jetskreemr

Hello,
My husband and I and another couple are avid tent campers (including in cold weather) and would like to camp later this summer at Glacier National Park. Can anyone tell me their favorite campground in Glacier? We like quieter or more private campsites (if possible). This will be our first time to Glacier.
Thanks!
Joanna

Photodog

Glacier has several campgrounds along the Inside North Fork Road which are far off the tourist paved roads and offers only outhouses and pumped water along with lots of the buzzing wildlife Glacier is known for. This road is usually very rough & slow traveling. As far the the campgrounds off paved roads, Sprague Ck has the most noise (no RV's allowed) and is usually always filled. Would suggest Avalanche Ck as an alternate site. This is also the closest one to Logan Pass. Get here before mid morning if you want to get a parking place. This is also trailhead for Highline Trail and Hidden Lake. Would recommend both highly. Rising Sun campground is on the other side of the divide and is quiet. St. Mary is usually hot with little shade. Many Glacier and Two Medicine are both very nice. You can make reservations online for Fish Ck (near Visitor Center) and for St. Mary at www.reservations.nps.gov. There is no fee for making the reservation. You can log on and see how many sites are still available the closer you get to time you are leaving to see if you want to make a reservation.

The park offers an excellent shuttle service so you could park at Logan Pass, walk the Highline Trail. Spend the night at Granite Park Lodge (get reservations now) and then walk down the next day into Many Glacier Campground and take shuttle back to your car. Some do this in a day. If you plan on visiting Waterton Lakes don't forget you need a passport now. You can access the park website at www.nps.gov/glac. Backpacker.com has a wonderful forum site which can give you more more to date information.

Going to the Sun road is being repaired so be prepared for delays.

GaryB47

I have been to Glacier a number of times and stayed in three of the auto campgrounds and one backcountry site. Apgar on the westside near Lake Mcdonald is huge but relatively quiet but home to a lot of motorhomes. Rising Sun on the eastside is quiet and intimate with mostly tent campers. There is a campstore and restaurant nearby and the boat dock for the ST. Mary Lake tour boat is just across the Sun Road from the campground. Many Glacier, north of ST. Mary and twelve miles into the park is my favorite. There is a camp store and casual restaurant and MANY hiking trails. This is a large campground but not too loud and the sites are wooded and rustic. This is a good spot to see bears so keeping a clean camp and proper food storage are a must. There is a small lake about 1/4 mile away where I have seen moose, elk and a bear in the past. The small creek that runs by the campground is pleasant and further upstream are waterfalls and rapids.

Hope this helps

Connie

I realize the OP has probably already taken this trip so I'm just adding info for anyone else reading this.

Rising Sun is the only campground in the whole national park that has a shower--and I mean singular--one for women, one for men. You buy tokens in the store and the showers are behind the store. You might want to buy your tokens earlier in the day because the store doesn't stay open as late as the showers. They try to close it down by 10:00. I sat in a line every night for four nights this summer but after the heat all day, it was worth it.

We really enjoy Rising Sun--views, quiet, showers, store, shuttle.

There may be showers in West Glacier or some other nearby towns but I never saw that info anywhere.

The campgrounds in the NW corner are down a dusty, very bumpy road but Bowman Lake (the only one I've been to) is just beautiful--a lake surrounded by mountains with their mirror image shining on top of the water. Looks like a painting.

Glacier is the only national park I've seen that shows what time the campgrounds fill up every day. It gives you an idea of what time of day you should get there. After I got home, I looked at those days we were there and they were accurate and up to date. Very handy.

jetskreemr

Thanks to all the responses! We went on our trip (it was fabulous!), and I just thought I'd let future readers know that we stayed at Rising Sun Campground and LOVED it! We were personally shown to "the best site" by the ranger, and we agreed, as it was a bit hidden away from the rest of the sites. (I believe it was #26?) We had checked out St. Mary's and felt the sites were too open and exposed for our taste. Rising Sun was just off the east side of the Going to the Sun Road, near St. Mary's.