Things To Do In Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park in Northern Montana is legitimately nicknamed the crown of the continent. This vast expanse of beautiful natural space encloses snow-laden mountain peaks, deep glacial valleys, and shimmering alpine lakes filled with icebergs and this place draws the attention of 3 billion people annually, especially during the season of vacation i.e; July and September.
It is better to book as early as possible when planning your vacation to places like these. The park is home to 700 miles of hiking trails and The Two Medicine and Many glaciers are among other places that deserve attention.
Glacier represents a true choose-your-own-adventure when visiting. Other than the places to see, you can expect some wildlife when visiting Glaciers. The Most common sights are the grizzly and black bear. Early planning and reservation can help you navigate the crowds that are there throughout the week.
so, here we are wrapping up the introduction of the park. Below mentioned are the things that you can do and places that you can explore and can make a memorable glacier getaway.
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Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road
The 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun is the only road that passes over the inside of the park and is often a focal point of most visits. In 2021, the park implemented a Going-to-the-Sun Road permit system, which limits the amount of personal vehicles allowed on the road between late May and early September. Only these two months are without snow. Also, authorization is available for 60 days and each particular day and these sanctions sell out fast.
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STICK UP AT LAKE MCDONALD & APGAR VILLAGE
Lake McDonald is the largest body of water in Glacier and the center of activity on the west side of the park. There are four campgrounds that can be seen in this glacially carved region of the park, which also includes Apgar Campground that has 194 sites. Visitors can spend the night at the McDonald Lake Lodge that was built in the 1910s on the banks of the lake.
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Tour the East Side and St. Mary Lake
The 10-mile St. Mary Lake is the outlining aspect closer to the east entrance of the national park. The St. Mary Visitor Center is located near the end of the lake and entrance station, where visitors can find particulars about the park and pick up the free Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle.
Glacier National Park has an astounding 700-plus miles of trails leaning throughout the park. These appointed footpaths lead to the classic landscapes like shimmering glaciers, panoramic mountain passes, and iceberg-surmounted lakes. A few signature hikes in the Park are the Highline Trail at Logan Pass and Grinnell Glacier in Many Glacier. Cobalt Lake and Siyeh Pass are the places where you can expect less crowd and this place offers so much to hike, that it will require years to hike every path that winds through the park.
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Spend the Night at a Campground
As this place has some offbeat tracks, the best way to traverse through the glaciers is by being there till the night. Glacier has 13 campgrounds inside the park boundaries and various campgrounds are located at the park’s entrance. Apgar Campground is the largest campground and it is on the east side of the park and often filled throughout the day. On the other hand, Saint Mary Campground, is the largest on the east side of the park and it accepts only advanced bookings.
Once the Two Medicine region was the prime destination for early visitors to Glacier. After the Going-to-the-sun road was built, Two Medicine was no longer the main destination of early visitors to Glacier. On the east side of the park, the Two Medicine region was once the main destination for early visitors to Glacier, but its mountain magnificence remained. Two Medicine is now less of a people’s place and slightly more off-beaten path destination in the park and it is enclosed in a less-crowded sparkling two medicine lake and it is filled during summers.
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Drive the North Fork Road to Bowman Lake
Bowman lake is the less-visited North Fork region of the park, which is only accessible by a winding gravel road. The gravel North Fork road leads to the North Fork of the Flathead River, which is a popular rafting waterway that denotes the western boundary of the park and this area takes to the Kintla Lake, which is just a few miles away from the Bowman Lake. Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery is an iconic place in this tiny little community that has been on the visitors lists for over 100 years.
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Pass the global borders Boundaries into Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada
Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park is directly located from the Goat Haunt region of Glacier. The enormity of the Glacier National Park stretches well into Canada and the Waterton Lakes offers a bigger terrain to explore. In Waterton National Park,other than exploring Red Rock Canyon, you can also visit Waterton Village and hike up to 200 kilometres to see the iconic Crypt Lake Trail.
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Cross-Country Skiing/Winter Activities
Winter is the most preferred time to visit Glacier as you get time for skiing and snowshoeing near the east and west entrances of St. Mary and Apgar. Make sure to check trail conditions and local forecast conditions before planning your journey to the glacier for winter activities.
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Backpack into the Backcountry
The extensive network of backcountry trails navigate the insides of the park and is one of the best ways to experience Glacier. Glacier's landscape is challenging yet rewarding, it has a few highlighted backcountry destinations that include Stoney Indian Pass, the Ptarmigan Tunnel, and Hole-in-the-Wall. Various routes are available, from one-night trips to week-long quests through the heart of the park.
Here, we have wrapped up all the things that you can do while visiting Glacier National park. We are sure that by now you must have already planned your journey to this one-of-a-kind place.