Josh Rutledge Photography

Glacier National Park is one of my favorite places to visit. Depending on what areas of the park and what time of the year you visit, you can experience many different things. Of course the Going to the Sun Road is probably the most iconic destination in the park, but there are many other areas worth visiting as well. Glacier National Park is also best visited with some hiking in mind. Unlike Yellowstone National Park, or other popular places, most of the best places to see in Glacier National Park require some effort to get there. As with most National Parks, Glacier has experience record breaking visitation the last few years and that is one the big negative to visiting the park. If you can go off season, you can get avoid the crowds to some extent, but even during the traditional off season, Glacier is busier than it used to be. As a result of the overcrowding, the park has instituted a ticketing system to help control the numbers. This process does make a visit to the park more difficult and a little more planning is required. I don’t know if the ticketing system is the answer to overcrowding, but I think steps do need to be taken to try and stem the overcrowding issue. One negative I have already noticed, is that by limiting access to the Going to the Sun corridor, they have pushed visitors to other areas of the park that traditionally were less visited. And unfortunately those areas are less prepared to handle the larger crowds (parking, bathrooms and etc.) Please check with the official website for the park to confirm the ticketing system status. Typically a ticket is required from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Wildlife

Glacier National Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife. It takes a little luck to view the wildlife, but a lot of it depends on being in the right places at the right time. That means getting up early (or staying up late) to see wildlife while they are most active. Usually by being up early you can avoid some of the crowds as well. If you are trying to view wildlife from the safety of your car, then travel slow and pay close attention. If you see a large group of people pulled over, chances are there is some kind of wildlife viewing available. Please be CAREFUL and be sure to pull completely off of the roadway so traffic can safely pass. And please follow the instructions of the Park Rangers, they are there for your safety and the safety of the wildlife. If you wish to see mountain goats or big horn sheep, I would recommend the area around Logan Pass on the top of the Going to the Sun Road. But be aware parking can be almost impossible, you may be better off taking a shuttle. You can also see marmots, ground squirrels and occasionally even bears in this area. If moose it what you are after, I would recommend the Fishercap Lake area of Many Glacier. And for bears, both black and grizzly, I have always had the best luck on the East side of the park, either along St. Mary Lake or in the Many Glacier area. Deer are common in many areas of the park. If you are really lucky you may also see wolves (but they are not as common to see as compared to Yellowstone for example) wolverine, bobcat or mountain lion.

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake is one of the most popular hikes in Glacier National Park. Finding parking near the trailhead can be very difficult. Getting any early start increases your chances of finding a parking spot. The hike to Avalanche Lake starts from the Trail of the Cedars, which is also an easy hike along raised boardwalks through the forest. You also pass along Avalanche Creek Gorge, which is one of the most iconic picture opportunities in the park. The Trail of the Cedars is an easy hike which is about a mile long loop. The hike to the lake is about a 4.5 mile hike there and back. There is some gain in elevation, but it’s not too bad.

Redrock Lake/Redrock Falls

Redrock Falls is an easy day hike you can take from the Swiftcurrent trail head in Many Glacier. It is about a 4 mile round trip hike to the falls and back. The trail is pretty easy with only a minimal gain in elevation. Along the way to the falls you will hike along Fishercap Lake as well Redrock Lake, with the falls being at the end of Redrock Lake. You can continue past Redrock Falls and continue to Bullhead Lake if you wish.

Fishercap Lake

North Fork - Polebridge

The North Fork area of Glacier National Park, named for the North Fork of the Flathead River, is another area of Glacier National Park worth visiting. This area includes Polebridge, Bowman Lake, Kintla Lake and other areas in between. Traditionally this area is a less visited and less developed, but with overcrowding elsewhere in the park, this area has started to see increased popularity. The road past Polebridge is not well developed so a high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended. The road is also closed from time to time due to the conditions, so please plan ahead and check with park rangers before heading to this area. If you do, a must stop is the Polebridge Mercantile.

Two Medicine

The Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park is the area I have visited the least. I really do need to make an effort to explore this area of the park more in the future. I think because it is a little off the beaten path for visiting my other favorite areas of the park, it’s more difficult to work in when my time in the park is limited.

Waterton Lakes National Park

If you are in the area of Glacier National Park, you should really consider heading a little farther north and visiting Waterton Lakes National Park which is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. In the age of COVID you may want to check ahead to see the status of the boarder and what requirements there may be for entrance into Canada. The last time we visited Waterton it was the spring after the park was hit with historic wild fires. As a result, much of the park was still closed to the public. I believe access has now been restored to most areas of the park. We have been meaning to go back, but with COVID travel has obviously been difficult. But once things return to normal, it is high on our list of places to revisit. While you are in the park, you should consider having “High Tea” at the Prince of Wales Hotel. The views from inside and around the hotel are amazing. And even though much of the park was closed, we were still able to view a lot of wildlife, including many black bears, elk, big horn sheep, coyotes and many birds and smaller animals.