4 Days of Fall in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park, nicknamed “The Crown of the Continent”, is an adventurers paradise full of glaciers, mountains, lakes, alpine meadows, wildlife, and over 700 miles of hiking trails. The park spans over one million acres made up of different sections: Lake McDonald, Many Glacier, St. Mary, Two Medicine, Logan Pass, and North Fork.
Traveling Around the Park
It can take around two hours to travel between the west side and east side of the park. Because everything is so spread out, I highly recommend renting a car or driving to the park. My fiancé and I drove all the way to Montana from Washington so that we could have our own vehicle. If you are not able to drive or rent a car, then you could stay at one section of the park and explore it in depth. For example, Many Glacier is one of the more popular areas in the park that has tons of hiking trails. You could easily spend multiple days just in that area.
Be aware that sections of the park start to shut down during fall. We went in early October (I wanted to go during this time to capture fall colors) and most amenities outside of Lake McDonald area were not open, such as boat rides, some visitor centers, and lodging options. In mid October, or whenever it starts to snow, Going-to-the-Sun-Road will shut down, limiting your access to parts of the park until spring. So, just keep closures in mind when planning your trip. You can check the National Park Service’s website for updated closure/opening information.
Where to Stay
Since the eastern side of the park was mostly closed, we decided to stay on the western side near Lake McDonald. Restaurants were still open on this side of the park as well as the Apgar Visitor Center. We stayed in the small town of Coram on the outskirts of the park for easy access to each area. We stayed at this adorable cabin on Airbnb that is pet friendly, which allowed me to bring my cat with us and not worry about having to board her (even though she wasn’t too happy about being in an unfamiliar place). Staying in Coram with Columbia Falls only being a 10 minute drive away, gave us plenty of restaurant options each night and access to grocery stores and gas.
Our Itinerary
Since we had four full days to spend in the park, we decided to dedicate each day to a different section. I had looked up trails before we left and created a list for us to pick from depending on how we were feeling each day. Be aware that the elevation in Montana may be a lot higher than you are used to. I greatly underestimated the elevation gain and was exhausted most of our trip. So we didn’t get to do any longer hikes (like the popular hike to Grinnell Glacier), but we still saw a lot of the park. This is what we ended up doing each day:
Day 1 – Lake McDonald & North Fork
- Avalanche Lake Trail
- Fish Creek Picnic Area on Lake McDonald
- Bowman Lake
- Dinner at Paul Bunyan Bar & Grill
Day 2 – Two Medicine Lake
Day 3 – Lake McDonald to Many Glacier
- Going-to-the-Sun-Road
- Saint Mary
- Many Glacier
- Snack at Huckleberry Patch
- Dinner at Monaco Steakhouse & Sports Bar
Day 4 – Logan Pass & Lake McDonald
Day 1
avalanche
Avalanche Lake Trail
Fish Creek Picnic Area
Fish Creek Picnic Area
Bowman Lake
Bowman Lake
Day 2
twin
Twin Falls via North Shore Trail
Northern Lights
Northern Lights
Day 3
Going-to-the-Sun-Road
Going-to-the-Sun-Road
saint mary
Saint Mary
Many Glacier
Many Glacier
Day 4
Hidden Lake Trailhead
Apgar Visitor Center & Beach on Lake McDonald
Apgar Visitor Center & Beach on Lake McDonald
Note for the reader: I share these locations so that others can see beautiful places and enjoy nature as much as I do. Please be respectful of the outdoors and what condition it is in when you visit. Don’t go off trail, leave no trace, and pack out what you came in with.
