During holiday weekends I like to find places to visit that are relatively close, but too far away to visit during normal circumstances – getting there after work on Friday and returning Sunday afternoon/evening. I like to maximize these trips by giving myself two full days for Saturday and Sunday exploring (or pretty close to two full days by getting there really early Saturday).
For our Glacier National Park trip we flew into Kalispell from SeaTac, a less than 90 minute flight, after work on Friday arriving around midnight. We picked up our car rental when we landed and drove to our hotel for the night – Hampton Inn Kalispell.
This particular hotel has digital keys and we were able to pick our room and check in before we actually arrived to Kalispell in the Hilton Honors app. I chose a room on the first floor next to an exterior door and we were able to go directly to our room without a visit to the front desk or a walk through the lobby. We even checked out in the app after we ate a complimentary breakfast.
I just love the functionality of the Hilton Honors app that allows me to check in and out without social interaction. An introverts dream before social distancing was encouraged.
Going to the Sun Road requires advance reservations. To learn more visit then Going to the Sun Road reservation page.
Day 1 in Glacier National Park
We started our first day by entering the park via the West Entrance around 10 am with our first stop being Apgar Village to see Lake McDonald.
Apgar Village does get very busy and parking is minimal in the area. We decided that instead of dealing with lack of parking options, we would park at Apgar Visitors Center and walk along the flat paved bike trail for about a mile each direction to get to Lake McDonald. This also provided us with a warm up early in the morning before our hiking adventures began.
Apgar Village comprises of hotels, water activity rentals, shops, and dining options. During your visit to Apgar Village, take your time and explore the shops and get a late breakfast or early lunch to fuel your body for the rest of the days adventures. The huckleberry ice cream at West Glacier Cafe is also a must – you can get it inside the restaurant or from their pick up window outside.
If time allows and if your visit is during the summer, grab a paddle board, canoe, rowboat, kayak, or motorboat rental from Glacier Park Boat Company to explore Lake McDonald on Lake McDonald. All rentals are on a first come first serve basis, so get their early or be prepared to wait.
Next up we hiked Trial of the Cedars at Avalanche. We got very lucky with parking by the time we arrived, so be prepared to skip this hike if you cannot find parking. Do not park in unauthorized areas.
Trial of the Cedars is an easy trail and remains relatively the same level throughout. It does change between dirt, paved, and wooded paths, but if you’re looking for a beginners hike this is perfect for you.
Once we were done with this hike, we continued along Going to the Sun road and took in the sights. There are many designated viewpoints along the way and I recommend stopping at as many as possible. After all, you’re driving along Going to the Sun road for a reason — views!
Eventually you will get to Logan Pass Visitor Center and you’ll likely want to stop off because everybody says to. However, be prepared for parking to be full by 8:30 am and with this Day 1 itinerary you will not be parking by 8:30 am.
Logan Pass is the highest point in the park that is accessible by car coming in at 6,646 feet and straddles the Continental Divide. It is also the trial head to the Hidden Lake Overlook, which is one of the most popular and picturesque hikes in the entire park. We had every intention of doing this hike, if we were able to secure parking (which we were), but unfortunately the trail was closed due to bear activity so we explored what was open around the Visitor Center and continued on our journey.
Hidden Lake Overlook trail being closed unexpectedly was a great reminder to be understanding that not everything will happen as planned and to be ready to move onto Plan B with no notice.
Plan B ended up being my favorite hike of the whole trip — Three Falls Trail (only saw two falls though, our choice).
Around 4 pm on a Saturday we parked at the Sun Point Parking Lot and we were one of maybe seven cars. This is the official trailhead and is about six miles out and back with approximately 800 feet in elevation gain and is considered a moderate hike level.
The Three Falls:
- Baring Falls
- Saint Mary Falls
- Virginia Falls
I am a very novice hiker and generally don’t want a challenge or high elevation gains, but with my hiking poles, staying hydrated, and simply going at my own pace I was able to do this hike comfortably.
The views throughout the whole hike are nothing short of spectacular as the environment is constantly changing. I won’t go into much detail, but if you want to plan your trip to include a hike that is in the “don’t miss” category make it this one.
Unfortunately we were not able to make it to Virginia Falls. The sun was beginning to set once we rested at Saint Mary Falls and made the decision to start our journey back to the car for safety as we didn’t plan or pack to do any after sunset hikes. When we return we will definitely plan this hike out better to include Virginia Falls by giving ourselves an extra hour of daylight or doing it first thing in the morning.
Once we returned to the car we continued to drive East and went to our hotel for the next two nights in Browning — Glacier Peaks Hotel. Browning as a town is very no frills, but it is relatively close to the East entrances at Glacier National Park and it made the most sense logistically for us to stay on this side of the park. There is other lodging available that is closer or more of an experience, but you have to book very early and it’ll be more expensive. The rooms at Glacier Peaks Hotel were clean, nice, and it got the job done on a more affordable scale.
Day 2 in Glacier National Park
Day 2 activity is an all day event! We started pretty early because we wanted to ensure we secured parking at Many Glacier Hotel. Through all of my research there was one common theme for this parking area – it gets full and it gets full early so get there early!
We booked a Many Glacier scenic boat tour that departed at 8:30 am that shuttled groups of people to the Grinnell Glacier trailhead by crossing both Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lake. This scenic boat tour cuts about 3.5 miles off the overall round trip length of your hike if you were to start at Many Glacier Hotel. However, the elevation gain is roughly the same regardless.
I definitely recommend booking the tour (and in advance) even if the length of the hike isn’t that big of a deal to you overall. For me personally, I was planning out ways to be lazy on this trip without skimping on the experience and this was a perfect way to do so just a little bit. But by being on the lake you’re able to take in the views from a different vantage point than what would be possible on foot and I’m glad I proceeded with this reservation.
Grinnell Glacier Trail has an elevation gain of a little bit more than 2100 feet. There are some very steep areas that feel like last forever, but overall the hike is a steady 20 degree angle incline. There are spaces along the trail for breaks, but it isn’t very wide and you will have to step aside to allow others to pass.
When we went on this hike, the wildfire smoke was blowing in and the higher we got the more difficult it was to breathe and shade was hard to come by. The views were still fabulous, but unfortunately the smoky haze did take away from the experience.
Fun story! I brought those little balloons deflated and blew them up with a straw once we got close to the top and had a space to stop for a moment without being too much in the way. This trial is very busy, so every 15 seconds another person or group was walking by. Mark was by the rock wall with our stuff and I was on the edge stressing him out because he thought I’d fall. People would walk on the trail, but between us. It was very windy also, so as soon as he snapped a couple photos I popped the balloons with my teeth and packed our trash out. I felt like I was on display doing “annoying influencer sh*t,” so I just trusted and hoped the photos turned out okay. Haha. They did! Phew!
As we were walking back to the boat dock at Lake Josephine, the last morning boat was pulling away and the next one wouldn’t be for two hours. We decided that waiting was a waste of valuable time, so we walked back to Many Glacier Hotel. Although I had purchased the boat tour to cut these particular miles off, after a little bit of whining, I ended up enjoying the walk back. Plus, we beat the boat we would have been on had we waited the two hours. There was little to no elevation gain (my favorite kind of hike) and per usual… we got to see views we otherwise would have missed.
If time allows once you get back to your car, you should drive down the road a little bit further and visit Fishercap Lake which is roughly a .5 mile walk round trip. This area is notorious for seeing wildlife in the lake. But remember, keep a distance.
We were exhausted and hungry by the time we got back to the car we didn’t go to Fishercap Lake even though it was on my itinerary for the weekend. By not going though it gave us more time to get a proper dinner near the Saint Mary’s East Glacier park entrance and pack before our flight the next day.
Wanderland Jess 