What to Do in Glacier National Park
Check out these great hikes in Glacier National Park! Click on an image or the title to read a post with more information!
Iceberg Lake
This was one of our favorite hikes in the park. It’s about ten miles roundtrip with very little elevation gain. Take this relaxing hike to a gorgeous lake, and if you’re feeling brave, jump in and swim among the icebergs! (We just stuck our feet in!) Watch for moose along the trail, too.
St. Mary Falls
St. Mary Falls is the perfect short hike to see several beautiful waterfalls! It’s a short three miles roundtrip, and you’ll see St. Mary Falls, Virginia Falls, and several others along the way!
Highline Trail to Granite Park Chalet
This is an unbelievable 8 mile hike from Logan Pass across the Garden Wall. Watch for mountain goats hiking with you! Gorgeous views of Heavens Peak most of the way. Hike it as a loop back to Logan Pass, or drop down a short trail from the Chalet to Going-to-the-Sun Road and catch a shuttle up back to Logan Pass. OR do what we did, and combine it with Swiftcurrent Pass to make it a long thru-hike! Click through to this post to read all about it.
Swiftcurrent Pass
We started from Granite Park Chalet and hiked through Swiftcurrent Pass and down to Many Glacier. Another option is to start at Many Glacier and do it as a loop! This section is about seven miles (point to point), and includes about 2.5 miles of switchbacks down the side of the pass. Take your time and enjoy the views! This hike was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Glacier! Click through to this post to read about how to connect it with the Highline Trail for an epic thru-hike.
Hidden Lake
Another great, short hike out to a gorgeous view. It’s 3 miles roundtrip out to the overlook, and you’ll see tons of mountain goats along the way!
Going-to-the-Sun Road
One of the most beautiful drives in the country! Take your time and enjoy the views along the way. Stop at the turnouts and take lots of photos. The tunnels and archways that were created to build this road are pretty incredible!
Where to Stay in Glacier National Park
There are many camping options inside the park, but only Fish Creek and St. Mary Campgrounds take reservations. Campsite reservations for these two fill up months in advance, so plan ahead as much as you can! We were able to reserve a single night at St. Mary for our first night in the park, then we got up early the next morning and drove to Rising Sun campground and were able to grab one of the first-come first-served sites there. Pro tip – take a drive through the campground you’re shooting for the night before, and the signpost in front of each of the signs will have the date listed of when the campers are leaving. Find the sites where they’ll be leaving the next day and scope out which site you’d like the best! Then it’ll be a quick stop the next day to reserve the site you want for however long you need. For me, it was a little stressful when planning our trip to not know for sure where we’d be staying, but it really isn’t too bad! If you’re wanting to stay at the Many Glacier campground, get there SUPER early! So many great hikes are in that area of the park, so people really get there early for the best campsites.
Hotel options include Lake McDonald, Rising Sun Motor Inn, Many Glacier Hotel, and Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. Make your reservations early as these can fill up close to a year ahead of time!
Where to Eat in Glacier National Park
Two Sister’s Cafe
They have the best Huckleberry pie!! If you’re driving between St. Mary Visitor Center and the Many Glacier side of the park, definitely stop here for a bite to eat. It’s so worth it! (And bring a sticker! 🙂 )
We also had a great lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge. Note that Logan Pass does NOT have a restaurant – only a few snacks in their visitor center, so make sure you bring a lunch if you’re planning on spending the day driving along Going-to-the-Sun Road.