3 Tips for Visiting Glacier National Park

I have been so freaking lucky to see some amazing places in my life. However, Glacier National Park is for sure in my top 3 all time favorite views in this world.

I was a little concerned that my expectations for Glacier National Park were too high. People had spoken so highly of it that it was one of those times I thought there was no way it was THAT cool. Well, I was gladly proven wrong. It far exceeded my expectations.

Basically, if Glacier is not at the top of your travel bucket list then add it there now. That being said, I learned a lot our first visit here! I plan to use these lessons to make our next visit even more perfect. Hopefully, it will help you out as well!

1.Parking is LIMITED

Like, seriously, you guys! There are way more cars visiting this park than there is parking. We knew parking filled up quickly so we got up at 6am to be in the park by 7am and by the time we made it to Logan’s Pass just before 8am, it was totally full. And it stays full all day!

If you are driving and see an open spot at a lookout, TAKE IT! If you want a parking spot in Logan’s Pass to go on a hike, get there at 7am. I am not even kidding, you just have to take whatever you can get. And sometimes it just comes down to being lucky!

2. Hikes are long

Now, obviously there are some short trails and treks for all levels of hikers. However, the best hikes in Glacier are the long ones. There is only a few main roads going through the park so the only way to access many of the views is to hike to them.

Be prepared for overnight hikes or hikes that take a few days there and back! Bring lots of food and water and warm clothes! It gets pretty chilly on many of these treks (obviously, it’s GLACIER National Park) so come prepared. Also, there is a ton of wildlife so come with bear spray and other items to protect yourself! You can check out our list of hiking essentials here.

Also, some hikes may require you to hitchhike back to your car. We saw many hikers hitchhiking and if our car wasn’t filled to the brim with our own gear we would have picked them up! If you aren’t lucky enough to catch a ride, you have to climb all the way back up the mountain to reach your car.

Normally there are shuttles that you can catch but they are not running right now! Who knows when they will run again so just be prepared to find alternative transportation until the shuttles are up and running again.

3. Give yourself time

This park is HUGE! The East half of Glacier was closed when we went so we could only explore the west. I could have spent weeks just exploring that half of the park! We wish we had more time to spend there but we made the most of our two days.

When taking you family plan for a day at the lake, a day for hiking, a day for driving Into The Sun Road, a day to float/raft the river, and multiple days just to get lost!

There are also so many cool towns around Glacier National Park. We stopped in Kalispell and Whitehorse but wish we could have spent a whole day in each of these towns just exploring! We’ve also heard great things about Poleridge but we didn’t have time to make it up there.

Conclusion

I could honestly go on and on and on about reasons why you should visit Glacier. However, I have seen so many of those on the internet that I thought these tips might be more helpful! Because honestly, anything you do or see in Glacier is amazing.

We hope you load up and set off on an adventure! Let us know what tips you’ve learned while visiting the National Parks so we can know what to expect!