Glacier National Park Attractions

Introduction.

Glacier National Park is known as the Crown of the Continent. In is a magnificent place, especially for mountain and winter enthusiasts, though there can be limitations in regards to the time of year you choose to visit.

Similar to other posts, the intent here is to provide readers with an alternative choice for mapping out the best Glacier National Park attractions, based on our personal experiences. I have also used a similar approach of suggesting a larger number of shorter hikes/stops vs. very long or overnight treks, so you can see a wider variety of sights and different areas within Glacier's boundaries.

General Logistic Information.

There are multiple entry points into Glacier National Park and as long as the roads are open, you are able to get to any of the locations described. Based on the order of some of the content below, my opinion is that the best entry point is the west entrance in West Glacier, MT.

While there are a few lodges/hotels within the park boundaries and each of them includes a restaurant and has take-out options, I have found that these are not always convenient and I do not want to have to change my plans to get food/meals during the day. Therefore, I suggest you either plan to bring your own food or arrange to pick up to-go lunch boxes early, and you will certainly find many beautiful locations to stop and enjoy your lunch. In West Glacier, there are a few restaurants, a general store/deli, and most importantly gas stations. Two personal notes to share about West Glacier. If you want to treat yourself to a more upscale dinner, you should try the Belton Chalet. It is a grand old hotel and restaurant and back in the day was the place that all the tourists from the east would stay, as it is right across the street from the Amtrack train station. Almost next door to the Belton Chalet is the Glacier Highland Restaurant. You really should plan to stop in one afternoon/evening and try the huckleberry ice cream.

Glacier National Park Attractions.

• The small town of Apgar is a nice stop. You will find some lodging options here, some restaurants, and some shops with lots of local products (don't miss trying the huckleberry jam). You should also make your way down to the shoreline of Lake McDonald for a great view of the lake.



• Near the Apgar area, there is a trail called Rocky Point Trail. This trail is approximately 1.9 miles roundtrip and takes you through beautiful wooded areas and gives you some more great views of Lake McDonald, even if it is not a picture perfect weather day.



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• Going the other direction from Apgar, you will be traveling on the famous Going to the Sun Road. This was established in 1932 and as you get further along the road, you will be amazed that the workers were able to complete this effort, back in those days.

• As you move along Going to the Sun Road, you will come to Lake McDonald Lodge, a beautiful old lodge and the first that was build for incoming tourists, back in the day. Somewhere along your trip, it is certainly worth a stop here.



• Not that this needs to be done in any particular order however one of the outstanding Glacier National Park attractions is the Lake McDonald boat tour, which actually departs from the rear of the hotel. This is a relaxing and pleasant experience, and will provide some of the best mountain views of your entire visit as you motor around the largest lake in the park. This is a one hour boat tour and you can expect the cost to be around $15.00 per adult (www.glacierparkboats.com). We took the late afternoon cruise and then topped if off with dinner at Russell's Fireside Dining Room in the Lake McDonald Hotel.

• Continuing along Going to the Sun Road, you will come to a trailhead for "Trail of the Cedars". This is a nice hike that takes you along Avalanche Creek and the gorge of Avalanche Creek. Here you will see how the water has carved the rock over time, and should be able to get some great pictures. The trial continues to Avalanche Lake and then doubles back to your original starting point of the trailhead. You will see areas where there are many trees seemingly mowed down, BUT, they are all lying uphill. Can you guess why they are lying uphill (sorry, will not be providing the answer here - you may have to check with one of the Park Rangers) ?

• As you continue to climb up Going to the Sun Road you will pass roadside pullouts and eventually come to Westside Tunnel. This is a really cool structure and another example of some great engineering work.

• From this point on, the driver will need to pay more attention to driving than to scenery. For the non-drivers, there will be some incredible views in the next few miles. Unfortunately, this part of the road is not really set up for pullouts and viewing, though there may be a couple of opportunities along the way.

• The next big stop is Logan Pass. You will also be crossing the Continental Divide at this point of the drive. There is a Visitor's Center at this location, public bathrooms, an there is a great trail that begins behind the Visitor's Center to Hidden Lake.
• My suggestion is that you plan your schedule so that you check off this Glacier National Park attraction hike more towards mid to late afternoon, so you don't miss enjoying one of the great parts of this hike, that being your almost guaranteed viewing of mountain goats, up close and personal. The hike is a moderately tough hike to get to the halfway point, where you can get your first view of Hidden Lake. Don't worry about the mountain goats, they are only moving to higher ground to make sure they are away from the bears for the night, and they are no threat to people. You may even see some walking up the "boardwalk" portion of the trail, while you are also walking on this portion. To me, it was one of the highlights of the day. As far as the second part of the trail, that is a steep decent down to Hidden Lake. We elected to enjoy Hidden Lake from the elevated view, realizing that making a major hike down to the lake would require a corresponding major hike back up from the lake. You will have to use your own judgment at this juncture..



• As you continue on Going to the Sun Road heading east, you will come to Lunch Creek which is a nice stop and may give you some sightings of bighorn sheep on the slopes above. You will pass through East Side Tunnel and there is a pullout for some photo opportunities. Three miles from Logan Pass you will reach Siyeh Bend where a short walk from the parking area will take you to the junction of two creeks. If you happen to take your trip in late July, you may pass gorgeous wildflowers in bloom.

• In another couple of miles you will come to Jackson Glacier Overlook. This is certainly worth a stop as it provides the best view of a glacier from Going to the Sun Road.

• Traveling a little further east you will come to Sunrift Gorge. Here you can get some good views into the gorge and also connect to some other hiking trails. A short .6 miles hike will take you to Baring Falls. We actually had our lunch here while viewing the falls, and that prepared us for the approximate 3.5 mile roundtrip hike to St. Mary Falls.



• This Glacier National Park attraction item is a remote hike and the only other person we encountered on our hike was a National Park Ranger. She was very friendly and provided a good deal of additional information about the area in general, as we continued to move along on our hike. Of course, this is also a beautiful hike along St. Mary Lake, providing many photo opportunities.

• Eventually you will reach St. Mary Falls, where you get to see the dual level falls. After some photos and rest, it is back on the trail to return to the Sunrift Gorge parking area.

• Don't miss the Wild Goose Island Overlook pullout as you continue your drive. This is one of the most photographed spots in the park and offers wonderful views of St. Mary Lake's blue waters against multi-mountain backdrops.

• As you continue your drive eastbound you will come to Rising Sun, which from my view was more of an option for necessities and services than for a scenic stop. But as the saying goes, to each his own.

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• As you approach St Mary you will come to the St. Mary Visitor's Center on the far eastern side of Glacier National Park. This is the largest visitor's center in the park and definitely worth the stop.

• The next big Glacier National Park attraction is reentering the park at the Many Glacier entrance. You actually have to exit the park after the St. Mary Visitor's Center and take the Blackfeet Highway (Hwy 89) north, before you reenter the park at the Many Glacier entrance. When driving along Many Glacier Road, be on the lookout for wildlife sightings, particularly for bears and deer around dusk. Along this ride there are numerous scenic stops for enjoying the view and snapping some photos.

• You will reach a parking area for Apikuni Falls. This is a 2 mile round trip hike and takes you right to the base of the falls.

• After the falls hike, it is back on the drive towards Many Glacier Hotel. This is another old grand dame of the park built in 1915, and worth a visit - just to visit, take a break on the large deck, have lunch, or simply enjoy the views of Swiftcurrent Lake from the back of the hotel.

• After enjoying the hotel, it's on to the trail for Redrock Falls. This is a 3.6 mile rounddrip hike and takes you on a nice nature walk to the rocky falls. Be sure to keep you eyes open for moose in the water along the trail.

• Needless to say, there are countless more places to stop, hikes to take, and adventures to enjoy. The volume of activities you choose to partake in will only be limited by the time you have, possibly by your physical conditioning, and potentially by Mother Nature, depending on the time of year that you visit. With that said, I hope you someday get to enjoy the natural beauty of Glacier National Park and northern Montana in general, where I personally got my first true understanding of the words "for purple mountain majesties".