Planning trip to Glacier National Park. Who’s been?

#26
#26
I live 30 mins from the west Glacier entrance. All the above comments are spot on for the parks beauty.
One thing to note... over the last few years the park has been inundated with tourists to a point that last year the line of traffic entering the park stretched a few miles long. The park implemented a reservation (online tickets) system, limiting the head count for the day to ~4000 cars. That caused a lot of issues for all the folks wanting enter... I used to visit the park in the summers and had no issues, even took my boat to fish Lake MacDonald. Now for locals here, that place is off limits in the summer. Usually September is a reasonable time to go as school is in session... but this year even September was busy. Soooo... check into how the park is going to set up their system for entry... and be prepared for long delays. Folks are just wore out with COVID and want to get out... and Montana is attractive to them.
 
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#27
#27
NEVolFan said:
I live 30 mins from the west Glacier entrance. All the above comments are spot on for the parks beauty.
One thing to note... over the last few years the park has been inundated with tourists to a point that last year the line of traffic entering the park stretched a few miles long. The park implemented a reservation (online tickets) system, limiting the head count for the day to ~4000 cars. That caused a lot of issues for all the folks wanting enter... I used to visit the park in the summers and had no issues, even took my boat to fish Lake MacDonald. Now for locals here, that place is off limits in the summer. Usually September is a reasonable time to go as school is in session... but this year even September was busy. Soooo... check into how the park is going to set up their system for entry... and be prepared for long delays. Folks are just wore out with COVID and want to get out... and Montana is attractive to them.
Click to expand...

Thanks for letting me know about this. Could definitely change some things. I can see this overrun of National and state parks causing issues long term, I’m afraid. Does the car limit get “sold out” quite early way before the season starts?
 
#28
#28
volinbham said:
having been the driver and the passenger it's much better in the driver's seat - as passenger I thought we were going to die constantly!
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I would puke if a passenger in the back seat on that road. That's car sick city.
 
#29
#29
zhangliao04 said:
Thanks for letting me know about this. Could definitely change some things. I can see this overrun of National and state parks causing issues long term, I’m afraid. Does the car limit get “sold out” quite early way before the season starts?
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Very quickly the tickets are gone. You have to be online and keep trying to hit the button.... I have been told that you get to see the ticket counter keep dropping and go to zero without you getting one, just sounds crazy. Research is key on how they are setting the system up this year. They may tweak it due to high volume of complaints.
 
#30
#30
NEVolFan said:
I live 30 mins from the west Glacier entrance. All the above comments are spot on for the parks beauty.
One thing to note... over the last few years the park has been inundated with tourists to a point that last year the line of traffic entering the park stretched a few miles long. The park implemented a reservation (online tickets) system, limiting the head count for the day to ~4000 cars. That caused a lot of issues for all the folks wanting enter... I used to visit the park in the summers and had no issues, even took my boat to fish Lake MacDonald. Now for locals here, that place is off limits in the summer. Usually September is a reasonable time to go as school is in session... but this year even September was busy. Soooo... check into how the park is going to set up their system for entry... and be prepared for long delays. Folks are just wore out with COVID and want to get out... and Montana is attractive to them.
Click to expand...
I want to go live out there so bad. I can't break my city-loving wife of her desire not to be in the middle of nowhere though.
 
#33
#33
NEVolFan said:
I live 30 mins from the west Glacier entrance. All the above comments are spot on for the parks beauty.
One thing to note... over the last few years the park has been inundated with tourists to a point that last year the line of traffic entering the park stretched a few miles long. The park implemented a reservation (online tickets) system, limiting the head count for the day to ~4000 cars. That caused a lot of issues for all the folks wanting enter... I used to visit the park in the summers and had no issues, even took my boat to fish Lake MacDonald. Now for locals here, that place is off limits in the summer. Usually September is a reasonable time to go as school is in session... but this year even September was busy. Soooo... check into how the park is going to set up their system for entry... and be prepared for long delays. Folks are just wore out with COVID and want to get out... and Montana is attractive to them.
Click to expand...

Well, I know where I'm staying now if I go and visit....
 
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#34
#34
NEVolFan said:
Very quickly the tickets are gone. You have to be online and keep trying to hit the button.... I have been told that you get to see the ticket counter keep dropping and go to zero without you getting one, just sounds crazy. Research is key on how they are setting the system up this year. They may tweak it due to high volume of complaints.
Click to expand...

Have they already filled up for this year? How long out do they begin selling tickets?
 
#35
#35
volinbham said:
The motivation for my trip was a road atlas I had with a picture of Glacier on the cover. Had it for years and told myself I'd go to that place someday. Had a summer off one year and talked a buddy into a two week trip - drove there from Chicago area.

Seems weird now but thinking back this was pre-Internet so it was basically libraries and book stores to do the trip research. No GPS either so paper maps for the trip and for all our journey around the state.
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In middle school my dad and I took an RV from TN to Winnipeg, west to Banff, down through Glacier to Yellowstone, Denver, and finally home. My two tools were an atlas and a US/Canada campground guide. And I'm not that old. The kids will never get it.
 
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#39
#39
zhangliao04 said:
For those that have done this before how does this sound:

Fly into Jackson Hope, WY and stay 1 day to visit and see the Grand Tetons.
Drive up to Yellowstone and visit there for 2 days.
Drive up to Helena and stay over night to brake up the travel to Glacier NP.
Spend 2 days in Glacier NP.
Fly home from Helena.

Should we spend an extra day in Glacier if we have the ability to?
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If you hit all 3, buy a National Parks annual pass. It’s like $85 and then you get into any NPS site with the pass. I’m doing the National Parks passport and it saved me a few hundred dollars over the course of the year.
 
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#40
#40
NEVolFan said:
Go online to learn what the system will look like this year... a lot of complaints were made, so they may tweak the system.
Click to expand...

thought i heard something about a limit. can you still get to the Jammers if the car allotment has been hit? one way or another I can't imagine going and not doing Going to the Sun or at least seeing both the E and W side.
 
#41
#41
NEVolFan said:
I live 30 mins from the west Glacier entrance. All the above comments are spot on for the parks beauty.
One thing to note... over the last few years the park has been inundated with tourists to a point that last year the line of traffic entering the park stretched a few miles long. The park implemented a reservation (online tickets) system, limiting the head count for the day to ~4000 cars. That caused a lot of issues for all the folks wanting enter... I used to visit the park in the summers and had no issues, even took my boat to fish Lake MacDonald. Now for locals here, that place is off limits in the summer. Usually September is a reasonable time to go as school is in session... but this year even September was busy. Soooo... check into how the park is going to set up their system for entry... and be prepared for long delays. Folks are just wore out with COVID and want to get out... and Montana is attractive to them.
Click to expand...

when I went there and we camped at Apgar my buddy and rented a boat and drove the entire length of Lake MacDonald. That water looks dark black out in the middle
 
#42
#42
volinbham said:
thought i heard something about a limit. can you still get to the Jammers if the car allotment has been hit? one way or another I can't imagine going and not doing Going to the Sun or at least seeing both the E and W side.
Click to expand...
They are encouraging use of the big red shuttles... and that is a nice way to go as well.
 
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#43
#43
volinbham said:
when I went there and we camped at Apgar my buddy and rented a boat and drove the entire length of Lake MacDonald. That water looks dark black out in the middle
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Apgar is a great place to camp. And Lake MacDonald is a nice place to spend time. That lake is over 400 feet deep. I used to fish it in my freighter canoe (21 ft, 54" beam), 20HP engine. Got a lot of lakers out of that lake. And it is so nice to get away from the crowds as there was only a few boats once you got away from the launch at Apgar.
 
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#44
#44
NEVolFan said:
Apgar is a great place to camp. And Lake MacDonald is a nice place to spend time. That lake is over 400 feet deep. I used to fish it in my freighter canoe (21 ft, 54" beam), 20HP engine. Got a lot of lakers out of that lake. And it is so nice to get away from the crowds as there was only a few boats once you got away from the launch at Apgar.
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yeah it was a nice campground - much more spacious and open than the one we stayed at on the E side (Two Medicine). Definitely more relaxing though the view at Two Medicine was spectacular.

I knew the lake was deep - a little uneasy feeling in our little rental boat - the water was the color of a lawn/leaf bag. Deep, solid blackish. And as you say no one was around as we got to the far end of the lake. Went all the way to some feeder streams at the opposite end from the campground. Long trip in a tiny boat
 
#45
#45
NEVolFan said:
I stayed there on a business trip prior to moving here... excellent B&B, great food. Highly recommend it... its located in Whitefish, MT.
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From 2000-2007, 11 members and I went to Whitefish and stayed there the day after Labor Day. Played golf every day and took a trip up to the park each time there. What a beautiful place.
I’d move there yesterday if I could
 
#46
#46
peaygolf said:
From 2000-2007, 11 members and I went to Whitefish and stayed there the day after Labor Day. Played golf every day and took a trip up to the park each time there. What a beautiful place.
I’d move there yesterday if I could
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on my only trip out there we drove down to Missoula after being in the park. I fell in love - drove by the university of Montana to see if they had a job opening. I was smitten with the state and still am.
 
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#47
#47
peaygolf said:
From 2000-2007, 11 members and I went to Whitefish and stayed there the day after Labor Day. Played golf every day and took a trip up to the park each time there. What a beautiful place.
I’d move there yesterday if I could
Click to expand...
If you get back here to play golf... I highly recommend trying the Wilderness Golf and Resort in Eureka. Nick Faldo designed it... in the top 100 courses in US.
Wilderness Club (Eureka, Montana) | GolfCourseGurus
 
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