Monday, December 12, 2011

3.5 days trip to GNP with family

Hi,



I would like some advice regarding planning a 3.5 days trip to GNP with family. We will be travelling with my niece and nephew and my parents. So the range of ages is large ( 10 yr old to 64 yr old). But I must say the 64 yr old , that鈥檚 my dad, is very active for his age. But I think we should be able to manage around 5-7 miles hike on one of the days.



I was wondering the following:



1. Are 3.5 days enough to see some of the major attractions in GNP?





2. Other than the hike mentioned above, can we do the rest of the sightseeing in a car?





3. Are the lakes, glaciers and wildlife accessible by car?





4. Any hotels recommended for the group of 6 adults + 2 kids?



I would appreciate your responses.





Thanks,



M



3.5 days trip to GNP with family


I have no doubt but what you will ahve a variety of recommendations. That is a car load of folks. Certainly, driving going to the sun road will cover a lot of your questions. This has plenty of short hikes and opportunities for views and animals. Avalanche on the west, hidden lake on the top, and virginia/sun rift falls areas east. A trip to many glacier is also worth while, probably best hikes from there either boat trip portion of grinnel, or red rock falls and bullhead/also fishercap lakes (for moose)



Might google Apgar for accomodations. There are cabis and motels, but they fill quickly. This gives you most of the services you would need while in the park (food/shopping)



3.5 days trip to GNP with family


Thanks for your reply! So it will not a stupid idea to visit GNP with kids and seniors as long as we rent a car, right?



I know people do 10 days trips and that might be a better way to go. But because of our constraints, do you think 3.5 days would be kind of ok?





M




I think in 3.5 days you can see the highlights and there is enough variety to keep everyone happy. As suggested in the Many Glacier area take the boat across the lake and do the short hike to Grinnell Lake. This is a nice picnic spot. At Logan Pass there is the hike to Hidden Lake Overlook and most times you will see big horn sheep on this hike. In Many Glacier the hike to Fishercap lake is about 1/2 to 1 mile roundtrip and great for wildlife viewing. As suggested go on to RedRock Falls or Bullhead Lake. I think Bullhead is 6 or so miles roundtrip but it is mostly level hiking. Near Lake McDonald take Trail of the Cedars and go on another 4 miles RT to Avalanche lake if everyone feels like it. It is a nice lake and nice hike. You can easily spend one entire day driving across the park with stops. Check www.vrbo.com for possible cabins that would hold your group. Don%26#39;s Hideaway near Babb, about half way between St. Mary and Many Glacier gets pretty good reviews here. Enjoy your trip.




Giving advice to you without knowing when you would be there seems futile. Trails open when the snow melts enough and there are no grizzly bears sited on them. Going to the Sun road opens when enough snow melts to make it feasible. The road closes for rebuilding in the fall. If your trip is for October thru April, one day would be enough (maybe too much if you hit a snowstorm). July could be good for 2 to 10 days depending on how much hiking or photography you wanted to do. Give us some hints on when you are coming and you can get better advice.




Oops, sorry ! I did not mention the dates. We are thinking of going during 4th July weekend.




Fourth of July weekend will be about the busiest time. Instead of doing the sightseeing from your car, do the driver a favor and either take a ';Red Jammer'; bus tour or park your car and take the shuttle. With the road construction, the narrow road and all the traffic, all the driver will get to see is the bumper of the car in front. The shuttle stops at most if not all the trailheads on the Going to the Sun highway. Be aware that if you get off to hike, when you get back to get on the shuttle, you may find it full and will have to wait until the next one (and the next one, and...)to have space for you to get back on.





The lakes are accessible by car. The glaciers are not. You may have enough time to hike to where you can see one of the glaciers.





If you haven%26#39;t booked your lodging by now, being the 4th of July weekend, you may not find any available near the park. Hopefully someone else can help with that part, my wife and I are tent campers.




I agree with the previous posters, who have all given you excellent advice.





I completely agree that 3 1/2 days is a good amount of time to get acquainted with the park. Like it has been stated, the glaciers are not accessible by car, although you can see many in the distance. There are several lakes (Lake McDonald, St. Mary and Lower St. Mary Lake, Two Medicine and Lower Two Medicine Lake, Sherburne Lake, and Swiftcurrent Lake) that are accessible by car. These are all either along GTTS Road, in Many Glacier, or in Two Medicine. Wildlife is always random...there have been days that we%26#39;ve watched mountain goats and bighorn sheep from our car, days that we had to slam on our breaks for a bear crossing the road, and days where the only wildlife we saw from the road were squirrels and birds. That%26#39;s a beautiful thing about Glacier...it%26#39;s always a surprise! : ) Regardless, you%26#39;re bound to see plenty of wildlife while you%26#39;re there through a combination of driving and walking.





As was stated, definitely hike to Fishercap Lake from Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. It%26#39;s only 1/4 mile from the parking lot %26amp; you%26#39;re bound to see moose in the lake...if not during the day then certain in the morning or late afternoon. I%26#39;ve seen moose there each time I%26#39;ve been at the lake.





I also agree that continuing on the trail to Red Rock Lake/Falls or to Bullhead Lake would be very worthwhile. Red Rock Falls would be about a 4.5 mile hike with little elevation change, if I%26#39;m not mistaken, and the head of Bullhead Lake is a roundtrip distance of ~6.5 (again, with little elevation change). It is a very easy walk with beautiful scenery...forests, mountains, creeks, and lakes await you!





You could combine this hike with a boat trip/short hike to Grinnell Lake. The boat trip is fantastic %26amp; hiking to Grinnell Lake is only about 2 miles roundtrip if you use the boat. I highly recommend it!





When on GTTS Road, I also highly recommend Avalanche Lake and Hidden Lake Overlook, particularly Hidden Lake Overlook. Avalanche Lake is 4.5 miles roundtrip with 550 feet of gain. It leads you through the westernmost expanse of the Pacific Northwest Rainforest, characterized by ancient giant hemlocks and cedars. You follow the brilliant, babbling Avalanche Creek along the way and then arrive at the beautiful Avalanche Lake. There are several (~6) waterfalls that tower plummet hundred feet down the mountainside to the lake from Sperry Glacier%26#39;s meltwater above. It%26#39;s a fantastic sight. Hidden Lake Overlook is 3 miles roundtrip with 700 feet of gain. You pass through excellent mountain goat habitat the entire way...you%26#39;re almost guaranteed to see some. You have unobstructed views the entire way %26amp; they are astounding! The view of Hidden Lake situated below Bearhat Mountain with the blue summitts of the Livingston Range rolling into the horizon is breathtaking. It is a great hike, especially at only 3 miles long.





I also agree that if you%26#39;re going the 4th of July to try the Jammers (if you%26#39;re willing to pay). Taking the shuttle will be a nightmare unless they drastically fix the system from last year. It was not the most effective shuttle system when I was there, according to my parents. The construction would be rather frustrating for the driver, who will be in marvel of the surroundings as much as you. I%26#39;d highly recommend forking over the cash for a Jammer tour if you are able to do so. It will be a memorable experience for your group!





I can recommend Don%26#39;s Hideaway between St. Mary and Babb...it%26#39;s a great place, although not luxurious. However, I can almost guarantee you won%26#39;t get a reservation there this late in the year. They book up fairly far in advance...especially for the weekend of the 4th.





I%26#39;d highly recommend you go ahead and reserve a place for your time. Even though it%26#39;s about 3 months away, places will be booking up quickly for the timeframe you%26#39;ll be there. The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, Rising Sun Motor Inn, and Apgar Inn may be suitable matches, but I%26#39;m sure there are many others.





There is much more that I could share with you, but I think this is enough for now. I hope your planning goes smoothly and that this helps somewhat.





Sean

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