The Ultimate Guide to Glacier National Park

On our last day in Glacier National Park, we stopped by a local giftshop to pick up a couple souvenirs to remind us of our visit. The giftshop cashier, a man who had relocated to Montana after his kids were grown, described the park as being an example of “grandeur on display”. And he was right. I have visited a number of national parks (29 to be exact), but there is something truly special about Glacier National Park. This park stands out among the rest. After a mere 30 minutes in the park, I knew that Glacier was going to be my all-time favorite national park. And I was right.

Glacier offers extraordinary landscapes and an abundance of spectacular hikes and activities for all ages and interests. In this ultimate guide you will find tips for getting to and around the park, best sights to see, and top hikes. I have also included suggested itineraries for 1 day, 3 days, and 1 week depending on your trip length.

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Short attention span? Skip ahead here show

Getting to Glacier National Park

The easiest way to get to Glacier National Park is to fly into Glacier National Park International Airport, Kalispell, MT. This is the closest airport to GNP and offers routes to/from a few major airports in the USA. Recently, American Airlines started flying here non-stop from Dallas, making it so easy for us Dallasites to visit Glacier National Park!

Other options include flying into airports that are a day’s drive away and renting a car. While this would take longer, you would also get to see more of the beautiful state of Montana. Some airports to consider are:

Missoula International Airport – Missoula, Montana
Great Falls International Airport – Great Falls, Montana
Spokane International Airport – Spokane, Washington

Getting Around in Glacier National Park

There are three main ways to get around in Glacier National Park. They are:

Drive Yourself

This is the best option for most. Driving your own car allows you to come and go as you please, stopping as many times as necessary for photos and sightseeing. Although, if you are terrified of heights or prefer not to be behind the wheel on mountain roads – maybe this isn’t the best option for you.

Take the Shuttle Bus

A great option for those who are weary of driving the steep and narrow Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Or for those that are visiting at a highly trafficked time of day and don’t want any parking hassles.

Hitchhiking

Sometimes the only option. Many times the shuttles fill up at the previous stop and can’t load anymore passengers when they reach your stop. This happened to us when we had finished our hike and tried to get on the shuttle for a ride back to our car (12 miles away). My husband then hitchhiked a ride with a few other hikers and returned in our car to pick me up. Many park rangers and locals will actually recommend hitchhiking as the best option to get around in the park. But hey, if you’re gonna hitchhike, a national park is the place to do it.

What to Do & See in Glacier National Park

The Going to the Sun Road

The Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTSR) is the best known thing to do in GNP and is frequently ranked one of the prettiest drives in the world. This 50-mile road connects the west side of the park to the east side of the park. It climbs to a total elevation of over 6,600 feet, reaching its highest elevation at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

The GTTSR is the #1 best way to see the beauty and diversity the park has to offer. Beginning on the west side, the GTTSR provides many different viewpoints of Lake McDonald, over several miles. The road then quickly ascends 3,000 feet to Logan Pass. After reaching Logan Pass, the GTTSR begins to descend as it nears St. Mary’s Lake on the east side, while passing Jackson Glacier (the only glacier visible from the road) and Wild Goose Island.

You should expect at least 2 hours to complete the road from one side to the other. Due to the heavy traffic and sharp hairpin turns, the drive time can be unpredictable. It is my opinion that the best times of day to do the drive are in the early morning or early evening. That way, you will miss the majority of the crowds. The road provides very few pull-out locations. You don’t want to get stuck behind “that car” going 10 mph for 50 miles.

Lake McDonald

Located on the west side of the park, Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. The lake is known for it’s many brightly colored rocks beneath the water’s surface.

The Lake McDonald Valley offers many options for hiking and boating. In Apgar Village, you can find options for kayak and paddleboard rentals during the busy summer season.

You will also find many great photograph locations at Lake McDonald. The lake is a popular spot to photograph during both sunrise and sunset.

Many Glacier

I cannot recommend this area of the park enough. The Many Glacier area is located on the east side of the park several miles north of the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. The Many Glacier area offers great day hiking opportunities including Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier. And some of the best wildlife viewing!

In Many Glacier, you will also find the Many Glacier Hotel, one of Glacier’s most historic buildings. (Highly recommend staying the night here if you can get a room. We’ve heard that rooms fill up a year in advance.) From Many Glacier Hotel, we were able to book a boat tour across Swiftcurrent Lake and Josephine Lake. These views are amazing!

The Many Glacier area has the highest concentration of bears in the park. So if you’re anything like my husband and dying to see a grizzly while in Glacier, then you need to visit this part of the park. We were lucky enough to see a young grizzly bear, as well as a moose and a handful of mountain goats.

Logan Pass

At more than 6,600 feet of elevation, Logan Pass is one of the highest points in Glacier and is the highest point reachable by car. Logan Pass is the best place in the park to see wildflowers during the summer months and possibly an occasional mountain goat, big horn sheep, or grizzly bear sighting.

It is also a starting point for many popular trails. Here you will find trailheads for the Highline and Hidden Lake trails as well as others.

The Logan Pass parking lot is notorious for being full which can cause parking delays. To avoid any parking hassles, plan to arrive at Logan Pass before 8:30 am or after 4 pm for a parking space.

Glacier’s Top Hikes

Highline Trail

Frequently ranked the #1 trail in all of GNP, this 12 mile hike provides some of the most grandeur views. The majority of the hike skirts the Garden Wall allowing hikers to enjoy incredible alpine views for the majority of the hike.

Allow a full day for this hike. Make sure you plan to enjoy a picnic lunch at the Granite Park Chalet (8 miles into the hike).

Hidden Lake

This trail is a must-do! From Logan Pass, you can hike 1.3 miles one-way to the Hidden Lake Overview or continue on another 1.5 miles to reach the lakeside. Most of the trail from the visitor center to the lake overlook is a easy climb on a boardwalk. I would schedule at least and hour and a half to hike roundtrip to the overlook.

If you’re looking for a good place to take sunset photos, this would be a good option. We weren’t able to make it here at sunset but I have seen others’ sunset photos and they’re beautiful!

Grinnell Lake

Taken with my iPhone – never assume your camera’s battery is adequately charged before a hike

The Grinnell Lake trail can be hiked from the Many Glacier Hotel or can be added on to the end of a boat tour from the hotel. We chose to add the hike to the end of our boat tour, making the hike a total of 2-miles roundtrip. From the boat dock, the trail is relatively flat through a heavily wooded area and ends at Grinnell Lake.

The lake is a great spot to hang out and watch for wildlife. We were able to spot a moose (with binoculars) from across the lake and many mountain goats along the cliff edges. But the most exciting wildlife sighting we had at the lake was a young grizzly bear. He took us by surprise as he ran out of the forest, took a look around, and ran straight past a few hikers before disappearing back into the forest.

Grinnell Glacier

Grinnell Glacier Trail is a 11.3 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in the Many Glacier area. The trail passes a handful of lakes and ends at the Grinnell Glacier. It is rated as difficult for its length and incline. Hikers can also opt to take the boat tour from the Many Glacier Hotel to shave a couple of miles off of the distance.

We were not able to hike to Grinnell Glacier but would have done it if we had one more day in Glacier National Park. The photographs of the glacier that I have seen are so incredible. This trail is ranked one of the highest in all of Glacier National Park and is on our bucket list for our next trip to Glacier.

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake via the Trail of the Cedars is a 5.7 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Lake McDonald. The trail ends at Avalanche lake and came highly recommended by park rangers. Again, if we were able to stay in Glacier for another half-day, we would have done this hike. But for now, it’s on the list for next time!

Glacier National Park Q&A:

Should I stay on the east or west side of the park?

Short answer: both!

If time allows, I would recommend staying a few nights on both sides of the park. Glacier National Park is huge and both the West and East sides of the park offer many different wonderful experiences.

What should I do if I only have 1 day?

Glacier National Park is best seen in several days, but sometimes life doesn’t allow for that. For those of you who are only able to spend one day in Glacier National Park, here are my recommendations:

Going-to-the-Sun-Road – this is a must do for all visitors.
Hidden Lake Trail/Overlook – split up your drive on the GTTSR and stop at Logan Pass for the Hidden Lake trail. You can either hike a total of 3 miles roundtrip to the Hidden Lake Overlook or hike a total of 5.3 miles roundtrip to the lake itself.
If time allows, spend time at Lake McDonald or Saint Mary’s Lake depending on which side of the park you end up on. Both are beautiful.

What should I do if I have 3 days?

Three days gives you enough time to get a decent sample of Glacier National Park. You will have enough time to see several of the popular, must-see areas of the park. I have spilt it up into what to do each day:

Day One: Start the day with a drive on the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Stop at Logan Pass to hike the Hidden Lake Trail/Overlook. End the day renting a kayak/SUP at Lake McDonald or just stop to enjoy the views.

Day Two: Explore the Many Glacier Area – so many great things to do here! Plan to spend the whole day here. Take a boat tour. Hike to Grinnell Lake and possibly spot some wildlife.

Day Three: Do a full day-hike – save this for your last full day at GNP in case your legs are sore the next day. I would recommend either the Highline Trail or the Grinnell Glacier Trail.

What should I do if I have 1 week?

You, my friend, are doing things right. Glacier has SO many wonderful things to do and you will still only scratch the surface with a full week in the park. You will have more options to complete longer day-hikes over the coarse of the week and get to spend more time at each area of the park.

Day One: Arrive in Glacier National Park. Check out the visitor center.

Day Two: Start the day with a drive on the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Stop at Logan Pass to hike the Hidden Lake Trail.

Day Three: Hike the Highline Trail – set aside all day for this hike.

Day Four: Explore the Many Glacier Area – so many great things to do here! Plan to spend the whole day here. Take a boat tour. Hike to Grinnell Lake and possibly spot some wildlife.

Day Five: Hike the Grinnell Glacier Trail – set aside all day for this hike.

Day Six: Explore the Lake McDonald area – spend time at Apgar Village and maybe rent a kayak/SUP. Hike to Avalanche Lake.

Day Seven: Extra day for whatever interests you.

Glacier National Park is a very special place that I cannot recommend more highly. I will always remember my time in Glacier with very fond memories and dream of returning one day.

Please comment below if you have any questions about visiting Glacier National Park. I would love to answer them. I look forward to hearing from you about your visit or future plans to visit Glacier.

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