Plans are set

The plans are final for July 2010 trip. There are five of us, 4 adults and 1 child (will be 5) traveling by car from WA. We%26#39;ll be gone 9 nights.

July 5: Reserved two nights in cabins in E Glacier Park. Plenty of time for relaxing and recovery from the long drive out before really hitting the trails. From here explore the Two Medicine area.

July 7: Reserved three nights at Many Glacier Hotel in a lakeview suite. Would like to do hiking, take the red bus tour to Waterton with my mother-in-law, and a boat ride for my son.

July 10: Looking for condo in Whitefish for four nights. Can%26#39;t decide between on the mountain, in town or something in between. We%26#39;re thinking about saving money and staying up on the mountain. Any thoughts?

On the way to Whitefish we%26#39;ll do GTTS road. Any hiking or sights that need more time on the west side we can go back to from Whitefish. Any suggestions for must see sights? My mother-in-law is not a hiker so she%26#39;ll be hanging out around lodges while we%26#39;re on the trail. I was told about a waterpark in Columbia Falls, thought it might be a nice break from outdoors for my son, anyone been there?

Plans are set

Just don%26#39;t forget Hidden Lake Overlook when you get to Logan Pass on GTTSR. 3 mile round trip and a beautiful view. We had mountain goats walking with us part of the way although I don%26#39;t know if that%26#39;s common.

Plans are set

What type of hiking trails are you interested in? Many from the Many Glacier area are in the 10-12 mile range with elevation changes. Will this be too much, especially with a five y.o. or will he be staying with Grandma? There is also (or was last year) a go-kart track in Columbia Falls.

RE: the condo in Whitefish, on the mountain or in town: unless Grandma will have her own car, it might be betteer to have a place closer to town, preferably walking distance to town. There are lots of fun things to do in the town of Whitefish, nice parks, walks, galleries, etc., but up on the ski resort mountain it%26#39;s a bit removed.

Whitefish Beach is a great public beach for swimming. The lakes in GNP are rather cold for swimming, but both Flathead Lake and Whitefish Lake are warmer.

The Columbia Falls waterpark would be lovely if it%26#39;s hot. You can%26#39;t miss it, it%26#39;s right on the highway.

The Great Bear Adventure is always on my ';recommended list';. It%26#39;s near Coram, look for the big yellow fence right on the highway. There are things like a maze, go carts, a mystery house, so lots of fun but touristy things to do.

Enjoy!

For Whitefish: Are the shops and dining open during the summer on the mountain or does it mostly shut down? We%26#39;re looking to finish the trip somewhere nicer after being in ';rustic'; lodings in the park but still want the peaceful, quite feeling. My husband and I really need a place to sit on the deck and relax, but don%26#39;t want or traveling partners to get bored.

Hiking: We%26#39;re all in pretty good shape and usually do a bit of hiking at home throughout the summer. About 10 miles would probably be a good day. My problem is with the elevation changes and usually try to choose hikes with less than 1000 ft change. With my son, this year will be his first hiking. he%26#39;s to big for the backpack now. We%26#39;re going to try to have him up to a mile by the end of summer and we%26#39;ll see how it goes. He really loves being on the trail and has always done some walking on his own, so I%26#39;m hoping his transition is esay.

Grinnell Glacier hike will be 11 miles RT (or 8 if you take the boat trip)with about a 1600 ft. elevation gain. Iceberg Lake is 10 miles RT and about 1200 ft. elevation change. Avalanche Lake is about 5 miles and a 500 ft. change, Hidden Lake Overlook aobut 3 miles and I think has less than 500 ft. elevation change. Fishercap Lake, Redrock Falls and Bullhead lake are all on the same trail with hardly any elevation change. To Bullhead and back is about six miles. Hope this helps you decide if your son will be able to do these. You can always start and turn back if it becomes too much.

I don%26#39;t know what stays open and what closes up on Big Mountain (now called Whitefish Mountain, with it%26#39;s new ownership). You could contact the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, or you could contact the Whitefish Mountain Resort itself.

The entire town of Whitefish stays lively and is a happening place all year long. It%26#39;s a small town though, more like the size and feel of Hood River, if you are familiar with that town.

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