Glacier National Park is among the hottest parks within the National Park Service, but these guests who aren’t fortunate sufficient to attain both a resort reservation contained in the park and/or automobile reservations to drive Going-to-the-Sun Road may discover themselves annoyed with restricted entry to the park. But don’t despair, even when your time inside the park is restricted, there are many enjoyable and adventurous issues to do close to Glacier National Park. After all, magnificence and nature don’t cease on the park borders!
When I visited Montana final fall, I solely spent in the future exploring the park, however then loved per week doing different actions close to Glacier National Park. Visiting GNP might be an train in persistence coping with full parking heaps, bumper-to-bumper site visitors, ready in strains, and crowded mountain climbing trails — under no circumstances what individuals are on the lookout for in an “outdoorsy” trip.
Don’t fret! Go to Glacier, tick the field, stamp the passport, purchase the t-shirt, see the highlights and scenic drives…then transfer on to all of the issues to do outdoors of Glacier National Park.
If you need assistance planning a visit to Glacier National Park, my pal Bryanna has put collectively a terrific Glacier National Park Guide with 39 pages of stop-by-stop directions, mountain climbing choices by issue degree, eating suggestions, and insider ideas. It even contains an alternate RV itinerary for RVers!
Where to Stay Near Glacier nationwide Park
Note: My journey to northwest Montana was sponsored by Glacier Country Tourism, however all opinions are my very own. This submit accommodates affiliate hyperlinks. If you click on a hyperlink and make a purchase order, I could obtain a small fee.
Before we get to all of the issues to do round Glacier National Park, let’s first work out the place to remain close to Glacier National Park, particularly since getting reservations inside the park requires some critical advance planning and plenty of driving to get from one part of the park to the opposite.
If you will be visiting most of the points of interest close to Glacier National Park, you can be higher off staying west of the park, in West Glacier or the encompassing areas. Many of the locations to go to close to Glacier National Park included beneath are higher accessed from the areas west of the park.
There are many glamping choices close by, however for an extended keep I’d advocate sticking to one of many bigger cities, which additionally affords extra facilities and companies. Whitefish Mountain Resort is definitely widespread, together with vrbo trip leases, however something in and round this ski resort city goes to be a bit dear.
Staying in Kalispell to the southwest of Glacier will present extra finances choices as there are a selection of chain motels simply outdoors of the downtown. Plus, whereas there are nice eating places and breweries on the town, the world by the freeway and motels additionally has superstores, chain eating places, and quick meals/quick informal choices. When I visited, I stayed on the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Kalispell, which was fairly handy and good.
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Things to do Near Glacier National Park
After visiting Glacier National Park, some folks like to move north throughout the border into neighboring Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada or head as much as the Canadian Rockies to see Banff and Jasper. However, there are many issues to do close to Glacier National Park proper in Montana – no passport required!
Here are a couple of of the issues to do outdoors of Glacier National Park that gives you that out of doors trip and journey you’re searching for.
Llama trekking
Drive an hour south of West Glacier for one of the distinctive out of doors experiences you’ll ever have — trekking with llamas. After all, who desires to go for an everyday hike when you’ll be able to go on a hike with llamas? Swan Mountain Outfitters will introduce you to your llama for the journey and knowledgeable information will take you into the Flathead National Forest to get pleasure from a picnic lunch by a waterfall.
You don’t want to fret a few factor on this family-friendly trek because the information packs the lunch and the llamas carry it for you. Or, you’ll be able to go for a shorter, adults-only afternoon trek with wine. The llamas are so awkwardly cute that it’s unimaginable to not smile. Highly advocate this exercise for anybody that wants psychological well being break.
Kayaking or paddleboarding
There are many rivers and lakes to get pleasure from in Northwest Montana outdoors of the well-known ones in Glacier National Park (e.g. Lake McDonald, St. Mary Lake, Avalanche Lake or Hidden Lake.) You can get pleasure from kayaking or paddle boarding on Whitefish Lake, fly fishing on Flathead River, and boating on the immense Flathead Lake.
One of the extra distinctive and stress-free methods to get out on the water is to paddle the Clearwater River Canoe Trail. Located on the shore of Seeley Lake and surrounded by Lolo National Forest, Tamaracks Resort offers tools rental and a shuttle service to get pleasure from a lazy, three-hour scenic float down the Clearwater River Trail. Along the best way, you may even see wildlife alongside the river together with turtles, fish, birds, and perhaps even a moose.
Sunset Cruise on Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Montana, and in all the Western U.S. by floor space, if you happen to exclude Alaska. It is over 27 miles lengthy and 15 miles broad on the widest level. It averages 164 toes in depth, however it may possibly stand up to 370 toes deep. It can be one of many clearest lakes within the United States. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, together with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, who handle the lake work laborious to make sure it stays clear and clear by inspecting all watercraft for invasive species.
With a mess of coves carved into an irregular shoreline and a number of islands within the lake, it’s best to discover Flathead Lake by boat. Flathead Lake Charters affords half or full-day fishing charters, the place you’ll be able to fish for lake trout, pike, yellow perch, whitefish, rainbow trout, bass, kokanee salmon, and a few bull trout. If you don’t wish to go fishing, Discover Flathead Lake affords non-public scenic boat excursions of most of the lovely coves alongside the lake, with a cease on Wildhorse Island for a hike.
However, a night sundown cruise to look at the colourful glow on the Mission Mountains as you discover the shoreline and cliffside views of Rocky Point and the Flathead River is a visit spotlight when visiting Glacier Country. Bring your personal drinks and snacks and sit again and absorb the pure magnificence.
While you’re exploring Flathead Lake, you should definitely spend a while within the darling little city of Big Fork. This charming, artsy city feels prefer it may very well be in a Hallmark film, with cute boutiques, galleries, and cafes.
Hike Through the Cedars
Couldn’t get a parking spot on the trailhead for the Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park? That’s okay. You can stroll by means of an enormous cedar grove at Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Area in Libby, Montana. It is an extended drive to get there however one of many enjoyable issues to do outdoors of Glacier National Park is to take a scenic drive by means of lovely Montana anyway (plus you’ll be able to go to some waterfalls alongside the best way).
Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Area is a grove of western crimson cedars with an interpretive strolling path a few mile lengthy. Some of the bushes are as much as 400 years previous and attain eight toes in diameter. The scenic space is off of Highway 56, up a four-mile lengthy entry street that winds up and round to the parking zone.
The path takes about one hour to discover if you happen to cease and browse the intepretative indicators that explains the world’s ecology and historical past.
Chase Waterfalls
There are many waterfalls in Glacier National Park, reminiscent of Virginia Falls and Saint Mary Falls, however you too can discover lovely waterfalls throughout Northwest Montana. Columbia Mountain Trail, which isn’t removed from the park, has three waterfalls alongside the path.
Also, about two-and-a-half hours from the park, in your approach to Ross Creek Cedar Trail, you will discover Kootenai Falls, one of many largest free-flowing waterfalls within the Northwest. The falls space is a sacred website to the Kootenai folks and it was as soon as a spot the place tribal members communed with non secular forces. Today, you’ll be able to observe strolling trails right down to the river’s edge and alongside the falls.
This is a stunning spot for a picnic or you’ll be able to cease within the city of Libby for lunch at Cabinet Mountain Brewery first. There is extra to do than simply benefit from the waterfalls although. A pleasant, pretty simple hike, with lovely views will convey you to the Kootenai Suspension Bridge. This bouncy however sturdy bridge affords a distinct perspective of the quickly flowing river and brings you to different lovely overlooks alongside the other financial institution.
Zipline and Adventure Course
If you’re on the lookout for journey a bit of nearer to Glacier National Park, the Glacier Highline is the proper spot to convey the household. This journey park affords over 50 totally different highline and ropes course actions. There are ziplines, a treetop journey course, mountaineering wall, Tarzan swing, and even an inflatable impediment course and waterslide.
Whitefish Mountain Resort additionally affords ziplining, an alpine slide, a treetop journey course, and even tubing in the summertime! For these not fairly so thrill-seeking, the resort affords scenic chair raise rides and mountain climbing trails to get pleasure from, all just one hour from Glacier National Park.
Whitewater Rafting
If you’re on the lookout for thrills, strive white water rafting alongside Class II – III rapids on the Flathead River. There are a number of raft firms that function commercially guided raft journeys on the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Flathead River. These areas are inside the Flathead Wild and Scenic River designation and are collectively managed by Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest.
Glacier Guides and Montana Raft Company, Glacier Raft Company, and Great Northern Resort all function out of West Glacier. Glacier Guides provide half-day, full-day, and even in a single day journeys, in addition to calmer, family-friendly scenic float rides. Just take into account that reservations are required and later within the season, the water could also be too low or gradual for rafting.
See Wildlife
Many folks go to Glacier National Park hoping to see wildlife (simply hopefully no shut encounters with grizzly bears), which is why you need to all the time be ready with bear spray and recreate responsibly. However, if you happen to depart Glacier National Park with out recognizing any wild creatures, don’t fear. The Park isn’t a zoo and the wild animals wander all through the state. You may encounter a bear trying out the picnic space of a city park (true story — occurred to us in Big Fork however fortunately it was only a black bear.)
I might be stunned if you happen to spent any size of time close to Glacier National Park and didn’t encounter at the very least some deer or elk alongside your drives, which is why you all the time want to remain alert, particularly when driving at night time.
However, if you would like a close to assure of spying wildlife, drive two hours south of Glacier National Park to go to the Bison Range. The Bison Range, which has been restored to federal belief possession for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), is house to 350 grownup bison. The Bison Range is a pay-to-enter, fee-use space that encompasses a customer middle and a 24-mile scenic loop.
Visitors ought to plan on taking a couple of hours to drive the one-way loop, however if in case you have much less time, you’ll be able to drive a decrease part of the loop earlier than turning again when it switches to one-way solely. In addition to bison, there are additionally elk, white-tail and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and black bear, together with over 200 species of birds within the reserve.
Go Mountain Biking
There are many biking trails close to Glacier National Park, together with the ten.5 mile paved Gateway-to-Glacier Trail that runs from Hungry Horse to West Glacier and the Whitefish path for starting and intermediate mountain bikers. Glacier Guide affords bike leases for these wishing to bike Going-to-the-Sun Road, together with e-bikes, and even offers guided biking journeys.
For one thing tougher, Whitefish Mountain Resort affords downhill mountain biking with two lifts and over 25 miles of downhill trails from newbie to skilled.
With so many issues to do close to Glacier National Park, you’ll not get bored. Just pack your bug spray, solar display screen, mountain climbing boots, comfortable garments, water bottle and purchase some bear spray and prepare for journey.
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