Glacier NP and Greater NW Montana

[CooterBrown 18,001]

4 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

If we were camping, I'd say no problem, but we're driving and just stopping by the park for a couple of days in the way to Seattle. 

I'd just stay at Belton Chalet at the park entrance. You can walk to Lake MacDonald. The main rafting company leaves from right near by. 

[Jive Turkey 12,592]

i really wish we would have bought something in Lakeside a few years ago before prices exploded.

great pics.

[luke duke 6,412]

I'd just stay at Belton Chalet at the park entrance. You can walk to Lake MacDonald. The main rafting company leaves from right near by. 

I believe that reservations open up on Jan 1 and sell out immediately.

[Sawbonz 27,523]

Heading up next month with my oldest son (15). Staying in Columbia falls. Any recs on rafting trips and fishing guides? also apparently you have to do an online lottery now to drive Going to the Sun. Anyone know the details. The park website says they have a shuttle service as well anyone use it? TIA

 

ETA holy shit rental car prices are insane! Has anyone used Turo? looks like about half the cost

Edited July 3, 2022 by Sawbonz

[CooterBrown 18,001]

Heading up next month with my oldest son (15). Staying in Columbia falls. Any recs on rafting trips and fishing guides? also apparently you have to do an online lottery now to drive Going to the Sun. Anyone know the details. The park website says they have a shuttle service as well anyone use it? TIA
 
ETA holy shit rental car prices are insane! Has anyone used Turo? looks like about half the cost

I’ve used Glacier Raft Company several times. They’re very good.

You may be able to ride one of those red buses up to Logan’s Pass. I’d look at that. It’s a pretty stressful drive up the GTTS Road. You’ll miss everything while focusing on not plunging to your death.

[UTexasFight 9,427]

I agree with Glacier Raft.

disagree with being stressed about plunging to your death… unless you’re afraid of heights in which I can see it not being very enjoyable. That said, if you can get a ticket on one of the shuttles, I would highly recommend. It’s a totally different experience riding up in the passenger seat looking over the side vs driving up. 

the red busses are the “jammers”. Looks pretty cool but was too pricey for me. 

The ticketing system was put in place last year. Not sure if they’ve tweaked it for this year but last year you had to have a ticket to enter between 6a-5p.

tickets for the summer—at least last year— went on sale around Memorial Day (with a small, limited number on sale each day for the next day… get your account created on recreation.gov. Get logged in and pray the ticket /internet browser refresh gods are with you).  If you don’t get a ticket, don’t expect to smooth talk your way in. They turn away everyone without a ticket. 

but I understand they had a winter with heavy snow and several late season storms, so the road won’t even be cleared to Logan’s Pass until likely late this month. 
 

Idk what all you are wanting to do, but honestly getting in the park before 6am is kinda the way to go anyway, especially if you’re wanting to do any long hikes. 
 

I’ll also plug these guys. Have done some of their stuff and they are great: https://glacierinstitute.org

 

Stayed a month near Columbia Falls last July so have tons more info if you need it. Honestly one of the best month’s of my life. You and your son are going to absolutely love it. Mine is 7 now and can’t wait until he is a little older like yours and go back again. 

[NIUHuskies 504]

Thinking about Glacier Labor Day weekend. Two questions:

How crowded will it be?

Also, how accessible is it for a person in a wherlchair? (long story short: don't get by a car while walking in Albuquerque)

[hookem2010 2,623]

I went on July 4th weekend in 2017. It was very crowded, need to hit trailheads early and probably take the shuttle. I don't remember accessibility, but I'm sure you could get around a fair amount near the visitor center at the top of the going to the sun road. That drive itself is incredible without even getting out of the car.

[CooterBrown 18,001]

I think you still have to make reservations for the going to the sun road since parking at the top is limited.

[Hornbeliever 712]

@UTexasFight @Mo Horn and anyone else....starting our planning for  July vaca here. With kids.

Namely, is Colombia falls best place to stay? Any specific hotels or cabins that are recommended?  We definitely need water as its all females but me.

 

[UTexasFight 9,427]

29 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

@UTexasFight @Mo Horn and anyone else....starting our planning for  July vaca here. With kids.

Namely, is Colombia falls best place to stay? Any specific hotels or cabins that are recommended?  We definitely need water as its all females but me.

 

Columbia Falls is great but likely going to be pricey (but everything is with that proximity to the park). 

I went with an Airbnb so not much help on specific recommendations on cabins.

Columbia Falls has a great weekly farmers market during the summer (was on Thursdays a few years ago). The place also doubles as a music venue with some decent acts occasionally if you’re in to that.

not much help on recommendations for water (pool, etc) at the place you’re staying, but we did a half day rafting trip with Glacier Raft Company. They were good and I would recommend. But I get the sense all of them are about the same and can’t go wrong with any of them. As far as “free” water, my kids (8 and 6 at the time) had a blast just splashing around Lake McDonald and Bowman Lake. The latter is a haul to get to (and requires reservation, see below) and used to be not as popular with it being off the beaten path, but that has all changed. The view and peacefulness of it is amazing though.

Make sure to watch the Glacier NPS website/social media. Need a reservation to enter most areas of the park between 6a-3p. Looks like this year they are available on a daily rolling basis 120 days out (e.g. reservation for July 1 goes on sale ~March 1). They go QUICK. But if you miss out, I think they hold some back that they put on sale the day before. At least that’s what they did a few years ago.

I’ll go back and read what I posted on this thread in the past and think back on what else we did, but let me know if you have any other specific questions or ages of the kids. I can probably give good recs on a few hikes regardless of age.

[Hornbeliever 712]

Thanks for that.  They will be 8 and 14 and luckily, we did Acadia NP last year and the then 7 year old killed it on hikes so she won't as much of an anchor as we thought she would be....I would say anything moderate she can do so would appreciate those recs on hikes as well.  I read all your posts above and super helpful already.

We also want to do another few days somewhere in Montana so any recs on if Bozeman or billings or something else is best would help out too.  We did Yellowstone two years ago and loved it so will do that on way down but want max Montana time.

 

[UTexasFight 9,427]

33 minutes ago, Hornbeliever said:

Thanks for that.  They will be 8 and 14 and luckily, we did Acadia NP last year and the then 7 year old killed it on hikes so she won't as much of an anchor as we thought she would be....I would say anything moderate she can do so would appreciate those recs on hikes as well.  I read all your posts above and super helpful already.

We also want to do another few days somewhere in Montana so any recs on if Bozeman or billings or something else is best would help out too.  We did Yellowstone two years ago and loved it so will do that on way down but want max Montana time.

 

Check out Flathead Lake.

I liked Polson. 
 

whitefish is great to spend a day, day and a half in.

 

I didn’t do much of the rest of the state. On one of my trips we came through Yellowstone as well. Had dinner in Bozeman but that was all we had time for there.

The itinerary I mapped out for us between Yellowstone and Whitefish/Columbia Falls had us spending the night in Butte (this was just my girlfriend and I, so sans kids). I wouldn’t exactly recommend that, but we did check out the superfund site which was really interesting (to me at least).

 

I’ll look back at the hikes we liked.

I recall Avalanche Lake which is on the main road just before you start the climb on the GTSR road (ask your 7/8 yo to figure out why some of the trees that are down fell “uphill”) . and then at the top/Logan’s Pass, Hidden Lake is super easy and fun for seeing wildlife (marmots and mountain goats, mostly). And going the other way, try some of the Highline.

Many Glacier has some beautiful hikes as well, but that part of the park is also a haul to get to and I think the ones I did there were a hit more challenging (may have just been my girlfriend and I), but Iceberg Lake is one I remember that was excellent and may be doable since it sounds like your 7 yo is not like mine and tolerates hikes well.

North Fork/Bowman Lake, make sure to bring bug spray (same for avalanche lake). There is a nice easy hike along the lakeshore to give you different views of the lake. You can branch off and start climbing towards Numa Fire Lookout (but going all the way was one of the harder/longer hikes I did). Views were incredible but definitely not one for the whole family.

If I think of more, I’ll post 

 

 

 

And damn I miss Glacier. Not in the cards this year, but definitely want to get back sooner than later. Would LOVE to find a second home up there…or even just a plot to building something on in the future… but poking around and looking at prices a few months ago, that’s a big nope.

Edited January 16 by UTexasFight

[Mo Horn 8,816]

3 hours ago, Hornbeliever said:

@UTexasFight @Mo Horn and anyone else....starting our planning for  July vaca here. With kids.

Namely, is Colombia falls best place to stay? Any specific hotels or cabins that are recommended?  We definitely need water as its all females but me.

 

We actually never did this trip. Opted to do something else, so sorry can't help. 

[Spoosner 86]

18 hours ago, Hornbeliever said:

@UTexasFight @Mo Horn and anyone else....starting our planning for  July vaca here. With kids.

Namely, is Colombia falls best place to stay? Any specific hotels or cabins that are recommended?  We definitely need water as its all females but me.

 

We stayed at Meadow Lake Resort & Condos. We had a nice big 2 bedroom Condo (more than we needed for my wife and 2 very young kids). There's a golf course on property, at least 1 restaurant that I recall, and a couple community center type places with pools and hot tubs. It was May for us so the outdoor pools were still too cold, but I think they had indoor too.

Certainly not the Ritz or anything, but it was nice enough, close to grocery store and town.

[CooterBrown 18,001]

19 hours ago, Hornbeliever said:

@UTexasFight @Mo Horn and anyone else....starting our planning for  July vaca here. With kids.

Namely, is Colombia falls best place to stay? Any specific hotels or cabins that are recommended?  We definitely need water as its all females but me.

 

Columbia Falls has gotten much nicer in the past decade.  It's added a bunch of restaurants and short term rentals in the past few years.  The general rule was Columbia Falls was working class, Whitefish was for rich people, and Kalispell for families. Honestly, staying in either of the other two only adds maybe 15 minutes to West Glacier and the main park entrance.  Whitefish definitely has the best restaurant selection of the 3 if that matters to you.  Whitefish Lake is right there in town also. 

[UTexasFight 9,427]

10 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Columbia Falls has gotten much nicer in the past decade.  It's added a bunch of restaurants and short term rentals in the past few years.  The general rule was Columbia Falls was working class, Whitefish was for rich people, and Kalispell for families. Honestly, staying in either of the other two only adds maybe 15 minutes to West Glacier and the main park entrance.  Whitefish definitely has the best restaurant selection of the 3 if that matters to you.  Whitefish Lake is right there in town also. 

Hadn’t heard that before (other than whitefish being the “rich” area) but all three make sense. Columbia Falls had an aluminum smelter for decades (that’s now a superfund site), but yes, has come a long way. And yeah, Kalispell and Whitefish aren’t that much farther to the park and will have a lot more lodging options

[Hornbeliever 712]

So for our road trip this year (Houston to glacier np), we took y’all’s advice and stayed in whitefish.  Great town with good restaurants.  We liked it more on weekdays than weekends as weekends had more bachelor/bachelorette party vibe and with 8 year old in tow, not our scene anymore.  We loved Backslope Brewery in Columbia Falls also as probably best bar food I’ve had in a while.

Going to Sun Road was next level.  We did Red Bus Tour to top and so worth it because let me relax as a non-driver.  Feel like I would have been too focused on drive and guided tour taught a lot.

We hit up Yellowstone for third time since it’s on the way to northern Montana and while Glacier is definitely more visually stunning than Yellowstone, we felt that Yellowstone just holds something special for families that we didn’t get with Glacier for some reason.  I would say Glacier better for twenty year olds plus.

Edited July 28 by Hornbeliever

[Blotto 23,484]

I think Glacier NP might be my favorite place in the country. Back to back years Ive hit it up in late sept after the crowds are largely gone. Last year it was snowing/sleeting over logan pass on Going to the sun road. Today was 70 degrees. 

 

Staying in a VRBO cabin outside of Bigfork on Echo Lake. Like the lake is 30 feet from my balcony. About $150/night after all fees and shit. About a 50 minute drive to the west entrance. But even the drives up here are worth it. 

[Carl Spackler 3,479]

Yep, September is a good time to go.  Crowds are down and the snows typically haven't hit yet.  We did something similar when we visited in September of '19 -- Airbnb cabin near Tally Lake about an hour's drive from the west entrance.  We didn't mind the distance because, like you said, the drives are worth it due to the amazing scenery.

[Mo Horn 8,816]

What about early October? We are looking to maybe do that a year from now. It's that too late?

[Carl Spackler 3,479]

I would think early October would be fine -- more tree color, that's for sure.  You might get snow, sleet, cold temps, etc., esp. at higher elevations, so keep an eye on the weather forecast.  Also, the lodging in the Many Glacier area basically closes down in September.  And I believe that area is also undergoing a lot of road construction that is supposed to last at least into 2025.  So the bottom line is that going to the Many Glacier area of the park in October will be a problem, esp. if the construction is still going on as of 10/25.    

[UTexasFight 9,427]

23 hours ago, Blotto said:

I think Glacier NP might be my favorite place in the country.

 

+1

 

 

I really  gotta get serious about finding a place up there 

[CooterBrown 18,001]

We loved Backslope Brewery in Columbia Falls also as probably best bar food I’ve had in a while.

My wife went to college with the owners and is best friends with the wife. They both have PhDs but wanted to live there where there really aren’t many professor jobs. So the husband built trails for the Forest Service and the wife ran a coffee shop. They built that brewery over a few years with cash…Sheetrock this week, light fixtures next paycheck. They’ve been very successful with it. Due to the housing crunch, they built their own dorm for seasonal workers.

[Blotto 23,484]

7 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

What about early October? We are looking to maybe do that a year from now. It's that too late?

Its a crap shoot. Like I mentioned, last year even in late Sept it snowed a bunch at higher altitudes and on my last day in Glacier, the Going to The Sun Road was closed at the Avalanche Lake trailhead, which means you arent seeing a good chunk of the park. It opened up again several days later, but it would suck to plan a trip and get snowed out. By this time of year, most of the campgrounds are closed because they know that the potential is there for some snowdumps. But the 10 day forecast looks pretty good this year into early Oct.

Also some years, they close that road early due to road construction/maintenance they try to squeeze in before the snows come. If that's the case, access from one side to Logan's pass will be fine, while access from the other side is limited. (https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/news/logan-pass-opening-and-closing-dates.htm).