Tips for Visiting Glacier National Park: 2-Day Itinerary

Known as the “Crown of the Continent” mainly because of its incredible mountain scenery, Glacier National Park certainly lived up to its nickname and more. Every photo I’ve seen confirmed its reputation as one of the most picturesque places in America’s national park system. Here are some tips for visiting the Glacier National Park and our two-day itinerary.

Overview

In 1910, the government established Glacier National Park, covering about one million acres. It joined the adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta Canada in 1932 as the first international peace park in the world. They named the park for the many glaciers that they found within it.

At the time of its establishment, there were 150 active glaciers. Currently, the park has only 25 “active” glaciers left. Experts believe that there will hardly be any glaciers left here by 2030. So, there is some urgency in visiting this park soon.

Glaciers have contributed to their surrounding communities for agricultural irrigation, supplying the lakes, rivers and streams for the residents and wildlife and sometimes serve as a hydropower reservoir.

Day 1 – Lake McDonald

After a long drive from Washington and through Idaho, we wanted to take it easy and see a few sights close to the west entrance during our first day. The park’s biggest lake, Lake McDonald, was a wonderful welcome sight and where we spent the most time.

There were several pullouts and overlooks along the road to access the lakeshore. We were here during a bright summer day.

The lake was glistening, clear and blue. The glaciers carved this area, providing a wonderful backdrop of mountains.

The best stop and the area where we spent the most time was on the shores of the Lake McDonald Lodge. This building looked like a Swiss chalet overlooking the lake.

There were also several rustic cabins next to it. In non-pandemic times, this would have been a bustling area since it is a starting point for boat tours and horseback riding tours.

Lake McDonald Shore

The shore area by the dock had several benches to admire the lake and view. The lake was the ideal spot to relax and cool off. The water was also perfect for anyone wanting to swim, have a quick toe dip or even skip rocks.

We loved seeing these stack of piled rocks or rock cairns along the shores. There was hardly anyone here despite many of the cabins looking occupied. We loved the tranquility of this area and highly recommend a stop here.

Another stop that was a few miles from the lodge was a viewpoint overlooking McDonald Creek and Falls There was a sign on the viewpoint. Despite the season, there was still a bit of water roaring through here and was a beautiful stop.

Trail of the Cedars

The only hike we did on our first day was the family-friendly and wheelchair accessible Trail of the Cedars. The shaded and one-mile round-trip loop boardwalk trail meandered among very large, western red cedars, and hemlock trees.

Located about five miles from the Lake McDonald Lodge, there was a small parking lot here. Parking can be an issue during peak times.

We loved the forest canopy and seeing the sun peeking through the branches. There were also several of these red berry looking plants.

There was no signage so I’m not sure if they’re edible. Check out the many ferns and mosses hanging around the branches throughout the trail.

Don’t miss stopping by one of the side areas to see a fallen cedar and see its large exposed root system. It was an interesting sight to see, considering some of these trees were thought to be over 500 years old. This wasn’t even one of the trees with bigger trunk diameters.

There was also a wooden footbridge halfway through the trail that overlooked Avalanche Creek with some mountain views and a glimpse of Avalanche Gorge. This area was a wonderful stop to admire the natural surroundings.

If you have more time, this trail is next to the Avalanche Lake trail which was 4.5 miles round-trip. This path leads to Avalanche Lake, which surrounds itself with cliffs and waterfalls.

Day 2 – Going to the Sun Road

Like many national parks, there is usually one scenic road with plenty of overlooks and stops along the many attractions. But, none of these roads may be as well known or filled with picturesque scenery than Glacier National Park’s “Going to the Sun Road”.

This 51-mile one way road was definitely one of the most beautiful we’ve driven even surpassing the stunning Crater Lake Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. It was an epic drive and was how we spent our second day here.

I wish we could have stopped at all the overlooks. Most of the viewpoint were on the right side of the road while going up to Logan Pass which is the highest elevation in the park reachable by car at 6,646 feet (2025 m).

If you’re not in a hurry, this would be the ideal time to stop at most of them. It’s a bit harder to make a left turn against oncoming traffic when you’re on your way down.

Civilian Conservation Corps workers built this incredibly scenic road during the Great Depression and completed in 1933. This winding road up the mountain was an engineering marvel considering the tools and landscape the workers dealt with.

Depending on the weather, snowfall, and road clearance conditions, authorities may close parts of the road in high-lying areas, while keeping other sections open all year. The whole route typically opens in late June or early July. Check the park website to make sure the road is open.

Most of road looks out over alpine forests, glacial valleys and sheer cliffs. It was so hard to stop taking photos.

Words and photos can’t truly describe the amazing panorama. There was already a bit of traffic as we drove up so it makes it a bit easier (as a passenger) to admire the views.

Logan Pass

Our first stop was the Logan Pass Visitor Center. We got here around 8:30 AM on a Saturday during an August peak weekend.

We knew it was going to be crowded and knew the risk of not getting a parking spot. It was a lot more crowded than we expected and ended up parking by Lunch Creek parking spot about 0.5 mile further down.

After parking, we stopped at one of the viewpoints that looked out into the valley. We got really lucky and spotted several mountain goats grazing on some of the plants along a boardwalk trail. They ignored us for the most part as we observed them from a distance.

Did you know that mountain goats aren’t really mountain goats but more related to the antelope? They are considered one of the world’s best jumpers and can jump 12 feet in one leap.

Glacier National Park is teeming with wildlife and home to about 70 mammal species. The most popular ones are grizzly bears, black bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and moose.

There are also over 275 bird species in the parks. It was too bad we didn’t see any of these birds up close.

The main reason people park at Logan Pass was due to the visitor’s center, souvenir store and its restrooms here. It is also the starting point of two of the most popular trails: Hidden Lake Trail and Highline Trail.

Hidden Lake Trail

Glacier National Park is known as a hiker’s paradise and offers over 740 miles of trails varying in length and difficulty. We went on the Hidden Lake Nature Trail which was about 2.8 miles round trip and started behind the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

We chose this trail because it was manageable and fit our tight schedule. But, it turned into one of our favorite hikes ever.

The trail started on a boardwalk as Clements Mountain, with some snow lingering, loomed over us. We loved the colorful wildflowers that carpeted the alpine meadows here. There were magnificent views everywhere we looked.

We also passed through small creeks and waterfalls lined with wildflowers and alpine plants. It was so picturesque as the boardwalk ended and the trail opened into meadows.

Bearhat Mountain Overlook

Hidden Lake Trail ended up to the pass and to an overlook that offered stunning panoramic views of Hidden Lake. Bearhat Mountain stands over the lake and provides the perfect backdrop. There are steep trails that lead down to the lake from here.

It took us about two hours to do the Hidden Lake Trail with plenty of photo snapping stops and enjoying the views along the way. Luckily, we had a perfect place staked out for lunch.

Lunch Creek

If you can find a parking spot early on, we highly recommend having a picnic at Lunch Creek. Not only does it have the most appropriate name, but the cascading water rock staircase had some quite amazing views in the back. We also got lucky and spotted a big horn sheep and several marmots here.

This was the area across from the Lunch Creek parking lot. It was worth crossing the road and doing a bit of climbing. We saw people going all the way to the top.

After lunch, we continued our journey through the park to see more of the attractions. The East Tunnel greeted us first. This 408-ft tunnel runs through the Piegan Mountain.

It is amazing to think how the laborers were able to construct this one through the rocks. Keep an eye out for waterfalls along the side of the road after you exit the tunnel.

Despite its name, it really isn’t that easy to see the glaciers up close unless you do multi-hour hikes. Jackson Glacier Overlook is one of the few places to see the best view of a glacier. There are several trails from this overlook if you have time for a short hike.

St. Mary Lake

It was hard to miss the massive St. Mary Lake as we headed further the Going-To-The-Sun Road route eastward. It was a cloudy day but also a bit windy so we could see some waves on the lake.

Sun Point is a wonderful stop to have great views of St. Mary Lake. This area was the former site of the Sun Point Chalets during the park’s early years. This was one of our favorite spots in the park to see this stunning view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

Wild Goose Island is a tiny islet in the middle of St. Mary Lake but is one of the most photographed spots in the park. It rises 14 feet from the water surface that it gives that magical floating island look.

There is a pullout for visitors and photographers to take that iconic shot. Unfortunately, it was a bit hazy during our visit. But, the view was still spectacular.

Rising Sun

Our last destination in the park was Rising Sun that took us to the shores of St. Mary Lake. If the eastern side was open, many visitors can enter or exit through here.

We really enjoyed spending some time by the lake. There weren’t that many people here so it was wonderful to enjoy the lake and take in the views of the surrounding soaring mountain peaks.

If you have a longer itinerary, we highly recommended spending a few more days in the eastern part of the park or even explore its “sister park” of Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.

Tips for Visiting West Glacier National Park

• As of 2023, Vehicle registrations are highly recommended for the summer months for both entrances. Some vehicle registrations are available 4-months in advance. The remaining reservations will be released 24-hours in advance. 24-hour reservations become available daily at 8AM MDT the day before your planned visit. Reserve through recreation.gov.
• Visitors without vehicle reservations may enter the park before 6AM or after 3PM without a reservation. 
• Gas up. Fill up your tank as there are no gas stations along the Going-To-The-Sun Road. There is a gas station inside the park by the entrance. But, gas stations outside of the park were cheaper as expected.
• Go the park early or later in the day. During peak summer season, many parking areas especially at Logan Pass fill up quickly early and usually by 8 AM. We also got lucky with a couple of places after 4 PM.
• Stop at Apgar Visitor Center near the west entrance. Like many National Parks, the visitor’s center offers a wealth of information about the park’s history, animals, plants and the trails.

• Only park at designated spaces. We saw park rangers putting warning signs on cars being towed.
• Wear sunscreen especially if you’re hiking. The sun was pretty intense here with the park’s elevation.

Tour Tips

• Take the red bus tour. The red buses provide a great way to enjoy the park and not deal with the traffic, driving or parking spots. Drivers want to enjoy the views too. There were many stops along the Going-To-The-Sun Road. I really wish this was operational during our visit which would have helped with the parking lots.
• Go on Boat Tours. The Glacier Park Boat Company offers a different perspective of the park through their guided tours on historic wooden boats from four different spots. They start off from Lake McDonald, Many Glacier, St. Mary and Two Medicine
• Pack a lot of snacks, food and water. Food concession options were limited. There are many scenic spots along the park and by the lakes and river for picnics. Take advantage of them and bring your own picnic items. There is a general store by the entrance or in the neighboring towns of Whitefish, Kalispell or Columbia Falls.
• Sample huckleberry everything. Apparently, huckleberry is a big thing in Montana. The small berry colors range from red, blue or black. As we entered the west entrance along Highway 2, there were several signs of vendors selling huckleberry ice cream, shakes and pies among other things.

On the way through the town of Hungry Horse, we saw a couple of big stores including The Huckleberry Patch. We loved their huckleberry ice cream and shakes here.

They were delicious! They also had a store with many huckleberry items from candy to coffee or even tea.

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*Check out these tours around Glacier National Park!

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