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Old 03-08-2012, 03:13 AM
 
Location: Central Indiana/Indy metro area
1,708 posts, read 3,054,001 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Galactastica View Post
If the first come first serve camp sites are more pleasant in general, what are the chances of NOT being able to get one while we are there in person? I would prefer what they seem to offer, but I don't want to be stuck without at the same time. Is it pretty easy to get one in person or is it too risky?
Unfortunately I don't know much about camp sites, as I don't camp. I can tell you that if you can find any camp sites near the Two Medicine area, you are more likely to want to camp there if you like less people. Outside some sort of festival going on in the area, Two Medicine is usually the lesser visited area of the park. It appears they have a camp ground there:

Glacier National Park - Two Medicine Campground Information

If for some reason your Glacier Forum membership isn't approved, the next best idea would be to go to the Yellowstone Nat'l. Park forum at:

YNet Forums • Index page

In fact, the guy who (at least in the past) owned and operated the Glacier Forum is a member on the Yellowstone forum. His name is Dave Parker and that is the name he uses on both forums. The Yellowstone forum has sub-forums for asking questions about other national parks.
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Old 03-08-2012, 07:59 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Galactastica View Post
Thanks for that forum link, Indy, I have been reading on it and registered that day, although I'm still waiting for a moderator to accept my registration.

Meanwhile, my big question right now is about campsites. I understand there are the 2 large reservable sites you can reserve ahead of time and then the rest are first come first serve.

As we like smaller areas with less people, it's easy to assume that the first come first serve sites are probably more enjoyable than the reservable sites. Is that an accurate assumption? We are not into dogs running around and kids screaming and people being generally annoying-we try to avoid that whenever possible.

If the first come first serve camp sites are more pleasant in general, what are the chances of NOT being able to get one while we are there in person? I would prefer what they seem to offer, but I don't want to be stuck without at the same time. Is it pretty easy to get one in person or is it too risky?
The park website has the times that the various campgrounds have filled to capacity over the past few years. Go here
Glacier National Park Campground Status
and then hover over the various campgrounds to click on one of them. On that page you can bring up 'August 2011' or 2010 or whatever using the dropdown menus to get an idea of how early in the day that particular campground filled on the various days of that month in that year. The more desirable campgrounds fill first of course (usually those are Many Glacier and Rising Sun), and some of the others fill later if at all. You might want a reservation for one of the reservable campsites for the first night or a reservation at a hotel, but as long as you're up fairly early you should be able to get a place where you want.

Edit to add - the only non-back country campground that I wouldn't recommend is the one at St. Mary. You can reserve it ahead of time but there's not a lot of tree cover and it's often very windy.
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Old 05-21-2012, 08:35 PM
 
7,507 posts, read 4,382,202 times
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Thanks for the thread. I have been thinking about going to the Glacier National Park in late September but I'm not sure yet. What is the weather like? I research and it said the average max (temp) is 66 and min is 38, but mountain weather is different from plain weather. Also, how are the dining and activities?

Has anyone stayed at Apgar Village Inn? The rates are a lot cheaper (depending on the rooms) and they seem to have positive reviews as well.

I am planning to take Amtrak to West Glacier train station (if I do decide to go).
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Old 05-22-2012, 10:36 PM
 
Location: NW Montana
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Hello, here is a great link for your questions.
Glacier National Park
let us know what you think and we will try to help you. It is a beautiful place!
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Old 06-01-2012, 10:44 AM
 
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I'll second the Two Medicine area in general. It used to be more popular than it is now, so it's not usually crowded.

Btw, August is prime huckleberry season so that means two things: be extra careful of grizzlies, and try to have huckleberry pancakes with huckleberry syrup as much as possible!
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Old 06-01-2012, 10:48 AM
 
297 posts, read 791,786 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AsianRice View Post
Thanks for the thread. I have been thinking about going to the Glacier National Park in late September but I'm not sure yet. What is the weather like? I research and it said the average max (temp) is 66 and min is 38, but mountain weather is different from plain weather. Also, how are the dining and activities?
Late September is not the best time. After Labor Day, many Park activities and concessions shut down. There are several reasons -- the weather, the steep drop-off of tourist traffic, and the large number of seasonal workers going back to school. Often there is snow around the first of September and the weather is very unpredictable.

That being said, autumn can be glorious in and around the Park. You might want to consider staying in the Flathead Valley (Whitefish, Kalispell) and making day trips up to the Park.
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Old 06-01-2012, 07:24 PM
 
629 posts, read 1,714,097 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AsianRice View Post
Thanks for the thread. I have been thinking about going to the Glacier National Park in late September but I'm not sure yet. What is the weather like? I research and it said the average max (temp) is 66 and min is 38, but mountain weather is different from plain weather. Also, how are the dining and activities?

Has anyone stayed at Apgar Village Inn? The rates are a lot cheaper (depending on the rooms) and they seem to have positive reviews as well.

I am planning to take Amtrak to West Glacier train station (if I do decide to go).
As mentioned, things start shutting down in mid September. It looks like the Village Inn is closing for the season on Monday September 17th. Awesome location when it's open, it's hard to beat a room where your view is looking down Lake McDonald.

In addition, the Going to the Sun road will close to vehicle traffic on the west side on Monday September 17th
http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects...2012topten.pdf
You could still access the pass from the east side but that's a lot of driving back and forth if you're staying over in West Glacier or the Flathead somewhere.

Late September can be hit or miss. You can have Indian summer weather which makes for great hiking with all the crowds gone, or you can get cold/rain/snow that socks in the views and makes the hiking a bit of a slog.
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Old 06-02-2012, 10:15 AM
 
7,507 posts, read 4,382,202 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MontanaGyrl View Post
Late September is not the best time. After Labor Day, many Park activities and concessions shut down. There are several reasons -- the weather, the steep drop-off of tourist traffic, and the large number of seasonal workers going back to school. Often there is snow around the first of September and the weather is very unpredictable.

That being said, autumn can be glorious in and around the Park. You might want to consider staying in the Flathead Valley (Whitefish, Kalispell) and making day trips up to the Park.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FL2MT View Post
As mentioned, things start shutting down in mid September. It looks like the Village Inn is closing for the season on Monday September 17th. Awesome location when it's open, it's hard to beat a room where your view is looking down Lake McDonald.

In addition, the Going to the Sun road will close to vehicle traffic on the west side on Monday September 17th
http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects...2012topten.pdf
You could still access the pass from the east side but that's a lot of driving back and forth if you're staying over in West Glacier or the Flathead somewhere.

Late September can be hit or miss. You can have Indian summer weather which makes for great hiking with all the crowds gone, or you can get cold/rain/snow that socks in the views and makes the hiking a bit of a slog.
Late September only works because of the availability of the rooms and work schedule. I am looking forward to the Fall because of the season, but the activities are only optional. Personally I just need a couple of days to get away from the city, so I thought GNP would be best since I've never been to any national park before.

I wanted to know from personal experience apart from the website since it might be different, and these are great information. According to Apgar Village rates, it says they are open on May 25th until September 29th? I am planning to leave Tues 18 (won't get there until Wed night) and coming back on the 25th morning. So you guys think shuttle won't be available then (From Amtrak to Lake McDonald/Apgar Village)?
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Old 06-02-2012, 04:37 PM
 
5,401 posts, read 6,471,688 times
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If I were you I would try to stay at Isaak Walton Inn at Essex. It is a whistlestop on Amtrak. They have a website. Contact the hotel and see how they can help you. Even if part of Glacier is closed by then you will still get a taste of it.
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Old 06-02-2012, 10:05 PM
 
7,507 posts, read 4,382,202 times
Reputation: 3925
Quote:
Originally Posted by historyfan View Post
If I were you I would try to stay at Isaak Walton Inn at Essex. It is a whistlestop on Amtrak. They have a website. Contact the hotel and see how they can help you. Even if part of Glacier is closed by then you will still get a taste of it.
I will consider that option as well. Thanks again.
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