First time to GNP for One Year Anniversary Trip! Please help

Hi everyone,

I am researching a trip to GNP during the 1st, 3rd or 4th week of August 2009. We are a young, active couple who love photography and going on hikes, but would like to just relax at times and enjoy the vacation.

A few questions I have are:

1) Are there multiple park entrances? If yes, then which is the best one?

2) Would 5 days be enough time, taking into accout driving time within the park and to and from the airport?

3) Any suggestions on lodging? We are not the camping type and always try to avoid tourist traps and grand lodges. I am looking for something quiet and intimate. I would like to keep the cost down but don%26#39;t mind spending the money if it%26#39;s worth it.

4) Any suggestions on itineraries?

All suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

AJ

First time to GNP for One Year Anniversary Trip! Please help

5 days is enough. If you love hiking and photography you%26#39;ll have plenty of that available. August is the high season so it will be busy. You will get other suggestions here, but my votes are to spend most of the time on the east side out of St. Mary and Many Glacier. The lodges are classic, but if you don%26#39;t like crowds and noise then might not be best for you. I found some cabins that were new, 3 miles outside St. Mary (toward many glacier) a couple of years ago by googling st. mary, montana and then looking at accomodations. Private, clean and easy access for the east side entrances. A day or two in Apgar on the way out (west side), where you can also get a cabin has you 40 minutes from the airport.

Many Glacier is the prime hiking and photography area though with the shuttles you would have access to many options of short to long (15 mile) hikes off of the going to the sun road. Peigan pass is a great one that has you back at many glacier and has good wild flower (preston park) and wildlife opportunities (get bear spray)

First time to GNP for One Year Anniversary Trip! Please help

Thanks k2kelley. How about early September? Is the weather decent then, or does it get too cold?

AJ

If you are flying to Kalispell (the main gateway to Glacier) you may want to spend your first night on the west side. Accomodations inside the park at Apgar (a small village on the west end of Lake Mcdonald) can be reserved from two companies:

http://www.glacierparkinc.com/

westglacier.com/west_glacier_park_lodging.php

This second one has cabins on or near the lake; the first one is a motel unit but with lakefron views.

Then take the Going to the Sun road to the east side of the park and the Many Glacier area recommended by kelly2. Stop on the way for a hike at Logan Pass, either on the Highline trail or to Hidden Lake overlook.

If you want to stay right at Many Glacier rather than outside the park, try Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, which you bood from glacierparkinc (website above). It is smaller and more moderate in cost than the lakefront Many Glacier Hotel (but this isn%26#39;t a ';grand lodge';, just an historic one, so consider it if Swiftcurrent is full.

Spend 3 or 4 nights at Many Glacier. There are lots of wonderful hikes. If you have time, spend your last day driving to Two Medicine for a hike there, and then continue on toward Kalispell and stop somewhere for the night before your flight home the next day.

September is a great time to go....I was there September 7-16, 2008. Highs generally between 60 - 75 degrees and evening lows in the 30%26#39;s. Things start closng down in Septmebr but the first week should be fine as everything stays open until Labor Day which is September 7th.

I recommend Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, not a grand lodge but decent lodging in a great setting. I%26#39;d recommend making reservations ASAP, most weeks are already gettign booked between 4th of July and Labor Day.

Here%26#39;s a link to a report on our visit and lots of pictures. Might be something there to interest you for your trip.

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

The pictures have comments to show where they were taken. The east side around Many Glacier / Swiftcurrent is the best area in my opinion.

I also suggest the Many Glacier area but would at least spend one afternoon, if not one night, in the Apgar area. Check www.vrbo.com for cabins but they will be outside the park, that would be the drawback. As stated, Many Glacier isn%26#39;t grand, but the location is great. Be prepared for few amenities and thin walls, so you may hear others, this has never bothered us. I recommend Siyeh Pass and Grinnell Glacier as two longer hikes, about 12 miles each with a good bit of elevation change. As suggested by others, Highline Trail, Hidden Lake and Fishercap and Bullhead Lake for wildlife. Swiftcurrent Motel in the Many Glacier area gets good reviews but I%26#39;ve not stayed there. With either Many Glacier or Swiftcurrent the good thing is you are right at many trailheads. We have been many times the first week of Sept. and it is a great time. Crowds thin some after Labor Day and most lodges are open till mid Sept, as is the GTTSR.

swiftcurrent as well as apgar have cabins available. Comfortable, not fancy but at least more private and less noise.

Thanks everyone for all the advice and tips. The trip is still a few months away but I will definitely post some pics once I am done.