After spending a month in Glacier National Park and exploring the nooks and crannies, it’s time to call it a wrap and move on down the road.
Too much world to see, and too little lifetime to see it!
Glacier is a must-do in itself if you’re on a mission to see all of the National Parks, or if you’re just looking for natural beauty. I almost typed ‘unspoiled natural beauty’, but the crowds are something else.
If the Park is on your short list, do it soon. With the current pace of global warming it’s estimated that the glaciers will be gone by 2030, although this was previously estimated at 2020 and the Park had to change all their signs – so they might stick around a little longer.
We listened to those of you who asked for the must-dos, and here is our opinion of the short list.
Glacier National Park Must-Dos
Visit Fishercap Lake in the Many Glacier area. We saw moose each time we were there, and there’s a high likelihood that you will too. Bring a long camera lens and a bag chair and maintain a safe distance. This is by far my favorite moose photo to date.
Moose Drool
We spent hours watching this bull moose eating vegetation off of the bottom of Fishercap Lake in the Many Glacier area of the park.
Hike the Trail of the Cedars Loop to Avalanche Lake.
I Spy
A black bear cub with momma bear in our path on the Avalanche Lake Trail
Hike the Hidden Lake Overlook, and down to Hidden Lake if you have the time and energy.
Not-So Hidden Lake
Hidden Lake might have been hidden centuries ago, but it’s a crowd favorite nowadays.
Hike the Three Falls Hike, or at least to Baring Falls and Saint Mary Falls. Skipping Virginia Falls seems silly though, since it’s the nicest of the three by far.
Virginia Falls
Make sure to hike to both the upper and lower viewpoints for Virginia Falls.
One of these three hikes – Grinnell Lake, Highline Trail to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook, or the Grinnell Glacier Trail.
Lake Josephine
Looking up at the Grinnell Glacier over Lake Josephine.
Again, we would probably skip the Two Medicine area of the Park unless you’re see-it-all do-it-all kinda people like we are. Not a high bang for the buck compared to Many Glacier or the Going-To-The-Sun corridor.
Glacier National Park Lodging
West Glacier is far more built-up and touristy than Saint Mary (east side of Glacier), with more non-Park things to do with kids. We definitely recommend staying there if you bring kids.
Many Glacier is the nicest area of the Park, and we’d recommend staying there at least a night. Staying at the Many Glacier Lodge would be pretty sweet.
Saint Mary is far more sparse for lodging, food, and things to do, but it’s less crowded and feels much less touristy than West Glacier. We found several places off the beaten path to chill by Saint Mary Lake or along the river to get away from the crowds.
We stayed at Johnson’s RV Park and were pleased with their facilities and our site’s view out over the lake.
Nothing is going to be cheap on either side of the park, so bring your checkbook!
Lake McDonald Afternoon Spot
You can find a spot away from the crowds along the south shore of Lake McDonald!
We also feel that a side trip up to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada is an absolute must-do, just remember to bring your passports and leave firearms and excess amounts of alcohol on the south side of the border!
Upper McDonald Creek
The massive boulders in McDonald Creek makes for some amazing water flow
Old Growth
The Upper McDonald Creek hike feels like you’re in the Pacific Northwest with huge trees, heavy ferns, and lush moss everywhere.
McDonald Lake Stillness
A 30 second exposure from the south shore of McDonald Lake