Debating on driving from Salt Lake or Spokane

We are trying to determine whether to fly into Spokane or SLC. Have to fly via Southwest to use our miles and some airfare credit.

Option 1: Fly from STL to Spokane on about a 6 1/2 hour flight to there with a plane switch along the way (its a 7 hour flight back with 2 stops including a plane switch) plus a 5 hour car one-way drive (according to google) to Glacier. Total roundtrip flight/drive time of about 24 hours of flying/driving.

Option 2: Fly from STL to SLC on a 3 hour direct flight. Then have a 10 hour one-way drive to Glacier. Total roundtrip flight drive time of 26 hours.

Not sure what the cost differences would add up to when I factor in renting a car as in Spokane as opposed to SLC, difference in price of a plane ticket to Spokane opposed to SLC, amount of gas used and what the gas price will be then when dong more driving to/from SLC, etc...

Upside to option 1 is that its a little shorter, a different drive from our usual one going north of SLC to Yellowstone (which we%26#39;ve done the past 2 summers), more time on the plane (not sure if that is a plus or negative). Downside to option 1 is more airport hopping, more potential for lost luggage/delayed flights, and i can usually improve upon the estimated drive time google gives which could cut down on that 10 hour drive to hopefully closer to 9 hours.

Not sure if there is something obvious I%26#39;m missing in this decision. Anyone have any suggestions/thoughts?

Debating on driving from Salt Lake or Spokane

We%26#39;ve been debating the same thing for late Aug-early Sept. this year. We talked about either flying into Kalispel on Delta which is very expensive or flying Southwest from Birmingham, AL and then drive to Glacier which friends have said is a good 9 hour drive. We can go on Southwest for about $220 each round trip and rental cars seem to be cheaper out of SLC so that is probably what we will end up doing. Good luck with your trip planning.

Debating on driving from Salt Lake or Spokane

CeCeDouglasville... flying into Kalispell isn%26#39;t really an option for us because it would add a significant cost to the trip. More than a 1/2 dozen times, I%26#39;ve driven the portion of the drive from SLC before cutting over to Yellowstone, and it is a pleasant drive. SLC rental car rates are usually reasonable as well. I guess for us, it boils down to whether we want to spend more time in an airplane/airports or more time on the road. Plane hopping / lost luggage / cramped seating stresses me out, so I%26#39;m now leaning towards the SLC route with a long car ride. I just hope Glacier is worth the hull. We love yellowstone/tetons and we know the parks well, but I feel I need to experience GNP at least once.

We did Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in 2007 and Black Hills, Deadwood, Battle of Little Bighorn, Yellowstone, Cody, Casper and Cheyenne in 2008. We are planning to go to Glacier and come back to Yellowstone and GT for a couple of days before we fly out of SLC. We too want to experience the different landscape, etc. in Glacier but we love YNP and GT.

I%26#39;ve driven Salt Lake to Glacier in a big loop, but took a bit of a detour and an overnight in central Idaho in the Sawtooth Mountains on the way there (and went back through the Tetons). There%26#39;s actually a lot to see along the way... Craters of the Moon, Sun Valley, Sawtooth Mountains, Missoula carousel, etc. I guess I prefer being in the car to being in the plane, so if I were to do it again I%26#39;d still drive from Salt Lake.

It%26#39;s only about 275 miles from Spokane to GNP, so about 4.5 hours. The drive, if you go north from Couer d%26#39;Alene to Sandpoint to Bonner%26#39;s Ferry then east to Libbey,MT, Whitefish and GNP, is very scenic. Another drive option is to go east at Sandpoint, then north to Troy, MT and then continue east to Libbey and Whitefish, etc. Very nice country. I%26#39;d pick this over the SLC option in a heartbeat, in terms of driving scenery. So, the best choice is probably to weigh the cost of flying into each place, for starters. Then, when you consider that you will be driving twice as far to get from SLC to GNP vs from Spokane, I have to think that the mileage charge on your rental car is going to be a lot more out of SLC, unless you can get something with unlimited miles.

It was a tough call, but we went with the option of flying into SLC. We can still change that, but it boiled down to a few things: decreasing the chances of lost luggage (which includes camping gear, and is something that was lost in the past and threw a major kink in our plans), I%26#39;m guessing more rental car options and probably cheaper in SLC, and having the option to swing through Yellowstone/Grand Tetons on the way back and stay a night in Jackson before finishing the drive back.

I imagine the drive from Spokane to/from Glacier is beautiful, so I do hate to miss that, as well as checking out Spokane for 1/2 a day.

If you want to go to Yellowstone and the Tetons,then go to SLC, but Spokane is a major city and will have plenty of rentals.

As a person who has made these drives, I would go with Spokane hands down UNLESS I wanted to squeak in Yellowstone. Yellowstone does not squeak well, however, and will take up more time than one thinks. SLC is really not very convenient to Glacier.

I%26#39;d even consider Spokane to Glacier to Yellowstone then back to Spokane. The drive on I-90 through Butte and Missoula, MT and Wallace and Coeur D%26#39;Alene ID is very pretty, and fast.

But you%26#39;ve already made your tickets... I%26#39;m sure it will turn out fine. Have a great trip!

ainwa...Thanks for the reply. I completely agree with you that the drive coming out of Spokane would be a better option (even with a detour to Yellowstone). The killer for us is the difference in the flight to/from Spokane vs to/from SLC. Spokane would add up to 14+ hours of roundtrip airport/flight time vs 6 hours going to SLC. Definitely not looking forward to the long drive from SLC to Kalispell, but counting on the excitement of getting to Glacier to make it better.

Thanks

After second guessing myself, I re-checked flights to/from Spokane and the price dropped significantly. Its now cheaper (when I account for gas to drive from SLC) to fly into Spokane. And less time on the road. So, its cheaper, less hectic, way less driving, and more time to spend in Glacier. Hate to miss out on a quick trip through Yellowstone and the Tetons, but I%26#39;ve been there 4 times already so dedicating to Glacier is the way to go.

Hooray! Score one for the travel gods. I think it will be much more fun than the trip with the *bonus* 300-400 mile drive leg.

On the way out, consider going through Sandpoint/Lake PenD%26#39;Oreille and back the other way.

Other people have more specific expertise on Glacier than I do. I have driven through the area in Idaho and in Montana south of Glacier many times.

My particular favorite city to visit for a few hours is Butte for historical interest, but it is not a glamorous town. There are also hot springs throughout the area which are fun to stop at. Wallace Idaho is an interesting place to stretch your legs if you go across on I-90. You can skip the Silver Dollar even though they have spent a lot of $$ on billboards -- it%26#39;s not a bad place to stop to eat, but nothing major. In Montana, look for letters on the hills as most schools and towns have some kind of white stone letter up around town.

If you really want to save money on car rentals, I have found the best deals on Enterprise off-airport. To use them you have to arrive on a weekday during their office hours and take a bus or taxi to their location. Check the website, because they often give weekends free or half off. I don%26#39;t have any specific experience on the locations in Spokane, but there is one even in my small town.

Thanks for sharing the good news...

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