In August 2021 my high school pal Ashlyn came to visit and we drove over to Glacier for the weekend. I loved it so much that I knew I had to try to make it back before it got too far into fall, so I went again with my roommate Trevor in September. This itinerary is a combination of both of those trips. It takes you to both sides of the park and features some beautiful hikes. You do have to be cautious of bears and get yourself some bear spray, but there are giant bear-proof containers around the campgrounds to store any of your smelly stuff inside. There are also rangers around to help and provide advice. We slept in a two-person tent each time. One thing to note is that pets aren't allowed in most places in the park.
Sample Itinerary: Day 1: Set up camp at Sprague Creek or another campground on the west side of the park. Head out onto the Going-to-the-Sun road to explore the park and maybe pick out some hikes along the way. I suggest one near Logan's Pass or maybe Saint Marys & Virginia Falls trail.
Day 2: Wake up and pack up camp. Load up the car and take the Going-to-the-Sun road up to Many Glacier to hike Cracker Lake trail. After the hike, stay at a campground near Many Glacier/Saint Marys or head down south to Two Medicine.
Day 3: Explore the loop around Two Medicine Lake and check out some of the shorter trails within walking distance of camp like Rockwell Falls.
Day 4: Pack up camp and hit one last big hike before the drive home. I suggest Scenic Point if you're up for a challenge!
If traveling from the east, it may make more sense to do the trip in reverse and camp on the east side first (I do highly recommend staying at Two Medicine).
Spokane, Washington, United States
Spokane was our starting point because this is where I live. To get to West Glacier it's about 4.5 hours, and to get to East Glacier it's about 5.5 hours.
"Sprague Creek Campground"
Some campgrounds at Glacier you can reserve and some are first come, first serve. We were planning too last minute to reserve ahead, so we had to choose our sites wisely and pick ones we thought we could get spots at based on the park website's calendar of when they typically fill up each day. Sprague Creek is a small campground back on the West side of the park along McDonald Lake. It was only $10 a night to stay here. It wasn't as nice as Two Medicine because there was a lot more road noise, but it was in a convenient location. Definitely try to get a spot furthest from the road by the water. During my visit in August we were still dealing with wildfires so no fires were allowed, but it had been raining during my September visit when this was taken and we managed to build a fire!
Campgrounds at Glacier: Campgrounds at Glacier: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/camping.htm
"The Going-to-the-Sun Road "
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is the main road that goes through the park. When it's not open you have to travel the perimeter of the park. The first time I visited Glacier in August with Ashlyn, we actually didn't get the chance to drive on the road because we found out after arriving that you had to reserve tickets ahead of time (I think they were like $2) to use it. I think they do this during the summer months to avoid congestion. This road is a total gamechanger, though. You HAVE to do your research ahead of time to make sure you can get access to this road during your trip because the views are incredible and give you access to so many awesome hikes.
Info on the road: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gtsrinfo.htm
"Highline Trail "
We drove to the Logan Pass Visitor Center to hike Hidden Lake Trail, but it was closed so we tried out a bit of the Highline Trail instead. We didn't get too far because we knew it was really long, we didn't have tons of food, and the clouds blocked the views. What we did see of it was very cool. I would like to go back and complete the whole hike.
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/highline-trail
"Saint Mary Lake"
At the far East end of the road you'll see Saint Mary Lake. It will take your breath away! There are tons of places throughout the park to pull over and admire the beauty. This was also one of the only places in the park that we had decent cell service. We knew we'd have to check out the trails near this spot.
"Saint Mary and Virginia Falls Trail"
This was a nice, easy 3-mile trail that featured lots of waterfalls and was a weird combination of eerie and beautiful. You can see a lot of fire damage throughout the park, but you can also see the life coming back to certains parts too.
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/st-mary-and-virginia-falls-trail
"Cracker Lake "
After we packed up our campsite at Sprague Creek we drove to the Many Glacier visitor center to access the trailhead to Cracker Lake. This was our biggest and most difficult hike and probably my favorite hike I've ever done to date. The water is seriously unbelievable and the entire hike had crazy views. There's actually a backcountry campground once you get there. I'd love to go back and stay overnight. This was Trevor and I's last adventure in Glacier before heading back home to Spokane.
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/cracker-lake-trail
Two Medicine is another first come, first serve campground. Ashlyn & I tried to get there as early as we could to get a spot. The calendar showed that on most Sundays it filled up around 1PM at the earliest, so we were aiming for noon. There was plenty of availability when we got there and lots of people were on their way out. It was $20/night. The views even from where we were sleeping were awesome.
Campgrounds at Glacier: Campgrounds at Glacier: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/camping.htm
"Two Medicine Lake Loop"
Trail: Two Medicine Lake Loop
We actually didn't plan to hike around the entire lake but ended up doing so on accident. It's about 10 miles roundtrip and is a good combination of covered forest and being in the open. We learned the hard way to always have extra food, water & headlamps on you because you never know how long you'll end up being gone. Although it's long, it's not steep so if you're looking for a long stroll, this is a good one!
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/two-medicine-lake-loop?p=41180865
"Rockwell Falls "
Rockwell Falls Trail is rated as moderate. It's 6.6 miles long but not steep at all and is largely covered by trees. Ashlyn is a sucker for waterfalls so we had to squeeze this one in!
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/rockwell-falls-trail
"Scenic Point "
Scenic Point was the toughest hike that Ashlyn & I attempted. We made it so close to the top, but we ended up turning around because we were drenched and freezing and could barely see anything more than a few feet front of us. We were hiking inside of misting clouds. It's a 7.5 mile hike rated as difficult due to the steep incline. This hike inspired me to ask for rain gear for Christmas. Definitely prepare for unpredictable weather, especially when you're drastically increasing your elevation. I would love to re-do this hike.
AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/montana/scenic-point?p=40592464
Spokane, Washington, United States
Ashlyn had flights in and out of Spokane and we spent pretty much her entire visit in Montana. Lucky for Trevor and I we are just a few hours away in our home! I can't wait to go back. I hope to visit the Canadian portion of the park soon, too.
