Glacier National Park

[bort]

I'm starting to gather ideas for a summer trip, and I'm thinking about Glacier National Park. I've always wanted to go, and after spending a little time to research it tonight, it looks simply awesome. I went to Rocky Mountain National Park 1.5 years ago, and I've been itching to get back to the mountains since then. I'm thinking early July.

Any stories or advice anyone can share here? I'll be coming from New York, so I know just getting there won't be cheap. Doing a little searching online, they are actually a lot more than I thought. I know there is an airport at Kalispell, but those flights are the most expensive. I'd gladly fly to another city and drive a day or so to get to Glacier. Calgary or Seattle don't seem TOO bad...

So...any advice?

[Dan Schultz]

My wife and I drove the 'Going to the Sun Highway' from west to east in early November a couple of years ago. We were probably one of the last to drive through before the snows hit. It was an awesome drive. A day earlier we played with a community band in Ladner, BC... and the next evening we played with another community band in Great Falls, Montana.

[bort]

Sounds like fun! From one end to the other, how long did the trip take?

[tofu]

[bearphonium]

I have good friends who pulled their 5th wheel on a trip thru Glacier; they spent about 2 weeks, but I think it was a little later in the year than you're going. Several guys on the motorcycle forum I belong to (pashnit dot com) have posted photo/stories about their trips as well. Looks like stunning country, and is on my to do list of National Parks.

Ally"who hopes that the parks of the southwest are on her motorcycle menu this year"House

[DLThomas]

If flying, you might consider Spokane WA, Missoula MT, Helena MT or Great Falls MT (if using Helena, I'll provide beers and personalized travel advice). All of these are a reasonable (day or so) drive from the Park, but don't plan on a speedy trip.

AMTRAK is also a good choice but I am not totally familiar with the available stations, etc., which might allow you excursions (car rentals or otherwise) into the countryside.

As TubaTinker says, there's but one road through the Park, unlike some others where car access is more available (Yellowstone, for instance). It's a super place for hikers (but be nice to the bears).

Dave "once spent a summer in East Glacier"

[Dan Schultz]

Sounds like fun! From one end to the other, how long did the trip take?

Bear in mind that we drove through very late in the season... right before major snows hit. There was NO traffic. Seems to me that we spent about eight hours driving through, fooling around, and taking pictures. If you could drive straight thru without being impeded by traffic, you could probably do it in less that a few hours. I'm just guessing that during peak tourist times, it would be very slow-going. I'm sure you could spend a lot more time than that if you wanted to. The lodge at mid-point was already closed for the season.