Glacier National Park in August 2012 (Kalispell, Whitefish: hotel, school, campground)

[NDak15]

Lake McDonald Lodge is nice. I haven't been there in quite a few years and have been wanting to go back since then. The best hikes are Avalanche Lake (we did see a grizz there so be careful), Trail of the Cedars, and Hidden Lake. Trail of the Cedars was a gorgeous hike in the forest and Hidden Lake had lots of mountain goats and rockchucks. It is a gorgeous national park and less crowded than Yellowstone. Have fun!

[drawk04]

maybe I'll see you there....thats about what time I plan on visiting, no idea what to expect, not even going to look up photos of the place....just going to end up there now thats how you do it.

[redbikechick]

August is a great time to visit GNP. My husband I spent about 4 weeks in Glacier this past summer from early August to early September and it was spectacular! We prefer to stay away from the crowds too. The least populated area of the park is East Glacier. There are some small mom & pop hotels that are priced very reasonably. THere are also some really good restaurants in East Glacier. The best hiking, in my opinion, is also on the east side. As far as hiking, I would strongly recommend Pitamakan Pass (one of my favorites), Ptarmigan Tunnel, Cracker Lake, Dawson Pass, Scenic Point, Iceberg Lake and Grinnell Glacier. Here's a great resource for trail information by location in the park:
[Mod Cut]
Some of these trails are ranger led, but if you prefer to stay away from groups the ranger led hikes can attract, just be sure to hit the trial before they do. You can pick upthe schedule at any of the park entrances. The most important thing about hiking in Glacier is always be prepared for bears. Bear spray is a must and hopefully you are traveling with a friend or friends.

[daschmit]

On the whole, the west side of the park is more heavily timbered and receives more precipitation than the eastern side, which is drier and more open terrain. Indeed, the Avalanche Creek/Trail of the Cedars area is a tiny enclave of Pacific Northwest coast vegetation (see Avalanche Creek Photos Prints by James Kay Photography Framed Prints and Glacier National Park Photographs by James Kay Fine Art Photography. McDonald Creek ).

On the other hand, the northern half of the park is typically higher and more rugged than the southern half. The Many Glacier valley, located in the northeastern sector of the park, is a particular favorite of hikers and backpackers. The Many Glacier Hotel, nestled against the backdrop of Mount Gould, imparts an ambiance very reminiscent of the Swiss Alps (see Glacier Park Inc.: Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park ). Chief Mountain casts an imposing presence over the Belly River country, particularly in the fall when the large aspen grove at its base is transformed into a sea of shimmering gold (see Chief Mountain, Sunrise : Mountain and Winter Landscapes : Marc Adamus Photography ).

The North Fork of the Flathead area, which forms the western border of the park, is one of the few areas in the lower 48 with an intact complement of predators (black and grizzly bears, wolves and mountain lions). Most experienced backpackers agree that the Boulder Pass trail, accessible from the remote Kintla Lake trailhead, traverses the most rugged and spectacular terrain in all of Glacier.

Arguably, Glacier is best known for its glaciated lakes and the signature vista for this alpine wonderland is the Wild Goose Island overlook at Saint Mary Lake (see Framed Prints Saint Mary Lake Photos by James Kay Photography - Glacier National Park ). Incidentally, you will also find the best food and accommodations on the eastern side at the Saint Mary Lodge & Resort (Glacier Park Inc. ).

[redbikechick]

Glacier is a hiker's paradise! When my husband and I first started going to Glacier in 1998, we always did the ranger led hikes because of the abundance of bears. But there are so many incredible hikes that are not ranger led that we wanted to do, so this past year we just did them! The main thing is to always be aware of your surroundings and shout out when in high vegetation, etc. The east side of the park is definitely less crowded and in my opinion has the more spectacular hikes. East Glacier is a great little town if you want to get away from the crowds, and has a great Mexican restaurant, Serranos. Here's a good blog on glacier: The Huckleberry Hiker Also some great trail information:
Glacier National Park hiking trails ? Hiking trails in Glacier National Park. One of the nicest and isolated hikes is Firebrand Pass. It starts 6 miles south of East Glacier and has some incredible scenery and views. We actually did the ranger led hike for that trail, but there were only 6 of us in the group and made for an enjoyable day. The Highline trail is definitely a must do, although it will have a lot of traffic on the trail, you will not regret it!

[Galactastica]

Thanks everyone! Keep it coming. I'd be particularly interested in hearing about the best campsites (less people, etc) and 3-4 day backpacking trips/backcountry sites. We are both trained in the ourdoors and have experience backpacking and in bear country. Thanks again!

[daschmit]

Mokowanis Lake, which is accessible via the Belly River trail in the extreme norrtheastern corner of the park (literally a stone's throw from the Canadian border) is a great bakcountry site for viewing wildlife. I saw a loon swimming near the lakeshore, mountain goats on the distant shale cliffs and heard an elk/moose/grizzly bear. Whatever it was made enough noise crashing through the brush and playing in the lake that I wasn't going to surprise it with the sound of a tent fly being unzipped. And it definitely is an area frequented by grizz. This corner of the park is dominated by Chief Mountain, which is positively regal in the fall because of the large aspen grove at its base.

Here is a link to a Youtube slideshow of the Belly River country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ARJl...eature=related . For a slideshow of the Boulder Trail area, which is located in the North Fork of the Flathead and is widely regarded as the mosy spectacular single pack trip in Glacier, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ7z3KQtNqI .

[daschmit]

I also highly recommend the Two Medicine Pass trail. For a very informative video review of this trail, as well as the adjoining Park Creek trail on the opposite side of the Continential Divide, see
Park Creek and Two Medicine Pass - YouTube . Personally, I prefer only the Two Medicine Pass portion of this route, which can either be done as a long day hike (ca. 15 miles round trip) or as an over night excursion, one that utilizes the Cobalt Lake campsite.

[indy_317]

There is a forum dedicated to Glacier, not all that big, but seems to be the only go to forum I know of:

Glacier National Park Chat • Index page

[Galactastica]

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?