Camping and hiking in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Glacier National Park has been a priority for my husband Kyle and I for a couple of years so we are so ecstatic that we could visit this summer. Originally, we wanted to camp in Many Glacier but when we tried to book the campsites 6 months in advance (which is as far out as they allow), we found that it was already completely booked. What we didn’t understand at the time was that the opening date for booking campsites is actually 6 months plus two weeks because you can book nights going forward two weeks. If we would have been traveling alone, we would have arrived at Many Glacier first thing in the morning (think 5a.m.) to try and snag one of the first come, first served campsites. But because we were a group of nine, we opted for booking a group site in Apgar at the south end of Lake McDonald. The group site at Apgar was really large as they accommodate between 9 and 25 people per site. The only down side to our location was being so close to the road. There was so traffic noise but nothing we couldn’t handle.

While at Glacier, we took full advantage of the hiking opportunities.

The Highline Trail starts across the street from the Logan Pass Parking lot in the middle of the Going To The Sun Road.  The first part of the trail is along a steep cliff with no guard rails.  There are some chains on the side to grab onto if you have issues with heights.  After that, it opens up to a fairly open area where you have the best chance to see wildlife.  We did not see much beyond ground squirrels and chipmunks, but others were much luckier.  From there, we ascended a little ways to a snow covered area called Haystack Butte.  After that, we walked a along an area called the Garden Wall and had the choice to either climb the wall or head to the Granite Park Chalet.  The walk up the wall was very steep and went for almost a mile depending on how far you want to go.  At the top, you have a nice view of the Grinnell Glacier and Upper Grinnell Lake.  This was the main point of the hike and was worth the seemingly unending climb.  Then it was back down from the Garden Wall and over to the Granite Park Chalet.  There, they had bathrooms, tables, and snacks. Electricity was only available for powering the one refrigerator full of bottles of water and Gatorade.  There was no kitchen on the premises, so your snacks options were limited to chips, candy bars, and Clif Bars.  After the Chalet was the worst part of the hike; four miles downhill in an area that had burned down a number of years ago.  There was no cover from the sun and very little to look at.  The entire hike (with the Garden Wall addition was about 14 miles). From Apgar Campground, we took the earliest shuttle possible since parking at Logan Pass fills up quickly. Also keep in mind that the Highline trail is not a loop. It is a semi-circle that ends nowhere near Logan Pass. There is a shuttle pick up at the end of the trail but the shuttle’s last pick up is around 7p.m. So if you have not completed the hike by then, you are on your own.

We also took the shuttle to hike to Avalanche Lake. This trail starts at the end of Trail of the Cedars, a short half-mile boardwalk that has a lot of plaques about the surrounding nature. At the back end of the Trail of the Cedars loop, the Avalanche Lake trail starts. It’s a moderate hike with some elevation but nothing too difficult. The pay off when you reach the lake is well worth it. This is one of the shorter hikes in Glacier so it is pretty popular. I would recommend going early or late in the day.

One morning we woke up early and drove the 2.5 hour drive (one way) to Many Glacier to hike to Iceberg Lake which starts behind the Swiftcurrent General Store. We read that the parking lot fills up quickly but there is a lot of parking available so I wouldn’t worry about it. The trail started with a quarter mile climb, but flattens out for the rest of the way.  It winds through a pine forest where we got a glimpse of the Ptarmigan Falls.  Shortly after that, we crossed a bridge that acted as a good place to rest and drink some water.  Just after the bridge, there was a split in the trail that offered the choice of Iceberg Lake or Ptarmigan Tunnel.  We chose Iceberg Lake, but heard that Ptarmigan Tunnel offered a good view of some glaciers and would have been a good addition if we felt like doing 15 miles that day (we didn’t). The Iceberg Lake trail opened up and gave a good view of Ptarmigan Wall which is the backdrop for the lake. Right before we reached the lake, there was a large wildflower field and a smaller runoff pond. It was considerably cooler near the lake so keep that in mind when preparing for this hike.  We sat on some rocks and had a quick lunch then headed back. It was a busy trail but still well worth our time. And even with all the hikers, we kept hearing that others were spotting bears. We were glad to have bear spray with us even though we didn’t need to use it.

We kayaked on Lake McDonald one morning as well using the outfitter based in Apgar village. The kayaks they offered were in good shape and were more varied than what they offered on their website (sit atops as well as sit-ins). Instead of using the website (since cell phone service was spotty), I drove to Apgar village to talk to them. The transaction was easy and I was able to reserve a few boats for the next morning. Keep in mind that the outfitter is located away from the water and while they give you a kayak cart, you are expected to get your boat to and from the water on your own. This definitely cuts into your time on the water. We had a lovely time on the water and two hours was enough for our group to enjoy the bald eagles nesting nearby.

We did a lot of research on this park. Here are a few of the sites that helped us plan.
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/highline-loop.htm
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/avalanche-lake.htm
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/iceberg-lake.htm

Here are some other hikes that we looked at but didn’t have time to complete.
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/siyeh-pass.htm
http://www.hikinginglacier.com/pitamakan-pass.htm

 

Camping and hiking in Yellowstone National Park

On route to Yellowstone, we stayed a night in the town of Cody, Wyoming to break up the camping. We booked an apartment at the Big Bear Lodge. What we didn’t understand until we arrived was that our apartment was not at the location with the large wooden bear sculpture out front (also where the free pony rides are offered), but about 3 miles away, which happened to be much closer to the town center. As a group, we had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, we were happy to be closer to bars and restaurants. And on the other hand, the hotel location did have laundry, pony rides, and live music at night. So while I would recommend staying at Big Bear, I would make sure you know which location you will be at (and which one you prefer).

From Cody, we drove to Yellowstone and took the scenic tour down from the northwest entrance towards Tower Junction and down the main road. There wasn’t a lot of traffic but there was a lot more wildlife in the north of the park than we saw in the southern part of the park. Had we known this, we would have taken more time in the north.

We camped in Grant Village for two nights which we had to book one year in advance. When you book your campsites at Yellowstone, they do not assign them until a few days ahead of time. Also, as we needed three camping sites, our sites were not next to each other but were in the same loop.

We spent most of our time in Yellowstone driving around and visiting the scenic overlooks and taking small hikes. One day, a few of us hiked the 10-mile loop hike of  Dogshead Channel and Lewis Lake. The trail was relatively flat and mostly well marked. We visited two lakes, Shoshone Lake and Lewis Lake, and hiked along the river that connected the two lakes for a while. The day we were on the trail, we saw more kayaks and canoes than other hikers.

One thing I would recommend is talking a park ranger about less visited sites like geysers and thermal pools. We visited the Grand Prismatic Spring. And while it was beautiful, it was also very crowded and parking was a nightmare.

We also visited the Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone. We stopped to see the Big waterfalls and wanted to get a better look by doing that staircase hike, but it was closed.

Below is a link that helped us plan our trip. There’s also a link to an amazing company selling t-shirts and other National Park inspired items. They donate 4% of their proceeds to support “America’s most wild and historic places.” Check them out. I bought a t-shirt and have been very happy with my purchase.
https://www.trailguidesyellowstone.com/yellowstone_hikes/yellowstone_day_hikes.php

https://wildtribute.com/