GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Glacier National Park is an amazing place to visit! It is like a majestic masterpiece, crafted by nature's hand, with glacier-capped peaks standing tall like proud sentinels guarding the lush green valleys below. I really enjoyed my trip here. Here I have listed all my favorite places to see, trails to hike, and campgrounds to stay at (and a few hotels if you don't want to camp). This guide is divided into four different sections, each for a popular section of the park. The regions are Apgar (on the west side), Going to the Sun Road (in the middle), Many Glacier (on the east side) and Two Medicine (in the southeast corner.

Apgar

This is the first area that people see if they are arriving from the west. Apgar is very scenic and it has lots of amenities and a great visitors center. The main attraction here is Lake Mcdonald, which is the largest lake in the park. The lake has a nice rocky beach, and swimming is popular here in the summer. I loved that this area is peaceful and serene. Unlike many of the other regions which are very windy, Lake Mcdonald is seemingly made of glass. Another great activity to do here is boating. There is even a boat rental shop on the south side of the lake.

Apgar Hikes

Trail of the cedars

This is one of the most popular hikes in the park and it's easy to see why. This one-mile boardwalk trail loops around a rainforest full of beautiful cedars. There are many places to have lunch along a meandering river. There is also a gorge with beautiful red rocks carved by a river along this trail.

avalanche lake

The trail to Avalanche Lake starts at the same place as the Trail of the Cedars. The hike is four miles round trip and somewhat steep, but it ends at one of the most beautiful lakes in the park! The sight of clear blue water beneath towering peaks and waterfalls is worth the trek.

rocky point

If you want an intimate, crowd-free nature experience but don't want to hike a super long trail, then this hike is for you. It is 1.5 miles round trip and leads to a stunning view of Lake Mcdonald on its east side. The trail starts at Fish Creek Campground.

APGAR CAMPGROUNDS

APGAR CAMPGROUND

This is the largest campground in the whole park with almost 200 campsites, and it has a great location on the south side of Lake Mcdonald. You can even walk to the lake from here. The campsites are pretty big and there is lots of shade from trees.

Reserve your campsite

fish creek campground

This campground is on the east shore of Lake Mcdonald, which makes it a bit quieter than many of the other campgrounds here. The campsites are somewhat small in size but are very secluded from other sites due to all the trees. This campground is also a bit easier to reserve than others in the park.

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Sprague creek campground

This is a small campground along Sprague Creek on the west shore of Lake Mcdonald. Although a few great sites are right along Lake Mcdonald, most are small and have little privacy, and have views of cars driving by.

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avalanche campground

This campground has the most convenient location of any campground for exploring Logan Pass. The Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake hikes start right from here! The 87 sites are set in a rainforest which allows little light to hit the picnic tables.

Reserve your campsite

Hotels:

If you do not want to camp, there are two hotels inside the park in this area: Apgar Village Inn and Lake Mcdonald Lodge. They both cost around $200 a night and are fully booked all summer long. If you are planning last minute, or want to save money, look in towns like West Glacier, Hungry Horse, Columbia Falls, and even Kalispell.

Going-To-The-Sun Road

Going-to-the-Sun Road cuts through the middle of the park with great views and scenery along the way. Logan Pass is the highest point along this road at 6,700 feet. Although it can be a bit tricky to find a parking spot here, I highly recommend stopping by Logan Pass as it has a great visitors center and is the starting place of many hikes. There are also tons of pullouts where you can gaze at the inspiring views and take photos. There are free shuttles from Apgar and St Mary (on the east side of the park), which I recommend taking because of the lack of parking spots here.

Hikes along Going To The Sun Road

Highline trail

Although I personally didn't do this hike, I heard it is great. The hike starts at Logan Pass and heads downhill for 8 miles to a place where you can take a shuttle back up. Along the way, there are great views and sheer drop-offs.

hidden lake overlook

This is a two mile round trip hike that starts at Logan Pass and takes you to an scenic overlook of Hidden Lake. The hike is quite steep, but the views at the end are totally worth it. On the way I even saw some mountain goats!

Campgrounds along Going to the Sun Road

Due to the high elevation, there are no campgrounds at Logan Pass. But Avalanche and St Mary campgrounds are within 30 minutes of Logan Pass. You can also stay at Apgar, Sprague Creek or Fish Creek Campgrounds, but they are farther (45 minutes to 1 hour from Logan Pass).

avalanche campground

This campground has the most convinient location of any campground for exploring Logan Pass. The Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake hikes start right from here! The 87 sites are set in a rainforest which allows little light to hit the picnic tables.

Reserve your campsite

st mary campground

St Mary Campground is on the east side of the park and about 30 minutes away from Logan Pass. It is a lot more open and windy than the other campgrounds, and the sites are pretty small and don't have much privacy. But it is a lot easier to reserve than other campgrounds, and very close to St Mary Village, with restaurants and stores. This campground is also a good location for visiting Many Glacier, as it is about 30 minutes from there.

Reserve your campsite

Hotels:

There are no hotels along Going to the Sun Road. Apgar and West Glacier are about 45 minutes away from Logan Pass, but St Mary Village also has a few hotels and is about 30 minutes away from Logan Pass.

Many Glacier

Many people say this is the most scenic area of the park. With all its amazing mountain scenery and glaciers, its easy to see why. Other than hiking and camping, there aren't really any other things to do here. The main lake, Swiftcurrent Lake, can get super windy!

Many Glaicer Hikes

Red rock lake and falls

There are so many hikes in this area its not possible to list them all. But if you are looking for a medium length family friendly hike, this is a great choice. This 3 mile round trip hike goes to a pretty lake surrounded by trees with a great mountainous backround. It is a lot less windy than Swiftcurrent Lake, and is the perfect spot for a picnic lunch! The lake has chilly water that is great for skipping rocks but not swimming. After you get to the lake, be sure to continue on the trail to the waterfall at the end!

grinnel glacier trail

This is a very long 10 mile hike (round trip), but it's worth it because it gives you the oprotunity to see a real glacier up close. Because the glaicers are melting, it is a great experience to see one up close before they are gone. The hike is super strenuous, not only in length but also in elevation because it climbs over 2,000 feet! But you won't regret it because there are great views at the top.

MANY GLACIER CAMPGROUNDS

MANY GLACIER CAMPGROUND

Many Glacier is one of the best campgrouns in Glacier National Park! The campsites are nicely sized, shady, and have great views of the surrounding mountains. This campgrond is also a great location for hiking as many hikes start right from here. Because of this, these campsites are super difficult to reserve for the summer.

Reserve your campsite

st mary campground

Reserve your campsite

Hotels

There is one hotel inside this area of the park, Many Glacier Hotel, but it is pricey and almost impossible to reserve. There are a few hotels in Babb (20 minutes away) and St Mary Village (30 minutes away).

Two Medicine

This is my favorite section of the park because it is less crowded than other areas of the park and it is super beautiful. Two Medicine is tucked into the southeastern corner of Glacier National Park. There are many beautiful hikes and waterfalls here, including Running Eagle Falls, which is my favorite waterfall in the whole park! There is a very nice picnic area here if you want to have a picnic lunch, and it even has fire pits for a campfire.

Two Medicine Hikes

Aster falls

This is a beautiful waterfall along the trail to Aster Park.

aster park

This 3 mile round trip hike starts at the east shore of Two Medicine Lake, travels thorugh a forest to Aster Falls, then climbs up a hill to a pretty view! I loved that it wasn't super crowded like many other hikes in the park. It's actually my favorite hike in the whole park!

roaring river falls

This is my favorite waterfall in the whole park. I love how the water just falls straight out of the rocks! The path to reach the waterfall is only a quater mile long and has signs telling you about the different trees and flowers along the path.

TWO MEDICINE CAMPGROUNDS

TWO MEDICINE CAMPGROUND

I have saved the best campground for last! Two Medicine is a super pretty campground on the shores of Pray Lake and is my favorite in the whole park. Many campsites are waterfront, and the ones that aren't are nestled in a forest. The sites are large and have lots of privacy. This great campground is walking distance to many hikes.

Reserve your campsite

Hotels

There are no hotels inside the park here, but the town of East Glacier is only 20 minutes away and has many hotels.

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