think we%26#39;ll take your advice as well 鈥?do you have a favorite place to stay in Waterton that is clean and has a comfortable bed (necessity) 鈥?we don%26#39;t need luxury at all. We are more willing to pay extra for the location, not the amenities. What hikes do you recommend? I%26#39;m thinking we would go for two days to really see the area.

Thanks again!

My favorite places in Waterton are the Crandell Mountain Lodge, the Northland Lodge, and the Aspen Village Inn.

The Crandell Mtn Lodge is directly across from where the Kilmorey Lodge was (it burned down this January) so it is possible that there could be some construction going on there, as they rebuild the Kilmorey. I would imagine that would be a really minor issue but I would be remiss if I didn%26#39;t mention it, since it can be a real deal-breaker for some people. This is an old building that has been renovated. It only has about 10 rooms. The beds are great here.

The Northland Lodge is away from the downtown area near Cameron Falls. It is an older building, with small rooms and a large ';living area'; downstairs which all guests are free to use. There is a collection of books in this room that you can borrow while you%26#39;re a guest, and a huge fireplace which always has a fire going in it on cooler days. There are also muffins and coffee available to guests in the morning. The only tv is in the downstairs common room. The huge wrap-around deck upstairs is fabulous.

The Aspen Village Inn would be the only traditional ';motel'; of the 3. It is a lot newer than the other 2 places. The management there is fantastic. Both the Crandell Mtn Lodge and the Aspen are owned by the same group of people and you will find excellent service at both places.

I have info about all 3 of these places on my personal Waterton travel page, located here:

members.virtualtourist.com/m/adecc/dc729/

One highly recommended hike at Waterton is Bear%26#39;s Hump. The trailhead is located right behind the visitor info centre. It is a short but steep hike. Plan on about 45 minutes to hike up and about 15 to hike down. The views from the top are breathtaking. Bertha Falls is another great moderate hike (about 1.5 miles one way). If you check at the visitor info centre, they can give you great hiking recommendations based on your interests and fitness level. They will also give you free trail maps and let you know if any trails are closed due to bear activity.

I would urge you to take the Shoreline Cruise down Upper Waterton Lake while you are there. It will take about 2.5 hours, the commentary will give you a lot of good information about the area, and you often see wildlife on the shore as you travel along.

Drive up to Cameron Lake and the Red Rock Canyon while you are there. You can get plenty more info and photos of Waterton from my travel page, at the link above.

I hope that helps.

- CG

Wonderful information!!

We%26#39;ll be adding two days in Waterton based on this info. Thanks CG!!