To TNsoccer07

Howdy,

You aren%26#39;t too hard to track down:-) Hanging out in your favorite park I see.

Well, I just had to tell you, my son was looking to get out of town for the summer, leaning toward working for a cruise ship or...he didn%26#39;t know.

Remembering my summer in Shenandoah I suggested a national park. He wasn%26#39;t too pysched about Grand canyon or Yellowstone, they were too close. So thinking about your great trip reports and knowing myself how beautiful it is in Glacier I suggested it. And what do you know he got a job--I think it is the lowest of the low in the Many Glacier location, but he%26#39;s okay with it.

Anyway, we may have to take a trip up there this summer to visit him. I%26#39;m re-reading all your reports and marveling again at how much you did and your ability to put us right there with your word pictures as well as your beautiful photos.

We found the photo album with our pictures from our last visit- a very rainy August in 1982 (gasp). The rain didn%26#39;t stop us, we just put on our ponchos and kept hiking. I had more pictures than I remembered in that pre digital age.

We never even knew Many Glacier or Two Medicine existed so this will be all new territory for us. I expect we%26#39;ll be camping at Many Glacier.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know you affected the direction our lives will take this summer as Glacier wasn%26#39;t even on the map a month ago :-)

Take Care.

To TNsoccer07

kbecjeans----watch out or he may get hooked on national parks. The summer I worked in Denali (I will not admit how long ago that was, but the hint is that it was not called Denali then) many of the staff came from Many Glacier---they had worked there the previous summer.

I remember their stories but it took me until 2008 to actually go and see the place. So beautiful! And now we are booked to return this summer. (I%26#39;ll check up on your son if you like).

Don%26#39;t worry about the job being ';the lowest of the low';. I put in my time as a maid cleaning rooms at Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite Valley---back when employees could actually live in the valley. National park work is all about the location and the off work time opportunities.

He will have a good summer.

To TNsoccer07

Hey KJ! Yep, if you can%26#39;t find me elsewhere, it%26#39;s a pretty good bet you%26#39;ll find me hanging out on the Glacier forums. : ) However, I%26#39;m pretty sure I%26#39;ll be headed to the southwest this summer with my family...spending a week in Flagstaff. I still have to see what I%26#39;m doing this summer to make sure I can make it, but if I do, I%26#39;ll be out in late May/early June.

I%26#39;m very glad to hear that your son grabbed a job in Glacier, especially Many Glacier. That will be unbelievable! I cannot imagine spending an entire summer working out of Many Glacier. That%26#39;s exactly where I%26#39;ll hope to get a job next summer...either Many Glacier or St. Mary anyway. I think venturing out there for a summer would be an amazing, reflective journey, and I am excited for my own possible summer out there in 2010.

I am humbled, too, that my posts/reports/pictures affected you and your family%26#39;s immediate future. I hope to continue aiding people in this regard as I continue traveling and especially hiking. It%26#39;s been a bit difficult lately trying to figure out what my future will look like. That%26#39;s exactly why I think a summer in Glacier would be incredible and why I%26#39;m so excited for that.

Anyway, I%26#39;m also very excited that you will also be taking time out to visit him and the park this summer. I am certain you will find it better than in 1982...it sounds like the weather just did not cooperate at all. And Many Glacier and Two Medicine will be a new trip for you too...those are two very beautiful areas of the park. Camping in Many Glacier is also a great idea...what a great location!

Thanks so much for the message. I really appreciate hearing about what you have planned for the summer! Keep in touch %26amp; let me know if I can help you in any way in planning for your trip...although by then I bet your son will be an expert! : )

Sean

Enzian,,, I would have no trouble with him getting hooked on National Parks. I wish now I had done more of it myself. Fun to hear you had that experience as well ! It is interesting to read of all the people planning to travel up to Glacier this year. When are you planning on going?

Sean, I didn%26#39;t even notice you had the destination expert moniker! But well deserved. Maybe my son will enjoy it enough to go again next summer and run into you :-)

So are you planning on hiking the Grand Canyon this year? You really need to if you haven%26#39;t already. Totally different than Glacier for sure :-)

Good to know you are still around. Take care. I%26#39;ll be reading this forum for all the info we%26#39;ll need for sure.

KJ: Thank you...I got the title around Christmas time, so it was a nice gift. : ) I will be excited for my prospective summer job next year because I will not only be having the time of my life out there, but there are plenty of people I%26#39;ve talked to online that I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;ll meet in person. I%26#39;ll just have to keep praying to make sure this is the path I should take next summer.

As of right now, I do not think I%26#39;ll be actually hiking to the Colorado this summer. I would absolutely love to though! We definitely won%26#39;t be staying at Phantom Ranch, but I guess there%26#39;s a slight possibility we may backpack down there. My older brother and his girlfriend are coming with my parents, younger brother, and myself %26amp; she has never been to Arizona, so I doubt we%26#39;ll do anything too serious. One of these years... : )

Do you know yet when or for how long you will be visiting Glacier this summer?

I would have no problems with suggesting you and your brothers hiking to the river and back in one day, not with what you did last year. There are not very many people capable of doing it, but I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;d be some of them. But you have others to consider as well. And you%26#39;d have to have time to train ahead of time.

When we would come is still all so tentative. We may end up driving him up there the end of May, but that would just be an up and back trip. I%26#39;m looking at the end of July for a week long trip and I%26#39;m always greedy, trying to include a drive through Yellowstone as well. Our new daughter-in-law would finish classes the 24th of July and I was hoping she and our son could join us for the trip. But I really haven%26#39;t talked to anyone about it yet, so if they don%26#39;t come we really have all summer to look at. We have plans for June and early september, so July/Aug look the best.

One thing I have wondered about is the bugs. I imagine July/Aug would be high season for mosquitos. They might be a problem if we camped...any thoughts on that:?

Waterton side trip worth it for campers?

I was considering a side trip up to Waterton, but I%26#39;m not sure if it is worth the hassle if we%26#39;re camping 7 days and will likely have a good amount of food/beverage that may be subject to border crossing restrictions. I would hate to have to throw stuff away just to cross over, and possibly throw stuff away before coming back to the US. Basically, would we be better off spending a week in Glacier or is it worth the possible issues to spend 4 nights in Glacier and 1 or 2 in Waterton?

Thanks!

Waterton side trip worth it for campers?

You could certainly have some food issues, generally with regard to meat, produce and alcohol. That issue is easily resolved by only buying what you need of these items while you are in GNP so that you are able to use everything up before you cross the border and then you can buy small quantities of what you need for your time in Canada.

Where I think the real hassle lies is in breaking camp, packing up and then setting everything back up again in another location.

Waterton is close enough to do a day trip from GNP, if you%26#39;d like to see the park. It%26#39;s less than an hour%26#39;s drive from St Mary to Waterton village. Ensure that you have your passports with you, for your re-entry into the US.

Waterton side trip worth it for campers?

Camping Girl...thanks for the advice. I didn%26#39;t realize it was only about an hours drive. If we can do a good job at planning our food rations, then we%26#39;ll try to work it in. Do you feel it is worth the trip up there for a couple people that have never been to Glacier National Park? Meaning, would we likely be just as satisfied spending an extra day hiking/exploring Glacier?

Waterton is a great side trip, especially the drive up as early as possible in the morning as the sun comes up on the eastern side of the range. The boat trip to goat haunt and the easy hike to kootenai lakes almost always brings moose sighting (and mosquitos).

Looks like if we stay at Many Glacier Campsite (which seems highly recommended) it would be a good basecamp for a day-trip to Waterton.

We stayed in St. Mary%26#39;s and did a day trip to Waterton. We enjoyed it a lot, although I%26#39;m sure you can find an equally enjoyable day in Glacier. It%26#39;s a nice change of pace. You get a bit more ';town'; because Waterton is a medium sized resort town.

If you go, I%26#39;d recommend a short hike just as your entering Waterton that starts just behind the Visitor Center. I can%26#39;t remember the name, but it%26#39;s about a 45 minute uphill hike to a breathtaking view point of the whole lake and surrounding mountains. The whole hike will take about and hour and a half.

That little hike jjo recommended is Bear%26#39;s Hump. It%26#39;s a bit of a grind getting up there, but the views are *so* worth it.

wireless mouse

guided hikes

hello,

i am wondering if anyone knows about the guided hikes. where can i find info on this. Do the rangers offer them throughout the year.

guided hikes

You can check the 2008 publications for the ranger hikes of 2008 at this link:

www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/brochures.htm

The 2009 ones probably won%26#39;t show up for a while yet, but they will likely at least be similar to 2008.

guided hikes

The link provided by previous poster is great. The only hike that I personally know anyone has taken is to Grinnell. They said it was a good hike.

';Do the rangers offer them throughout the year.';

Throughout the summer, anyway.

We did two ranger-led hikes last summer (Highline Trail and Grinnell Glacier). Both were great. I was a bit concerned that they might be too slow, pacing the hike to the slowest participant. But they maintain a moderate pace, with briefs stops now and then for mini-lectures on geology, wildlife, etc. so the slower hikers can catch up.

Enzian,

Verry accurate. We never really caught up. Our fault not the rangers.

They really aren%26#39;t accountable for you. You can stick with them or not. Sticking with them is best for learning things but we apparently weren%26#39;t moderate hikers.

Thanks everyone for the great information...it is very very useful...

we are worried about the bears - and feel that hiking in a group is good (although we have not really gone on a ranger led hike - but think that at glacier it might be needed)

i tried looking everywhere for the info, but came up wiht nothing...

was hoping to hike to grinnel glacier, take the boat trip and then the guided hike... but it does not begin until july 15th...so we are out of luck on that one...

so want to make sure that we can get another ranger led hike...

thanks again

While many, many people hike alone or in twos safely, there is comfort in hiking with a group of 4 or 5. You can often meet up with other like-minded people at the trailhead and agree to hike together.

I wouldn%26#39;t assume any hike will or will not start by a certain date. GTSR did not open completely until quite late last year, and there was snow around on the trails later than usual, which directly affects when the guided hikes start.

I%26#39;m personally going to be in Glacier this summer July 5-9, so I hope they have started by then. I%26#39;m traveling alone, and while I%26#39;m not overly concerned about bears/lions, it just makes sense to join the ranger group whenever I can. Especially when Glacier has more good, long hikes ranger led than any other park. Highline, Iceberg Lake, Grinnell Glacier, not to mention a ton of great ones in Two Medicine.

Augusta Outfitter Advice/Info

Hi all.

We will be in Augusta late June and are thinking of a 4-5 day pack trip to include riding and fly fishing. I received info from the following three outfitters and am hoping someone can give me their impressions or experiences with these outfits. thanks.

TripleJ

Ford Creek

Mills Wilderness Adventures

Augusta Outfitter Advice/Info

anyone?

Augusta Outfitter Advice/Info

I have an in-house outfitter, my dad, so I%26#39;ve never been out with these groups. But Augusta and the Bob Marshall are great and relatively undiscovered.

If they%26#39;ve been in business very long, they must be decent because it would be tough to make a living if not.

Thanks. We went with TripleJ for their June trip. They have been around a while and the few reviews on here have been very good. Thanks again!

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Itinerary help

Friday July 3rd: Arrive in Salt Lake City in morning - Drive the long haul to Kalispell and stay at motel.

Saturday: Find a campsite in Glacier (probably along GTTSR). Hike.

Sunday: Move to Many Glacier Campground. Hike.

Monday: Hike, stay at Many Glacier campground.

Tuesday: Move to Two Medicine Campground. Hike.

Wednesday: If we feel we%26#39;ve gotten our fill of GNP, then get up early %26amp; drive to Yellowstone and camp. Or we%26#39;ll bump this day%26#39;s itinerary to Thursday and stay another day to hike.

Thursday: Hike in YNP, Camp in GTNP.

Friday: Hike in GTNP, Stay at Hotel in Jackson

Saturday: Drive to Salt Lake City and drive home.

Question 1:

We%26#39;ve never been to Glacier National Park, but we%26#39;ve been to YNP/GTNP the past two summers. Are we better off skipping YNP/GTNP? Its about a 3-4 hour detour of extra driving as opposed to going direct from Glacier to Salt Lake City. But we love the area, and it would be a nice way to break up the long drive back to Salt Lake City. Also, Jackson makes a good last-night place to unwind and recollect after a week of camping.

Question 2: Our focus is mainly on the East side of Glacier. Should we try to split the nights between the east and west side? Or is there more/better hiking in the east?

Question 3: Best campground that offers nearby showers and laundry facilities?

Question 4: Worth devoting any time to exploring Kalispell? Or is it more of a place to stop for lodging/supplies on the way to Glacier?

Thanks for any/all help.

Itinerary help

My 2 cents worth would be get up early and head over GTTS. Consider hidden lake overlook. Camp at rising sun or St. Mary in the park (right on GTTS)and get some other short hikes (virgina falls area-sunrift gorge) East is more scenic and has better hiking. Rising Sun store has showers in back. Get up early, drive 1/2 mi back on GTTS to wild goose island for sunrise. See if Many Glacier ahs any openings (you are about 15 miles away so you could continue to stay there and drive to and from) Move if possible. Swiftcurrent has showers.

Kalispel is pretty basic, Whitefish a little more intersting but the park beats out the towns.

Other hiking options are plentiful, depending on your desire/fittness/time.

You will soon know if Glacier is your place or you wnat to move on.

Hotels by airport already booked for this summer?

Am I too late or too soon? I just started today looking for a hotel for one night before our return trip from Bozeman Airport. Boy, was I surprised to find that the Hilton Garden Inn is showing no availability. Should I have booked sooner? Any recommendations for a hotel that%26#39;s near the airport for one night? We%26#39;ve got a very early flight, so we%26#39;re looking for something very convenient. How about the Wingate Inn, or in Belgrade, either the LaQuinta or the Holiday Inn Express?

Hotels by airport already booked for this summer?

The airport is between Bozeman and Belgrade on the north side of I-90. There is no direct exit off the interstate that goes directly to the the airport.

Any hotel off the N 19th St Exit would be convenient to get to the airport quickly. The airport is off a Frontage Road and you can access the Frontage Road by getting off the N 19th St Exit. I%26#39;ve stayed at the Wingate which is off that exit. There are a few other hotels there too plus some restaurants, shopping centers, etc. There are more hotels just off the N 7th Ave Exit too. That exit too would be relatively easy to get to the airport from. Just get back on I-90 and go to the N 19th Exit and get off.

Belgrade also has some hotels just off their exit. If I remember right you would need to either to through their downtown area to get on the Frontage Road and go east to the airport. Or get back on the interstate and drive to N 19th Exit and then backtrack on the Frontage Road to the airport.

Hopefully, someone else that lives in the Bozeman area will post with additional help/suggestions. I%26#39;m really surprised that the hotel is full already.

Deb

Hotels by airport already booked for this summer?

Another choice is the Best Western GranTree Inn in Bozeman. They have a shuttle to the airport, although I%26#39;m not sure when it starts operating. I do know that the Delta pilots stay there, so it must begin early.

Either of the 2 Belgrade motels would be good choices too - just check their shuttle times (unless you%26#39;ll have a rental car).

Good Luck!

There are a couple very new motels right by the Costco and I-90/North 19th exit, such as the C%26#39;mon Inn and Marriott Residence Inn. The Wingate in the same area is a little older. All three are fine.

By the I-90/North 7th exit is the Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn and Best Western Grantree. Those are fine, too.

And in between on Baxter Lane (which connects North 7th and North 19th) are the Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites. All acceptable chain motels.

I%26#39;ve never been in the Belgrade motels.

Have a look at this hotel/lodge grlodge.com Its closer to the airport than most in Bozeman and offers some nice features, a great restaurant and very nice rooms.

The Gallatin River Lodge is a nice place -- I%26#39;ve stayed there as well as dined there. But it%26#39;s a small inn, fairly pricey, and not really that close to the airport -- it%26#39;s a bit out in the boonies. I doubt it%26#39;s what you%26#39;re looking to overnight before a flight.

Not sure when you%26#39;re going but I just booked two nights at the Hilton Garden Inn and there was availability for the end of June/beginning of July. Sounds like there are other options though. You can also call the hotel direct.

skiing at Red Lodge

We have not skied at Red Lodge before - are there ski in/ski out options available? if not, what is the best location to stay for skiing?

Thanks!

skiing at Red Lodge

The only lodging near the mountain is in the town of Red Lodge (6 miles away). There are various hotels/motels (along with bed %26amp; breakfast inns) available.

When are you planning on going skiing? The mountain usually closes Easter weekend (no matter how much snow there is) due to being on National Forest land and bears coming out of hibernation.

Deb

skiing at Red Lodge

ok, thanks. we are actually planning for our next ski trip in Dec :)

Staying in town is more fun, as you can walk to restaurants and night life. Red Lodge is a cute little town.

In addition to hotels, check for vacation rentals as a lot of local residents keep a house in Red Lodge for vacationing. There are some on the way to the ski area to keep the drive short, but I%26#39;d rather stay in town. Some of the residences are beautiful and quite deluxe, so it does depend on what you%26#39;re looking for. In town residences would tend to be smaller and less lodge-like.

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