Planning a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana? Here is a list of activities and hikes we did, the food we ate, and the places we set our hiking shoes at night.
Basically, let me share my Glacier National Park To Do List with you! Go book your flights through Missoula or Kalispell and meet me back here with your cup of coffee. Ready?
I had a blast in Montana last week in Glacier National Park. I had thought about writing it up on the blog but wasn’t sure whether I’d love it as much as other national parks I’ve been to. Spoiler alert: Everyone needs to come here once in their life, at the minimum. Incredible panoramas, sprawling glaciers, alpine lakes, moose, wildflowers, and trees – oh my. It truly is deserving of its nickname: The Crown of the Continent.
I wrote up this post similar to an itinerary, so you can think about how to get it all done in a few days. We spent 4 days exploring Glacier National Park (not including travel days), and it was the perfect amount of time since we weren’t up for long hikes everyday and wanted some R&R too. Check out my recommendations below!
This “Flavor Your Adventure” post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. See disclaimer at the end of the post.
ACTIVITIES/HIKES IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Clockwise: Avalanche Lake, view from Going-To-The-Sun Road, snacking on dried figs and Blue Diamond Almonds from my hiking belt, Two Medicine Lake boat trip to Twin Falls trail
Starting in West Glacier…
- DAY 1: Start your first day with the red buses that ride up Going-To-The-Sun Road (through Xanterra Parks and Resorts). Their Western Alpine Tour (4 hours, $40/person) is a fun way to orient yourself to the park – it begins in cedar and hemlock forests in the Lake McDonald Valley, and takes you up on the Going-to-the-Sun Road so you can stand on top of the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. The bus is a bit slow moving, but the historical information they share is interesting and instead of watching every turn while you drive, you can sit back and enjoy staring at the “Garden Wall.” Note: Plan for weather as the views are the best when they can take the roof off the cars and you can poke your head out the top for pictures!
- Alternate option: If you prefer to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road, you can stop up at Logan Pass for the Hidden Lake Overlook hike, a 2.7 mile roundtrip trail starting at the visitor center. The panoramas are worth it!
- DAY 2: Park at the Apgar Visitor Center and ride the free shuttle up to Avalanche Creek, to join up with the Trail of the Cedars. This short, paved trail is a great intro hike if you have kids or grandparents along – it’s even wheelchair friendly. This is also the kick off to the Avalanche Lake hike, a 4.5 miles roundtrip that is a very popular intro hike that takes you through beautiful forest up to an alpine lake. Bring snacks to have lunch up at the top before taking your time back to the shuttle.
- Alternate option: Do the Trail of the Cedars and head down to Lake McDonald Lodge and walk around the lake there, taking in some scenery without a lot of hiking. You could also use this afternoon to head into East Glacier instead after doing Trail of the Cedars.
Moving into East Glacier…
- DAY 3: Take the morning easy, and enjoy an early lunch before heading into the car to drive from West Glacier (or wherever you are staying – in our case, this was Whitefish) to East Glacier. Head directly towards Two Medicine Lake and catch the 1 PM or 3 PM shuttle from Glacier Boat Co. across the lake. The shuttle price includes a guided tour up to Twin Falls, a 2 mile roundtrip hike with a boat ride that shaves 6 miles off this roundtrip with cultural/natural history commentary.
- Alternate option: If you miss getting on a shuttle (they fill up if you’re not there a few minutes beforehand), hike around the lake to the trailhead and do the Twin Falls hikes and return on the shuttle – a total of a little over 5 miles.
- DAY 4: Spend the morning driving up Going-To-The-Sun Road from the St Mary Visitor Center entrance, a completely different panorama awaits from this side. Come back down from Logan Pass and stop at the Jackson Glacier overlook. Grab lunch along the way up to Many Glacier, a different part of the park, and hike to Redrock Falls (4 miles roundtrip) or Grinnell Lake (3 miles roundtrip).
- Alternate option: Head directly into Many Glacier early in the morning and suit up for the longest hike of your stay – Grinnell Glacier, 7.5 miles roundtrip if you’re taking the shuttle over the lake.
WHAT TO EAT + DRINK IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Clockwise: Bloody Mary at Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Sweet Peaks Ice Cream in Whitefish, a variety of car snacks, and Serrano’s Mexican Cafe in East Glacier
For day trips into the park: Food spots are limited to the old, dusty lodges (mediocre food) or convenience spots. Our game plan was to bring food into the park everyday so we had a lunch of snacks: almonds, dried fruit, crackers, fresh fruit, and other snacks. Stock up at a grocery store on your way from the airport – we stopped at Safeway in Whitefish and restocked a bit at Brownies Hostel and Bakery (for peanut butter) in East Glacier.
Whitefish: Loula’s Cafe, Sweet Peaks Ice Cream, the Lodge at Whitefish Lake (see lodging recommendations below), Mountain Berry Bowls (acai bowl food truck!), Piggyback BBQ
West Glacier: Eddie’s Cafe (huckleberry soft serve), Russell’s Fireside Dining Room at Lake McDonald Lodge
East Glacier: Serrano’s Mexican in East Glacier Village (get the red snapper fish tacos!), Rock N Roll Bakery in East Glacier Village, Park Cafe in St Mary, Luna’s in East Glacier Village (try the salmon burger), Brownies Hostel and Bakery in East Glacier Village
Missoula: Hob Nob for a sit down meal, or the Good Food Store hot bar (similar to Whole Foods) if you need a quick lunch spot on your way out or into the airport
Pictured: Almond snackin’ on the patio, view of Jackson Glacier through the trees
WHERE TO STAY IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
To access West Glacier…
- The Lodge at Whitefish Lake: Don’t overlook staying here, even though it’s a 30 minute drive into Glacier National Park. The lodge itself is extremely elegant and upscale, located right on Whitefish Lake – hello, private beach and tiki bar. The rooms were spacious, service excellent (they gifted me a bottle of bubbly on my birthday!), and the food in the restaurant was incredible – though pricey.
To access East Glacier, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier…
- Glacier Park Lodge: As long as you avoid sleeping on the pullout beds which they haven’t replaced since the early 1900s (story of my life when I travel with my parents), this place is a step out of a history book of East Glacier. Since there are few places around, this is the best spot to jumpstart your day from in East Glacier. Skip eating here and get out early to get into the park before everyone else (bonus: you can get to the sparse restaurants in town for an earlier dinner).
Disclaimer: This “Flavor Your Adventure” post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. For more snack ideas to “Flavor Your Adventure” this summer, visit Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Good luck trip planning and feel free to ask me any questions below. Do you have any end of summer getaways planned?
Marisa
Kate @ Kate Lives Healthy says
So glad you had a great time! Glacier is such an amazing park. The old red buses are such a cool way to see the pass. Huckleberry ice cream from Eddie’s is always a treat. The movie Beethoven’s 2nd was filmed West Glacier and at Eddie’s…I always think of it when I go to Eddie’s! Your timing for the trip was good as now unfortunately there is a huge out of control wild fire that has closed the pass down. Hope you are recovering after your long trip home!
Marisa says
Glad you have similar memories, Kate! I did see the news about the fires – unfortunate that it blocks people from seeing the beautiful park, but the natural cycle of nature continues (if only they’d gotten more rain so far this season it wouldn’t be as scary!).
Cassie @ Almost Getting it Together says
I TOTALLY want to visit Montana and Glacier National Park – I’m pinning this because I hope to get there in the next year or so!!
Marisa says
Yay! Glad to hear this will be helpful for your trip!
Stephanie says
Nice tips. Do the restaurants get super busy at prime eating times ?
Marisa says
Hi Stephanie – I was there during high tourist season. There are very few restaurants near/in the park, so during the tourist season, they are pretty busy. That said, they were great meals and all worth the wait!
Lelia says
Looking forward to spending 6 days in Glacier in July. First trip there. 2 days in West Glacier 3 in East Glacier and 1.5 in the Park. I have been looking for prices for things such as water shuttles and red buses, having a heard time finding those. Would like to budget our money approximately. Any help would be appreciated.
Lelia
Marisa says
Hi Lelia! There are many different tours you can do with the red buses – we did the $40/pp tour listed here. It’s definitely worth it in July to do a tour of some sort, since driving and parking in the park can get hectic! Have a wonderful time – I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Liza Sama says
Hi Marisa! My husband and I with our 5 sons are arriving in Whitefish on Saturday and will be there 3 days then off to St. Mary’s for the rest of the week. We have a fishing trip, zip line, and whitewater rafting trip planned for Whitefish, and I’d lie to do the Gondola the first day up and maybe eat up at the top. At. St. Mary’s we have a boat ride and guided hike booked and and horseback trails as well. We are very excited for the trip ( I am an amateur photographer, so I’m downright giddy)! I love your restaurant tips. Our boys are 8,11,13,18, and 20 years old.
Any other advise is greatly welcomed!
Marisa says
Hi Liza – This all sounds wonderful! I hope you enjoy all the activities you have planned, and I hope my tips have been useful for you. Enjoy your vacation with your husband and boys!
Rebecca says
My family of 7- 5 kids ages 15,13,9,7, and 2 just got back from a trip to Glacier National Park. We spent 2 nights at Lake McDonald Lodge in the cabins, 1 night is Many Glacier Hotel, and 2 nights at East Glacier Park Lodge. We hiked the Hidden Lake trail, Iceburg Lake trail, Redrock Falls Trail, and the Grinell Glacier Trail. Our favorite hike was the Grinell Glacier. There were non-stop incredible views. Even if you cannot hike to the glacier, you could turn around at any time and still feel like you saw something amazing. We did take the boat ride. It does fill up fast for the early morning times. They do take reservations in person starting 3 days before. They also have a wait list they start when they run out of reservation spots. They did not tell us this until we were there in person. It was very helpful to take the boat ride. The trail with the most wildlife was the Iceburg Lake trail and Redrock Falls. We saw moose and bear. Quite scary. The best pot roast we have ever eaten was at Nells at the Swiftcurrent Motel in the Many Glacier area. It was so tender and melted in your mouth. A perfect meal after a long day of hiking. The soft-serve huckleberry ice cream in the camp store was the best of all!!! I highly recommend this park to everyone. If you can’t hike the views are still amazing. It is heavenly and like nothing I have ever seen in the lower 48 states. It was well worth the time and money spent. We will go back again!!!
Marisa says
Hi Rebecca – Thanks for sharing your experience and all your fun on vacation! I am so glad you enjoyed your time in Glacier and that you had such great hikes. I agree that it’s a place everyone should go with such incredible views and landscapes. I’m sure your comment will be a great resource for others visiting the park, so thanks for sharing 🙂
Karen says
Hi marisss,
Is it possible to stay at one place at glacier and see most of the sights and do day trips out from that spot? Or, do you need to move around and stay at different places?
Marisa says
Hi Karen – You can use Google Maps to check out the distances between the places you want to hike. It would be possible to do it from one location for most sections of the park, but it would be a lot of time in the car! This is why my family prioritized staying in a few locations. Hope that helps!
Jewels. Jones says
What are the best hikes for wheelchairs and smaller children? We will have about 3 day trip days to spend in the park.
Thank you!
Marisa says
Hi Jewels – You are going to have a wonderful time! I am going to direct you to this website for accessibility details since it lists all the park’s amenities. Enjoy!
Vicki says
Thank you Marisa for all your information . My husband and I have just retired and plan to go 5th wheeling to Glacier National Park in 2018. I was on a family vacation over 50 years ago and spent time in Glacier Park in a pop up camper and temperatures reached down to 33 degrees in July!! I am taking my winter quilt on our adventure!! I have the fondest most beautiful memories of this trip. Thank you. Vicki
Marisa says
Hi Vicki – Thanks for your comment! I love to hear that you were there over 50 years ago. It will be an amazing experience to tour the park and have those memories! Enjoy your vacation with your husband and congratulations on your retirement – I hope it takes you to many more beautiful outdoor spaces.