(Word for word, my email response to a Disney colleague who’s joining me on a Glacier trip…)
Dude, other than Alaska, this may be America’s most natural, unspoiled land.
One million acres, 734 miles of trail, 300 Grizzlies.
Forgot to tell you not to worry about seating…hope you got aisle or whatever you like.
Also forgot, on the flight into Kalispell, i ALWAYs aim for a window seat on the right side (away from the wing)…on a clear day, you get an advance look at the place.
Thanks for your trademark enthusiasm.
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Called The Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park has 1,000,000 acres, 734 miles of trail, and 300 Grizzlies.
The key to it all is the 50-mile (East to West) Going-to-the-Sun Road which provides access to – for mere mortals – otherwise inaccessible beauty.
You could drive the entire length, never get out of your vehicle, and leave a different person.
Option two is to stop at overlooks and the visitors center at Logan Pass (elevation 6600′) on the Continental divide – you’ll leave even more different.
Third option is to park, and then hike for hours. You can guess what happens when you leave.
Glacier National Park in Northwest Montana, West Glacier entrance sign. July 29, 2017. From Kalispell airport to here is about a 40-minute drive. There’s a nice 24-hour Grocery store about half-way, in Columbia Falls.
Glacier National Park, West entrance at Apgar Village. Eddies Cafe (right) is the only restaurant in Apgar. Apgar is 20 minutes away from the grocery store.
Glacier National Park, July 30, 2017 on Highline Trail. Generally, you need to bundle up in the mornings. Morning temps, even in Summer, are usually in the 40’s. Higher elevations and with wind, it’s even cooler. Daytime highs in Summer range from 70’s to 90’s – generally around 80.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail…starting to shed layers about an hour into the hike.
Glacier National Park looking South from Highline Trail.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail near Haystack Butte. All extra layers packed away.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail lunch location. Heavens Peak on right.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail. Haystack Butte on left.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail eventually got to about 90 degrees – unseasonable hot. We were well prepared with plenty of water.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail looking at Lake McDonald.
Glacier National Park, about six miles into Highline Trail, the Grinnell Glacier Overlook trail spur – it’s close to a mile climb with 1,000′ elevation gain.
Glacier National Park, from the Grinnell Glacier spur trail, a panorama.
Glacier National Park, Grinnell Glacier Overlook.
Glacier National Park, Grinnell Glacier Overlook panorama.
Glacier National Park, Highline Trail nearing Granite Park Chalet – from Granite, there’s a four-mile descent to the shuttle.
Glacier National Park, on the East side, St. Mary Lake and Wild Goose Island. The most photographed spot in Glacier.
Glacier National Park, Lake McDonald Lodge – Chapin playing piano. Cheryl to his left. Giant fireplace as well.
Glacier National Park, Lake McDonald Lodge lobby from second floor. Chapin still on piano.
Glacier National Park, view from fireplace. Chapin on left.
Glacier National Park, backside (lake and marina side) Lake McDonald Lodge.
Glacier National Park, Logan Pass at 6,643′ on the Continental Divide. The Garden Wall along the left horizon.
Glacier National Park, St. Mary Lake is only one mile from Rising Sun Motor Inn and our favorite restaurant, Two Dog Flats. It’s six miles from Glacier’s eastern entrance.
Glacier National Park, Hidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass.
Glacier National Park, Rams at Logan Pass Visitor Center on the Continental Divide. They often come out near sunset to lick antifreeze (salt-lick) from the parking lot.
Glacier National Park, Many Glacier Hotel on Glacier’s East side…North of St. Mary.
Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Highline Trail above that, and The Garden Wall the top horizon.
Glacier National Park, Grinnell Glacier Hike – not to be confused with the Grinnell Glacier Overlook Hike. We took two separate boats to cut about three miles off the roundtrip hike.
Glacier National Park, Grinnell Glacier Hike with Howard (college buddy), late August 2017. We almost bumped into the Ram who was on the trail when we rounded the blind corner from the rock. We immediately retreated (slowly walking backward) before taking photos.
Glacier National Park, the edge of Grinnell Glacier with Howard enjoying lunch.
Glacier National Park, momma and calf as we returned (from Grinnell Glacier Hike) to the boat dock on Lake Josephine.
Glacier National Park, Grinnell Glacier Overlook – always take the Magic with you.
The following videos were from an arranged tour of a vacation rental home on Lake McDonald. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, fabulous living room with fireplace, dining room, huge kitchen, large lakeside deck, laundry room, and is about 200 meters from Lake McDonald Lodge and all its amenities.
Cabin 20 as it’s called on the VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) website was built before Glacier National Park became a National Park in 1910.
There are only three such cabins within Glacier’s one-million acres.
The cabins have been passed down through the generations and can never be sold outside the Family. If sold, the only buyer can be the National Park Service.
All videos are between eight and 30 seconds. Nothing too long nor grueling to watch. It will give you a sense of how much better this facility is versus a hotel room, or even two or three hotel rooms.
Airport code = FCA: Kalispell, MT (aka Glacier International Airport). i use Google flights to compare prices.
Air fare: ranges from $396 – $900. United and Delta are the only major airlines. Kalispell is a small airport.
Bear Safety. Click it and read it. We never go on a trail without Bear Spray (like mace). Grizzlies are not predatory, but they do not like surprises (none of us do)…
Glacier National Park official site for all the basics.
In-Park accommodations are extremely difficult to secure – classic supply and demand. Huge demand, limited supply. A secondary provider (fewer choices) is here.
