Using Whitefish as a base to explore Glacier National Park

[bcla]

Not sure what kind of aircraft we were in. American Airlines, but several years ago so it might have been an MD-80. Not especially dramatic.

Yeah. We were driving around Grand Teton our first night and saw a BISON! We went off road and chased that poor old beast mercilessly.

A few nights later we were driving from Lake Yellowstone, through Hayden Valley, up to Canyon -- and got trapped in a two-hour Bison-Jam! At night, surrounded by hundreds of bison, in the middle of nowhere!

I got caught in a bear jam in Yellowstone. That was interesting with a ranger yelling at everyone that they had to park properly off the road or he'd start writing tickets.

There are bison everywhere. I could literally see hundreds on the plains from Signal Mountain. I could see bison a good few hundred feet away when hiking or just walking around many of the parts of Yellowston and Grand Teton.

 

[Frwinkley]

I can only imagine!! Seeing such natural beauty always takes my breath away.

 

[Colleen27]

I second JimMIA's thoughts on using Whitefish for a base. It really is a ways from the park. We went up there one day when we were camping on the west side of Glacier, at Lake Macdonald, and even from there it is a bit of a drive. Going To The Sun Road is too winding and too crowded to make good enough time to get from one side to the other early enough in the day to do any real exploring.

From what you've posted, I agree with the other posters who have suggested Grand Teton/Yellowstone. The Jackson airport is right there at GRTE and it is a really easy park to enjoy - good hiking and wildlife viewing and breathtaking scenery all within a reasonable distance from town. And Jackson Hole is a really cute little town. We didn't have as much time there as we'd have liked, but we did a bit of walking around and had a lovely dinner at a restaurant with a patio (where it was actually a little chilly after dark, despite it being July). Next time we are out that way, I'm definitely building in more time for both Jackson Hole and Grand Teton.

 

[RamblingMad]

I second JimMIA's thoughts on using Whitefish for a base. It really is a ways from the park. We went up there one day when we were camping on the west side of Glacier, at Lake Macdonald, and even from there it is a bit of a drive. Going To The Sun Road is too winding and too crowded to make good enough time to get from one side to the other early enough in the day to do any real exploring.

From what you've posted, I agree with the other posters who have suggested Grand Teton/Yellowstone. The Jackson airport is right there at GRTE and it is a really easy park to enjoy - good hiking and wildlife viewing and breathtaking scenery all within a reasonable distance from town. And Jackson Hole is a really cute little town. We didn't have as much time there as we'd have liked, but we did a bit of walking around and had a lovely dinner at a restaurant with a patio (where it was actually a little chilly after dark, despite it being July). Next time we are out that way, I'm definitely building in more time for both Jackson Hole and Grand Teton.

Jackson Hole is a fun town. I saw a free concert there of John Williams songs. We took the lift to the top and explored. Lots of nice hiking around lakes.

 

[aggiedog]

Well, Glacier is absolutely stunning. I was supposed to be there next week but due to all the shutdowns at the park, I canceled my trip and am planning on next July instead.

I agree with JimMia as well. He's spot on in his assessment. I will say you mostly won't need AC unless you hit a heat wave. We were there July 7-10 last year and it was 42 degrees at night.

That said, if you can convince yourself you can live without wifi, boutiques, and trendy cafes for a couple days, it might be worth staying at Many Glacier for 2 nights. It's an old historic lodge, with amazing views, in the heart of the park. There are easy hikes from there, and even a boat to take you along a chain of lakes if you don't want to hike. That way you could stay on the west side, take the GTTSR over to the east, enjoy the east without the long, long drive back in one day, and still have plenty of days in the west for your usual requirements.

If you decide to skip Glacier for Yellowstone, try to stay at least 2 nights in the park. Yellowstone is huge and most people underestimate how long it takes to get anywhere in the park. The speed limit is slower than average, the roads winding, and you will be stopping frequently for animals on the road or people stopped in front of you looking at animals. You shouldn't drive after dark because the number of animals (bison LIKE to walk down the center stripe), so staying in the park lets you see more before you need to leave to get back to your lodging. It also lets you see more of the park if you can stay in a few locations - north, west, central.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The best part about going from the East side to the West side is that you are driving on the inner (mountain) side of the road instead of the outer side. We have stayed on both sides of the park. We also did the hike to the Sperry Chalet several years ago (long before it burned down, but it is reopening this summer after renovations). If you ever decide to hike Sperry, you really need to spend at least two nights at the Chalet so you have plenty of time to hike to the glacier there. Sperry didn't used to open for business until after July 4th (maybe the 7th or so) because of all the snow there. They have to clean it off the roofs of the buildings (it gets really deep in the area). The food provided was excellent. The bed was an iron frame with open springs and a lumpy mattress (I'm sure it was left over from the 1800's). But after hiking the nine (I think it was nine, maybe seven) miles up the mountain, it was the best bed I've ever slept on. Everything you need, you carry with you, other than your three meals a day (you get dinner the day you arrive, breakfast in the morning and a sack lunch). They bring everything to the chalet on the backs of horses. If you are on the way up the trail (or down) when the horses are passing you, you get to hug the outside of the path; the horses get the inside of the path. BRING LOTS OF BUG SPRAY - the mosquitos will eat you alive. The bathroom is a million dollar composting bathroom, no showers, just sinks and toilets. None in the rooms, just the one big one. We never stayed at Lake McDonald Lodge, but spent time at the lake at the lodge.

You also need to make sure the Going to the Sun road has opened all the way for the summer. It takes a few months of plowing to get it cleared so you can drive the entire route. The last time we went, there was a lot of snow that year, so the road didn't open until mid-July if I remember correctly. We were there in August (from Louisiana to Missoula via Waterton as well).

Your comment about not being in the middle of nowhere? At Glacier, you are in the middle of nowhere. It's pretty isolated.

 

[aggiedog]

I'm pretty sure anyone who prefers cute touristy towns and doesn't like remote is not also the type to want to hike 9 miles into a rustic pit toilet hostel. LOL We all have different ideas of what "vacation" means. Now, I get you. My entire Glacier trip was built around a stay at Granite Park, but I had to find a friend to do it with me because no one in my family would even consider that a vacation.

 

[bcla]

I'm pretty sure anyone who prefers cute touristy towns and doesn't like remote is not also the type to want to hike 9 miles into a rustic pit toilet hostel. LOL We all have different ideas of what "vacation" means. Now, I get you. My entire Glacier trip was built around a stay at Granite Park, but I had to find a friend to do it with me because no one in my family would even consider that a vacation.

I get that these things can be done as a viewpoint to viewpoint vehicle tour. When I was at Yellowstone, I was talking to a ranger who claimed that a huge segment of their visitation was people who went into West Yellowstone, took a tour bus to Old Faithful where their group would wait for Old Faithful to erupt and they'd head immediately back to West Yellowstone.

Still - I don't know about the OP's insistence on a certain type of accomodations. Traveling these roads repeatedly isn't exactly fun. A lot of them have sharp drop-offs and aren't the best thing for someone who might be tired. Maybe it's a compromise, but a lot of these national park lodges are pretty nice even if they're not necessarily a modern hotel like one would find in a major city.

 

[RamblingMad]

Here's a good video on Glacier:

 

[JimMIA]

I get that these things can be done as a viewpoint to viewpoint vehicle tour. When I was at Yellowstone, I was talking to a ranger who claimed that a huge segment of their visitation was people who went into West Yellowstone, took a tour bus to Old Faithful where their group would wait for Old Faithful to erupt and they'd head immediately back to West Yellowstone.

And they returned to their hotels having enjoyed their trip -- never knowing they missed 95% of Yellowstone!

That's the same group who take the train to Grand Canyon, walk to the edge and take a few pictures, and check it off their bucket list.

OP is NOT like that, though. They want to do some hiking and have a decent experience.

 

[RamblingMad]

And they returned to their hotels having enjoyed their trip -- never knowing they missed 95% of Yellowstone!

That's the same group who take the train to Grand Canyon, walk to the edge and take a few pictures, and check it off their bucket list.

OP is NOT like that, though. They want to do some hiking and have a decent experience.

Hiking the GC is a whole different experience than looking at the rim.

 

[design_mom]

In 2017, we flew into Salt Lake City (southwest airline city), then did Jackson Hole/Grand Teton/the east side of Yellowstone (2 days in the Canyon Lodge)... then drove up to Glacier NP and stayed in East Glacier, MT, went up to Waterton Lakes NP in Alberta (that was a last minute decision), then back down to West Yellowstone and another couple of days on the west side of Yellowstone. Then back to Salt Lake City.

I was most excited about Glacier NP, but... it did not turn out to be my favorite. It was incredibly crowded and the shuttle system/roadways cannot handle all the visitors. I don't know what they can do to fix it... it just wasn't built to handle all of the visitors, but it definitely impacted my enjoyment. We had intended to spend 3 days. We spent the first day exploring some of the more off-the-beaten path areas of the east side (like Two Medicine -- my favorite because it wasn't crowded -- and St. Mary's.) The second day we did the shuttle across Going-to-The-Sun road. And there were some beautiful vistas that you could sort of see... through the windows of the moving bus, if you could see around the other people. If you got off the bus (and you have to at certain points) you could expect to wait at least 1 hour to get onto another one... maybe 2. We were there in early July... and although the road was completely open, there was still a lot of snow at Logan's pass. (We ended up turning back on our planned hike because we just weren't equipped for hiking in slushy snow. They had flag markers in the snow marking the way, but I was worried one of the kids would slip and slide down the mountain!)

I'm glad you're planning for next year because I heard that the Blackfeet Indian Nation has voted to close their lands for all of the 2020 tourist season, so the eastern entrances to Glacier NP will be closed for this year.

If you decide you want to look at other accommodations, we stayed at the Mountain PIne Motel in East Glacier. It is a family owned-place (not fancy, but clean and well kept.) They have directTV and wi-fi. No air conditioning, but I agree with the others, you won't really need it, even in July. My husband is not a good traveler and his idea of "roughing it" is staying someplace that doesn't offer breakfast. When we first arrived at the Mountain Pine Motel, he was kind of like "I don't know about this..." but agreed afterward that he would stay there again if we ever came back and it's within walking distance to almost the whole town. I don't think there are many chain hotels around the area because the season is way too short to sustain it.

 

[bcla]

We spent the first day exploring some of the more off-the-beaten path areas of the east side (like Two Medicine -- my favorite because it wasn't crowded -- and St. Mary's.)

Goat Haunt. Doesn't get any more off the beaten path than Goat Haunt. Bring your passport.

https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/goathaunt.htmhttps://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/trail/trailstatus.cfm?t=GH