GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Written By Morgan Tolley
 
 

Dare I Say My Favorite National Park?

The moment I left Glacier National Park, I couldn’t wait to go back. We spent four days in early September exploring the park from an airbnb in the nearby town of Whitefish, MT. This meant rising early each morning and making the 30 minute drive to the entrance of the park. Make note though, Glacier is huge and the hiking trails are much further into the park. It takes about an hour and forty five minutes to reach Logan’s Pass. If you plan for your trip early enough, you may be able to find lodging inside of the park. If you don’t mind waking up at 4am to catch the sunrise then Whitefish is your place.

The park is divided into the east and west side. Due to Covid, the west entrance was closed, so we explored from Lake McDonald to St. Mary Lake. Four days wouldn’t be enough time to explore both sides of the park, but it allowed us enough time to explore the east. Note to self: there is no cell service inside of the park. Make sure you are prepared and have your maps downloaded beforehand.

HIDDEN LAKE

If you are all about views with minimal effort, this hike is for you! Located about half way through the park at Logan’s Pass, this is a 2.7 mile hike. I recommend going for sunset. You may get lucky enough to see wildlife.

AVALANCHE LAKE

This hike covers more ground (5.8 miles) but is still an “easy” hike. You’ll want to go early for this hike to beat the crowds. Wander around the lake for different photo opportunities and find the perfect place for a picnic.

THREE FALLS HIKE

This 5.5 mile moderate hike takes you to three different water falls in Glacier, Baring Falls → St Marys → Virginia Falls. It’s located in Sunrift Gorge near Rising Sun. We spotted a moose on our beautiful walk along the water. There was even a spot to jump in on your way to the top for the thrill seekers.

GOING TO THE SUN ROAD

One of the best parts of Glacier National Park is driving Going to the Sun Road. You’ll transverse this road to reach the hikes mentioned above, but you’ll want to make a point to drive the road in full and make stops along the way. We chose to hike Three Falls then hit the stops listed below.

Stops to make: 

  • Lake Mcdonald 

  • Big Bend/ Weeping Wall/ Paradise Meadows

  • Oberlin Bend

  • Tunnel

  • Jackson Glacier overlook 

  • Wild Goose overlook

BOWMAN LAKE

The trek to Bowman Lake was a bump, somewhat off-roading adventure. We stopped along the way at Polebridge Mercantile for a huckleberry bear claw. Be sure to put this on your to-do list! It wasn’t the best time to visit Bowman Lake due to fog/smoke from nearby wildfires. We couldn’t see the surrounding mountain ranges, but the bear claw made up for it.

SUNRISE/SUNSET/STARGAZING/SWIM

  • Wild Goose Island Overlook 

  • Hidden Lake/ Logan’s Pass 

  • Lake McDonald

  • Bowman Lake 

  • St Mary’s Lake (dock) 

MARIAS PASS

Glacier National Park is known to close the gate based on traffic and weather. We had to quickly change our plans one day due to snow closure. We had every intention to do the strenuous 13 mile Highline, but Mother Nature had other plans for us. We decided to take highway 2 towards Maria’s Pass full of breathtaking views of the mountains.

WHITEFISH

FLIGHT

We flew to Kalispell, MT which is around 12 miles to Whitefish.

Morgan Tolley
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