West Glacier Is very much a main hub for Glacier! It is the beginning of “Going To The Sun Road” and is the entrance to some of Glacier’s very popular “must see” sights and hikes! It’s also the most family friendly area of Glacier in my opinion.

Lodging

• Renting a VRBO or AirBnb: I recommend trying to find a house in Apgar, West Glacier, or Columbia Falls

• Wander Camp

• Under Canvas

• Go Roam Beyond

• Montana Treehouse

• Clark Farm Silos

• Lake McDonald Lodge

• Apgar Village inn

• Belton Chalet

• Apgar Campground

• Glacier KAO

Must see attractions

Going To The Sun Road: The Iconic Going To The Sun Road begins in West Glacier. It is 50 miles long, Logan Pass being the highest point, and takes about 2 hours to drive fully. It offers STUNNING views, tons of scenic pull outs, and is the only road traveling through the park. It’s a Glacier National Park MUST (Only open to vehicles early July-late September or early October, closing really depends on when it starts to snow up at Logan Pass.)

Logan Pass: Logan Pass is the highest elevation (6,646ft) reachable by car in Glacier and is located along the Continental Divide. Think beautiful alpine views of towering mountains and meadows of wildflowers covering the ground in summer. It is also extremely popular, and the parking lot is generally full by 7am…but never fear you can always opt to use the parks free shuttle service of come back later in the afternoon.

Lake McDonald: River Rocks of every color of the rainbow and beautiful clear and COLD water! Lake McDonald is such a fun place to spend a summer afternoon. Rent Kayaks of paddle boards and take a swim! I also recommend grabbing a scoop or two…or three of cookie dough ice cream from Edie’s Diner and watching the sunset!

My favorite “West Glacier” Hikes

• Highline Trail

• Hidden Lake Overlook

• Avalanche Lake

• Trail Of The Cedars (Wheelchair accessible)

• Upper McDonald Creek

West Glacier Tours

Red Bus Tours: The Red Bus is an Iconic Glacier National Park symbol. These buses are modeled after the original Red Buses that were the first Motorized transportation authorized to be inside Glacier. Today these “Red Bus Tours” Take thousands of visitors a year all over Glacier Park, educating and pulling off at historic and scenic points. There are multiple tours to choose from.

Glacier Park Boat Company: Ride along the shores of beautiful Lake McDonald on a historic Wooden boat while listening to your captain and guides share history and info about the surrounding area.

Trail Ride with Swan Mountain Outfitters Glacier: Multiple Great Trail Riding options leave from the Lake McDonald Coral. For ages 7+

Kid Friendly West Glacier Adventures:

• Play at Lake McDonald and definitely get ice-cream from Edie’s

• Putt Putt Golf in West Glacier Village

• Hike Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake

• Drive Going to the Sun Road

• Hike Hidden Lake Overlook

• Trail Ride

The North Fork of Glacier National Park is the most Rural section of the park. The Merc is the only store for MILES and it’s just really a very untouched rugged area of the park. Most hikes are 10+ miles and considered more for backpacking trips then just day hikes.

Lodging

• Polebridge Mercantile Cabins

North Fork “Must see” Attractions

Polebridge Mercantile: Think Montana Hippy town that runs off Solar Power and generators. With this amazing Mercantile that makes THE BEST homemade pastries, huckleberry bear claws, sticky buns, cookies, bread, and pizza! It’s a family staple for us! It is located right outside of the North Fork entrance to Glacier.

Bowman Lake: Bowman is really the central hub for all things “North Fork” weather you plan to just spend the day at the Lake or hike for the most part it all starts here.

My Favorite “North Fork” Hikes

• Bowman Lake Trail

• Numa Ridge

Kid Friendly North Fork Adventures

• Get Cookies and Pastries at Polebridge Mercantile

• Play at Bowman Lake

Two Medicine Valley sits in the southeast corner of Glacier National Park. It offers beautiful mountain views, a stunning lake, and a few waterfalls to check out. It is also a starting point for some amazing hikes!

Lodging:

• Glacier Park Lodge

• Two Medicine Campground

Two Medicine “Must See” Attractions:

Two Medicine Lake: Two Med Lake is the central hub of this area. It has beautiful mountain views, and you can even take a historic wooden boat ride across the lake. The boat even works as a shuttle to some of Two Meds beautiful hikes!

Running Eagle Falls: Running Eagle Falls is one of Two trails within Glacier that is Wheelchair accessible. It is .6 miles round trip and really more of a stroll through the woods than a hike. The waterfall is beautiful and it’s a great place to cool off during the summer months and enjoy a picnic.

My Favorite “Two Medicine” Hikes:

• Running Eagle Falls (Wheelchair accessible)

• Scenic Point

• Twin Falls (Boat Shuttle)

• Dawson Pass (Boat Shuttle)

• Upper Two Medicine Lake Trail

• Pitamakan Pass

Two Medicine Tours:

Glacier Park Boat Company: Ride across beautiful Two Medicine Lake on a historic Wooden boat while listening to your captain and guides share history and info about the surrounding area. You can also use the boat tour as a shuttle to cut off milage on some of Two Meds amazing hikes.

Kid Friendly Two Medicine Adventures:

• Boat ride across Two Medicine Lake, with the option to get off at the head of the lake and hike to Twin Falls.

• Twin Falls hike is super Kid friendly and only 2.3 miles roundtrip

• Play at Two Medicine Lake

• Walk to Running Eagle Falls

If I absolutely had to choose which “section” of the Glacier was my favorite I would have to choose Many Glacier. It’s absolutely gorgeous and is a hiker’s paradise. It is located north of Going to The Sun Road on the east side of Glacier National Park. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from West Glacier via US Hwy 2.

Lodging:

• Many Glacier Lodge

• Swift Current Inn

• Many Glacier Campground

Many Glacier “Must See” Attractions:

Many Glacier Lodge: Built in 1915, this Swiss Style Lodge is located along the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake in the heart of Glacier. If you are lucky enough to snag a room I definitely recommend staying a night or two as a home base for your Many Glacier adventures. If you are just in Many Glacier for the day I encourage you to stop in and walk through this beautiful lodge! Make sure to walk out on the back deck overlooking the lake!

My Favorite “Many Glacier” Hikes:

*As I mentioned before, Many Glacier is home to (in my opinion) some of Glacier’s most beautiful hikes!

• Grinnell Glacier

• Iceberg Lake

• Ptarmigan Tunnel

• Cracker Lake

• Grinnell Lake

• Red Rock Falls

Many Glacier Tours:

Glacier Park Boat Company: Once again Glacier Park Boats offer an AMAZING tour that actually includes 2 boat tours in one. You will get to ride across both Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. You can opt to just take the tour OR you can hope off after the second boat and hike to either Grinnell Glacier or Grinnell Lake.

Trail Ride with Swan Mountain Outfitters Glacier: There are multiple trail riding options that begin from the Many Glacier Coral.

Red Bus Tours: As I mentioned under the “West Glacier” section, the Red Bus tours are a great way to see and learn about the park. They also begin in Many Glacier from the Lodge.

Kid Friends Many Glacier Adventures:

• Ride The Glacier Park Boats across both Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. You could just do the boat tour, but I recommend hoping off and hiking to Grinnell Lake or Grinnell Glacier

• Hike to Grinnell Lake: 3 miles round trip and a great hike for all ages (use the boat shuttle, will need to purchase tickets ahead of time)

• Hike to Grinnell Glacier: 7.6 miles round trip. I do not recommend this hike for small children, lots of exposed trail and 1840 ft of elevation gain. This is better suited for older children. Remember, you know your kids limits best.

• Trail Rides, 8+ years old