TRAVEL GUIDE: Glacier National Park

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Seven days just simply did not feel like enough time inside Glacier National Park. From the gorgeous waterfalls to the mountain views, every turn took your breath away. Even hazy from the smoke, Glacier National Park has a special kind of magic to it. With a week in Montana, our family decided to spend three full days inside Glacier National Park.

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IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

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  • Once you enter the park your cell phone service is pretty non-existent. We decided to download the map of Montana on our phone before heading out for the day.

  • For $35 you can purchase a week long pass to the park, this was a better value over multiple day passes.

  • When we visited (September 2020) the East entrance of the park was closed, so you did not have access to the entire park.

  • Parking is WILD. Anytime we arrived after 7am it was pretty impossible to find a parking spot near a trail.

WHERE TO HIKE

GOING TO THE SUN ROAD: Our first day was spent hiking around waterfalls and the majority of the day was driving along the hour-long road called, Going To The Sun Road. Throughout this road, you have the opportunity to pull over and explore little hidden nooks. From mountain goats to bears, Going To The Sun Road had it all.

AVALANCHE LAKE: do your incline work before this hike ladies, it’s a doozy. The scenery on the way to Avalance Lake is absolutely beautiful, but be prepared to potentially take a few breaks along the way. This 2.5-mile hike up the mountain leads to a stunning view that postcards are made from. Once you reach the lake you are able to hike around the entire lake, which really means the views are endless.

BOWMAN LAKE: after two hours on a dirt road you’re greeted by one of the most beautiful lakes we saw in all of Montana. The rocks at the bottom of the lake are vibrant pink, blue, white, and green. A 26 mile trail circles the lake, with little inlets along the way allowing you to soak in the peace that is Bowman Lake.

WHAT TO WEAR

Having sturdy and comfortable footwear is a must if you are planning to hike around Glacier. I took a trip over to Sierra Trading Post and picked up some North Face hiking boots, a lightweight zip-up, and wool socks. Aside from making sure we wore clothing that was tight-fitting, warm, and durable, Aaron made sure to pack a backpack filled with: fresh socks, food, water, sunscreen, and wipes.

HOW TO PREPARE

Before heading to Montana we had a small list of hikes our entire family wanted to do. What we should have done ahead of time was incline workouts and watched the weather closely. The mornings and nights were pretty chilly, but the days rose into the high 70s. Combine that with hiking and you’ve got yourself a nice and toasty day. Other than that, everything inside of Glacier was easy to find and if you ever felt a little turned around a park ranger always seemed to be close by.

Visiting Glacier National Park was an experience unlike anything else! Our entire family is already planning our trip back and can not wait to spend more time in Montana next time. We ended up having smoke the entire week due to the fires in California, but even with the haze, the park was still gorgeous.

Have you been to GNP before? If so, what hikes and spots should we add to our list for next time?

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