Things to do on a road trip (Whitefish, Bigfork: vacation, work)

[Sleddog905]

So my husband and I have a trip planned with my parents up to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. Having never been to Glacier, I'm not real sure what to expect. We were thinking of booking two to three nights at a campground outside of Glacier, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to find enough things to do/see in Glacier for two days. My mother is not much into the great outdoors! I drove her halfway up Trail Ridge Rd in Rocky Mtn National Park and she was bored ! I know, I know...why is she coming ? But anyway, I'm sure we can force her to sit through a day of wandering through Glacier, but are there are things to do/see in the area in case we've "seen enough" in one day?

We're also thinking of taking a day or so and just doing some sightseeing on the way down to Yellowstone (staying in West Yellowstone). Any must sees on the drive down?

This is probably a difficult question to answer, but now you can understand my dilemma!

[jimj]

Sure, you can go walk and shop Bigfork and Whitefish, you could go to Big Mountain and take chair 1 up to the summit and see some great views, depending on when you arrive you could take a raft trip down the river through the park. If you like to fish you could grab one of the charter boats and go fish Flathead lake...

[Sleddog905]

Thank you jimj, that's a start at least!

[ExilefromCa]

West Yellowstone is nice too. There's a lot of great shopping and activities that your mother might enjoy, including the Grizzley and Wolf rescue and an IMAX theater.

[rickers]

Here ya go ! This official State of Montana visitors guide is great. Click on this link or google "Visit Montana" Once on the site click on "Events", fill out the date boxes and the search engine will show a whole bunch of events all over the state. I'm sure you can find something that will put a smile on Moms face.

Official State of Montana Vacation, Recreation, Accommodations and Travel Information Website

[Sleddog905]

Thanks so much for everyone's replies! Shopping is right up her alley, but we're not going to MT and Yellowstone to shop. Maybe we can drop her off for a day...lol.

[jimj]

Oh, I also was going to suggest going to AAA and get the tour book for this state. Also, try and look up flathead living magazine on the 'net and see if they'll send you one.

[L-88]

I'm kind of curious, and with all due respect, why would you bring your parents with you on a road trip?

My wife and I live in California, and we are road trip freaks. Most of our trips are spontaneous (we are both semi-retired and able to take off whenever we like)and we never quite know where we will end up. We are hikers and mountain climbers ( those we can walk up), and we love the desert. We have been to Moab (Arches and Canyonlands NP) several times, Bryce and Zion several times, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Yosemite, most of Arizona...and so forth. We have talked about bringing another couple along, but we quickly dismiss the idea.

We have found road trips to be very personal and private kinds of experiences. We don't have to try to please anyoe else, and our time is free to do as we please. We eat, drink, sleep, hike, swim and do most everything on a whim. We plan very little and usually have no idea where we will spend the next night. That kind of spontaneity works quite well for us. Some of our most precious moments as a couple have come somewhere in the midlle of a road trip.

If you enjoy the company, by all means, go for it, but if it is a drag on you guys, leave them home. They'll survive, and you will find your experience together to be something you will want to do over and over. Seriously...try it. You won't regret it. Even the best people in the world can make terrible road companions, and once the number goes beyond two, the difficulties increase.

Good luck.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by L-88

I'm kind of curious, and with all due respect, why would you bring your parents with you on a road trip?

My wife and I live in California, and we are road trip freaks. Most of our trips are spontaneous (we are both semi-retired and able to take off whenever we like)and we never quite know where we will end up. We are hikers and mountain climbers ( those we can walk up), and we love the desert. We have been to Moab (Arches and Canyonlands NP) several times, Bryce and Zion several times, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Yosemite, most of Arizona...and so forth. We have talked about bringing another couple along, but we quickly dismiss the idea.

We have found road trips to be very personal and private kinds of experiences. We don't have to try to please anyoe else, and our time is free to do as we please. We eat, drink, sleep, hike, swim and do most everything on a whim. We plan very little and usually have no idea where we will spend the next night. That kind of spontaneity works quite well for us. Some of our most precious moments as a couple have come somewhere in the midlle of a road trip.

If you enjoy the company, by all means, go for it, but if it is a drag on you guys, leave them home. They'll survive, and you will find your experience together to be something you will want to do over and over. Seriously...try it. You won't regret it. Even the best people in the world can make terrible road companions, and once the number goes beyond two, the difficulties increase.

Good luck.

Ok, I'm jelous!!! Now if I can only get the kid to move out maybe we can go back to doing what you're doing like we used to. Oh well, he's got 2 more years before he's on his own I guess we'll just have to wait...

[Sleddog905]

Originally Posted by L-88

I'm kind of curious, and with all due respect, why would you bring your parents with you on a road trip?

My wife and I live in California, and we are road trip freaks. Most of our trips are spontaneous (we are both semi-retired and able to take off whenever we like)and we never quite know where we will end up. We are hikers and mountain climbers ( those we can walk up), and we love the desert. We have been to Moab (Arches and Canyonlands NP) several times, Bryce and Zion several times, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Yosemite, most of Arizona...and so forth. We have talked about bringing another couple along, but we quickly dismiss the idea.

We have found road trips to be very personal and private kinds of experiences. We don't have to try to please anyoe else, and our time is free to do as we please. We eat, drink, sleep, hike, swim and do most everything on a whim. We plan very little and usually have no idea where we will spend the next night. That kind of spontaneity works quite well for us. Some of our most precious moments as a couple have come somewhere in the midlle of a road trip.

If you enjoy the company, by all means, go for it, but if it is a drag on you guys, leave them home. They'll survive, and you will find your experience together to be something you will want to do over and over. Seriously...try it. You won't regret it. Even the best people in the world can make terrible road companions, and once the number goes beyond two, the difficulties increase.

Good luck.

Well, this trip was actually brought up by my parents. My dad has always wanted to go to Yellowstone and Glacier (among other parks), so we decided to go with them. We just recently purchased our first RV, so we will all be staying together. My parents also live on the East Coast, so we don't exactly see them that often. We normally do take road trips by ourselves, but this is an exception! I'm sure it will be a headache, but hopefully it won't be that bad .