Montana’s Glacier National Park, often called the “Crown of the Continent,” is one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever see, and over the past couple of decades, word’s gotten out.
What once was a pretty quiet place in a remote location is now jam-packed during the summer season.
Still, there’s plenty to do, and escaping the crowds isn’t that hard if you’re willing to put in a little effort. Not all of the ideas on this list serve up solitude, but they’re all great things to do.
Hang Out on a Lakeshore
One of the easiest and most popular things to do here is to relax along the shores of one of the big mountain lakes in the park. On warm, sunny days, many people read, doze, sunbathe, or just enjoy the scenery at Lake McDonald, St. Mary Lake, and Two Medicine Lake.
Take a Boat Tour
On all three lakes just mentioned, you can also go on a guided boat tour. Some of them offer boat and kayak rentals as well. You can just enjoy the tour, or you can use it to access a trail and save some time and miles.
Go Whitewater Rafting
You can’t do this within the park itself, but there are outfitters just outside the park in West Glacier. They’ll ensure a fun day on the Middle Fork Flathead River, which runs along the southern boundary of the park.
Go on a Trail Ride
If you enjoy being on horseback, half-day and full-day rides are available in the Many Glacier area. The best is the ride to Cracker Lake, where the water is an amazing blue due to glacial silt.
Stay at One of the Historic Lodges
Glacier Park Lodge, built by the Great Northern Railway, is massive and an incredible sight. The Many Glacier Hotel is modeled after a Swiss-style chalet; it was also the hotel featured in The Shining. If you can’t get a room reservation, consider having dinner in their impressive dining rooms instead.
Do Some Bear-Watching
Seeing a grizzly bear or black bear can be one of the most exciting experiences at Glacier provided it’s from a safe distance. One of the best places for it is the deck at Many Glacier Hotel, where you can sip a refreshing drink while scanning the mountainsides for foraging bears.
Visit Granite Park Chalet
Granite Park Chalet is a historic lodge set well into the backcountry. The easiest way to get there is via a moderately challenging 7.5-mile trail from Logan Pass, and you can return via the Loop Trail and take the park shuttle back to the pass. Views from the chalet and along the way are awesome, and people often see grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.
Spend a Night or Two Backcountry Camping
The best way to get away from the crowds and experience the heart and soul of the park is to put a pack on your back and head out to one of its backcountry campsites. It’s recommended to try securing a reservation, as permits can be very difficult to get in person.
Hike To Hidden Lake
From Logan Pass, a short, easy trail leads to an overlook of this gem of a lake surrounded by rugged peaks. You won’t find solitude here unless you start out before sunrise, but the scenery is worth it. Logan Pass is also one of the best places to see bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
Have a Snowball Fight
High areas like Logan Pass usually hold snow well into the summer and often for the entire summer. Having a snowball fight in August is something you won’t soon forget!
Get Wet from a Waterfall
Glacier has several waterfalls that are by the road or reachable by short, easy hikes. On hot days, it’s incredibly refreshing to let the spray from a waterfall cool you off.
Hike to Iceberg Lake
Iceberg Lake is perhaps the best day hike in the park, and it’s in the Many Glacier area. From beginning to end, the scenery is spectacular. The lake itself is known for its floating icebergs that appear each summer as the winter ice begins to break up. If you’re hoping to see bears, you’ll like knowing that this trail has more bear sightings than any other trail in the park.
Hike to Grinnell Glacier
This hike, also in the Many Glacier area, is Iceberg Lake’s main rival for best day hike in the park, and it, too, is the location of many bear sightings. It culminates in a lake formed by icemelt, and icebergs are usually abundant. It’s possible to walk out on the glacier, but it’s better not to unless you’re experienced in and equipped for glacier travel.
Do the Pitamakan-Dawson Loop
This loop in the Two Medicine area is about 18 miles and has a lot of elevation gain, so it’s not for novices. If you’re up to it, though, you’ll enjoy incredible mountain scenery, and because of the trail’s difficulty, the best parts are never crowded.
Tour the Red Cedars
On the west side of the park is a short, flat trail that takes you through a grove of red cedars that are so wide and tall that you might mistake them for redwoods at first. The trail continues to Avalanche Lake, one of the park’s easiest lakes to hike to.
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The World’s 5 Friendliest and 5 Unfriendliest Cities
Some cities welcome visitors and want them to be there. Other cities are rude to visitors and would just as soon see you leave. It can be jarring to be in an unfriendly city, though some of the world’s most enticing cities rank high on the rudeness scale.
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