Glacier National Park, Montana
Overall Tips & Reminders
Start early! There are many reasons why you should start as early as possible, the two main ones being (1) Driving around endlessly to find parking is not fun (2) You want to have plenty of daylight in case something unexpected happens on the trail (including it taking longer than you expected to complete a trail!). In my ideal world, I would aim to be at the park by 7-8 am.
Invest in bear mace. It’s your insurance policy against possible near-death encounters with bears. Hope that you don’t need it. We bought one from a local REI (you can’t fly with it), kept it in the packaging, and returned at the end of our trip.
Pack layers. Especially in the summer, the the forecast in the nearby cities may be high, but as you start heading up to the mountains, it gets chilly and windy. Thankfully, it never rained while we were there, but you’ll want a few second options in case it does!
Bring a hydration bladder (and invest in a day-pack that can carry one). If you’re planning on doing hikes longer than 1-2 miles, I would advise to have a bladder with you. It’s lighter than carrying a water bottle, can carry more water than if you were to bring multiple bottles, and way easier to drink out of while on the move.
Try hiking poles. While I do consider myself generally fit and able to persevere in physical challenges, bringing hiking poles can help tremendously with keeping your balance and taking some of the pressure of your knees and legs on a long hike. I brought a pair for Brandon and I to share and we each used a pole throughout.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Highline Trail
Hiking // Full Day
The Highline Trail is known to be the most scenic trail in the park and thus, the most popular.
The recommended route is to begin at the trailhead near Logan Pass Visitor Center and finish at the The Loop trailhead to take the shuttle back to the visitor center for an 11.8 mile hike round-trip. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shuttles were not in service, therefore, we made the decision to hike the Highline Trail to Grinnell Glacier Overlook then back to where we started. That was probably not the best decision as the one-way, 0.6 mile hike to Grinnell Glacier Overlook was steeply uphill and in direct sunlight the entire time — basically draining most of our mental, if not physical, energy to make it back the ~8 miles.
TLDR: If you can hike the Highline to The Loop and take the shuttle back, do it. If not, I recommend doing maybe half of the Highline, turn back, and save your energy for other hikes in the park!
Apgar Village
Scenic Stop + Activities // Varies
Definitely stop by for sunset, and if you want, grab some quick bites to eat at Eddie’s!
Jackson Glacier Overlook
Overlook // 15 MIN
Cool overlook of the lake and Jackson Glacier, which is hard to see in the picture because of the sun…
Trail of Cedars
Hiking // 1 HR
The Trail of Cedars is family-friendly trail for easy walk! It was a really nice break from the other hikes and we were able to explore the nearby creek and dip our feet in!
Baring Falls
Hiking // 1 HR
It’s a waterfall! The hike to see it is quick and painless, so why not see it while you’re there!?
THINGS WE MISSED
The Loop trail and Granite Park Chalet - we decided not to take The Loop and see the Granite Park Chalet because the shuttles were not working to take us back to the visitor center
St Mary’s Falls and Virginia Falls (1.6 miles round-trip) - due to the lack of parking, we decided not to make the stop. Next time, I’ll definitely go early to see them as the trails to both are pretty short.
Hidden Lake Trail (5.3 miles round-trip) - I heard it’s beautiful!
Avalanche Lake Trail (2.3 miles round-trip) - it was closed due to frequent bear sightings!
Thank you so much for reading, hope you found this helpful!
If you have any more recommendations or things I missed, feel free to reach out via my socials.