I have been using Trip Advisor for some time, but have never posted, so please bear with me if I leave anything out that%26#39;s important to know, in order to reply.
Our family of five (kids ages 15, 12, 9) will be visiting GNP, Yellowstone and GTNP this August. I know it%26#39;s a lot in one trip, but it%26#39;s our only chance to get out there. My question is this: Is it better to start on the West side and drive East, or the East side and drive West? We will be coming from West Yellowstone and then driving to the Bozeman area after GNP. While at Glacier, we plan to spend a couple of days hiking (hopefully, Iceberg and Grinnell and Fishercap Lake) on the East side and one day driving the GTSR, stopping for shorter hikes along the way. We are staying in Babb and don%26#39;t know yet where we%26#39;ll stay on the West side. That depends on the drive we decide on.
I%26#39;ve got some fear of heights, so part of me wants to drive East to West, to be further from the heights/edge of the road, but another part of me thinks we%26#39;d be better off doing the GTSR first, with its shorter hikes, to help us prepare for the longer ones on the East side. We are not experienced hikers.
Thanks for any help or advice you can offer!
East to West or West to East?
My recommendation is to drive GTSR east to west which is opposite of the way I drive based on I%26#39;m usually coming from Idaho. I think the initial entrance into the park from the east is more impressive than coming from the west. My other recommendation is to pick one location in the park to spend several days if possible. My favorite one stop location is Many Glacier, I think it%26#39;s hard to beat for access to activities(ranger hikes and lectures), animal sightings, hiking (numerous day hikes), and services(hotels/motels/stores/campgrounds) along with outstanding scenery and a little less rain than the west side.
East to West or West to East?
I agree with the previous poster and with all the reasons. I just really liked Swiftcurrent. The trail heads for the 3 hikes you mentioned are right there too. Fishercap Lake isn%26#39;t really a hike but is very pretty and you might see a moose. You should continue past Fishercap (after checking out the lake) and continue on to Redrock Falls. Its a nice warmup hike.
Here%26#39;s a link to a trip report from when we were there. If you look at the top buttons, you can get a good idea of what Grinnell Glacier and Redrock Falls look like.
http://www.alandsuejohnson.com/glacier_np.htm
There%26#39;s also a link to our Yellowstone stuff on the left. There%26#39;s actually more for YNP than Glacier.
If it is running when you are there, take the free shuttle and don%26#39;t drive at all. You can get on at any of its stopping places, get off at any, transfer to the other shuttle at Logan Pass and go down the other side and come back over again. It%26#39;s really nice to let an experienced person do the driving for you while you gawk at all the scenery. Make plans so you can get off at a trailhead to hike and get back in time to catch a shuttle back.
The Going to the Sun highway is in the process of being rebuilt and there can be traffic backups. You will be much less stressed riding the shuttle than being stuck in traffic, watching for your turn to move forward instead of watching for the animals or looking at the scenery.
all of the above are right on
One thing to add - since you express a fear of heights. When going from east to west on GTTS you are mainly on the ';mountain side'; of the road. When going from west to east, you are mainly on the ';cliff side'; of the road.
If you%26#39;re coming from YNP and then going to Bozeman when you leave the park, you will be coming from east of the park and leaving to points east of the park when you go. So, I don%26#39;t see what difference it makes which direction you travel the GTTS road from, since you will be backtracking at some point in the trip either way. So why not travel the road from the direction you will be most comfortable; which is east to west. Hit GTTS when you get to the park, do the shorter hikes that you are hoping to do to prepare for your longer hikes, and you can back track to Babb from West Glacier via hwy 2 (to East Glacier, then north to St Mary and Babb) after you%26#39;re done on the west side of the park.
Wow! Thank you, everyone, for your fast and helpful replies. East to West it is. I had not considered the shuttle before, so will look into that. I like the idea of everyone being able to enjoy the scenery (my husband, who will be doing the driving, and me, who will be more relaxed with someone who knows the roads behind the wheel).
One question it brings up...how long does it take to go back down the west side, head east, then head back north to Babb? In our original plan of driving across with hikes along the way, I thought it would be a very full day.
One other question...when we drive back down to Bozeman, we were going to go from the west side, just to see something different on the way back, rather than driving the same roads up and back. We would have seen Flathead Lake, for example. Should we consider sticking with that plan, or just drive up and back from the east side?
Thanks so much, once again. You all have really helped us rethink our itinerary and we will modify our plans by your feedback.
The shuttle is a fabulous idea for GTTS! But if you take the shuttle you will have to take it back to the east side again, to get back to your car.
My estimate on driving from West Glacier to East Glacier and then north to Babb is that it will take about 2 hours, maybe a wee bit longer.
The idea of driving south along Flathead Lake on your way to Bozeman is a great one - that is a very scenic drive, especially on the east side of the lake, from Bigfork to Polson.
There is also a ';Red Jammer Bus Tour'; that does a narrated tour over and back. If the weather is nice they take the top off so you have even better views. This service costs but it may be worthwhile to you. The shuttle bus drivers may or may not comment as they drive.
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