July-Aug 10 day Itinerary

I%26#39;ve been reading the postings on the forum and am so thankful for the terrific advice and comments. These have been a tremendous help in planning our late July/early August 10-day trip. I think I am almost finished!

I would greatly appreciate your opinions and feedback on the itinerary below.

My thought is to stay in Apgar one night to see that side of the park. Does this make sense or should I spend the time in Rising Sun or Many Glacier or another location?

Thank you in advance!

ITINERARY:

1 night in Apgar

3 nights in Rising Sun

2 nights in Waterton

3 nights in Many Glacier

Drive via Route 2 to Kalispell

HIKES:

The hikes are based on the ones mentioned in the forum (being flexible, of course!). I%26#39;m not certain which day we will do which hike: Highline, Grinnell, Iceberg, Red Rock Falls to Fisher Cap Lake and possibly Bullhead Lake, Scenic Point, Hidden Lake, St Mary/VA falls.

Head to Two Medicine area for day hike from Rising Sun: Running Eagle Falls or Twin Falls.

While In Waterton: Goat Haunt and Koutanni Lake late in the afternoon.

July-Aug 10 day Itinerary

I think Apgar is worth one night, you can hike Avalanche Lake while in the area, and Lake McDonald is beautiful. Rising Sun is convenient for hikes along the GTTSR and also Otokomi Lake trail. My only change would be to drop one night at Rising Sun and try to add that night to Many Glacier. I only say that because Many Glacier is my favorite area of the park. There are so many hikes from that area. Also as you go around the park on 2, that might be a good time to stop in the Two Medicine area to avoid backtracking.

July-Aug 10 day Itinerary

I agree with hikes on trying to add another night at Many Glacier.

You go past Fishercap to get to Red Rock falls for whatever that%26#39;s worth. Pleasant kind of warm up hike. JUst keep going for Bullhead Lake.

Grinnell is beautiful in my opinion. It wore me out but it was worth it. HIdden Lake is also worth is when you drive across Going to the Sun Road.

We tried to show what some of these hikes looked like on our website.

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

If you look at the buttons at the top, you should see names of hikes which correspond to the above. Iceberg never opened while we were there. Bear activity. No reason you shouldn%26#39;t love Glacier. Its a beautiful place.

hikes %26amp; AKJ have given you some great advice here! I also agree with taking one of your nights in Rising Sun and changing it to Many Glacier. It is such a beautiful place! I also think spending one night in Apgar is very appropriate. On your way over to Rising Sun, make sure you do the short hike to Hidden Lake Overlook. Avalanche Lake/Trail of the Cedars are also great, but I like Hidden Lake Overlook more. If you can do both on your way over to Rising Sun, I would do that...and it%26#39;s very, very doable. You will enjoy Lake McDonald too.

Make sure you check out AKJ%26#39;s website...it%26#39;s a great resource!

I really like the hikes you have chosen. And, as AKJ mentioned, you pass Fishercap Lake on the way to Red Rock Falls. Fishercap is about 1/4 mile from the trailhead %26amp; Red Rock Falls is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from the trailhead. Bullhead Lake is about 3 1/2 miles from the trailhead, and I recommend that hike. Fishercap is great for moose watching, especially in the late afternoon.

Highline, Grinnell, Iceberg, Bullhead, and Hidden Lake Overlook are all must-do%26#39;s. If you are set on going to Two Medicine one day, I also think it%26#39;s a great idea to do Scenic Point %26amp; Running Eagle Falls. Make sure you do Scenic Point first thing because the morning is when the lighting is best. I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d spend the time to do Twin Falls unless you want to take the boat cruise too. Instead, I would probably recommend hiking St. Mary/Virginia Falls afterwards. I know it%26#39;s not in the same part of the park, but it%26#39;s not too far from St. Mary. If for some reason you cannot hike one of the trails, I would recommend Siyeh Pass, Cracker Lake, and Ptarmigan Tunnel as alternatives.

Anyway, it sounds like you%26#39;ve got a very nice plan working out here! I%26#39;m excited for your trip! : ) Be sure to hit us back with any questions/concerns.

Also, here%26#39;s a link to all of my travel photos. You will see some listed as Glacier Day 1, Glacier Day 2, etc. from my 2006 trip, and my 2008 trip photos are under the tab ';Glacier Trip 2008';

s143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/TNsoccer07/

Sean

Thank you Hikes, AKJ and Sean. I%26#39;ve swapped out one day at Rising Sun for another day at Many Glacier.

I feel great about the planning and now I%26#39;ve moved to stocking up on hiking clothes and other items.

All the photos and advice are so helpful and I will report back after our trip!

Many Thanks,

Twink

I agree with the others - you%26#39;ve got a great selection of hikes there. Iceberg, Grinnell and Hidden Lake are just phenomenal. And stop at Lake McDonald and take a dip - cold as heck but a beautiful setting among pine forest (very different from the east side of the park). And Scenic Point is a must-do in my opinion...just a mind blowing view from the summit...you really get the sense of standing atop the ';Great Divide.';

If you do head to two med to hike, consider dawson pass. Not difficult, if weather is good, provides great views to the next basin that few visit. You could make a long loop, 16 miles and come around ptamahkin (sp) pass and old man lake, or just reverse out.

I%26#39;m going to offer something a bit different based on my own preferences and experiences:

1 night in Apgar - IMHO Apgar is a nice campground but very busy in late July with the sound of very large RV%26#39;s. It%26#39;s a beautiful campground, but I much prefer it in spring or fall where it%26#39;s very quiet and peaceful.

I would change this one night in Apgar to one night in Avalanche. While Avalanche is very busy as well, it also offers an old growth cedar rainforest and a hike to spectacular Avlanche Lake. Apgar%26#39;s advantage is that%26#39;s it%26#39;s close to the very beautiful North Fork of Flathead River and the exit point of McDonals Creek from McDonald Lake.

3 nights in Rising Sun - Rison Sun is a tiny campground that%26#39;s right on the road. You may find that staying for three days here is a bit much. It%26#39;s spectacular though. You can see what these campgrounds actually look like here and make informed decisions from that:

parkcamper.com/Glacier-National-Park/Glacier鈥?/a>

2 nights in Waterton - Possible border searches and IMHO there%26#39;s no advantage to Waterton over Glacier. I would eliminate both of these days unless you have reservations at the hotel. I would use both days for Two Medicine campground, which is a joy with numerous hiking trails.

3 nights in Many Glacier - Many Glacier is awesome. :)

Drive via Route 2 to Kalispell - Yes. Fantastic scenery. Gorgeous. Don%26#39;t forget to stop at Goat Lick which is right off the road.

So, revised itinierary based on my own personal preferences and experience for that time of year:

1 night at Apgar (check out North Fork of Flathead and take it easy, enjoy some of the shops)

2 nights at Avalanche

3 nights in Many Glacier

3 nights in Two Medicine (closer to Kalispell and U.S. 2 for the way back)

This gives you a fairly varied and yet fairly relaxed experience in the park. You get the rugged east side mixed with the greener west side. It also gives you a couple nice 3 day chunks at Many Glacier and Two Medicine to take in the numerous and incredible dayhikes with a more relaxed pace. Both areas are outstanding car camping spots with unlimited hiking options right from the campground. Avalanche offers quick access to Going to the Sun Road and HIdden Lake, while also offering an awesome hike right from the campground up to Avalanche Lake. The old growth cedar forest and tranquil creek provide an interesting contrast to the stay at Many Glacier and Two Medicine.