Grand Teton, Yellowstone & Glacier via Denver

Old Apr 24th, 2013, 03:12 AM
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Grand Teton, Yellowstone & Glacier via Denver

We are planning our first major trip out west next summer. Our starting point will be Denver (flying). Is there a scenic route from Denver to Grand Teton? What are the "must sees" in these parks? The trip will be two weeks. Is it possible to do all three parks in that time period without being rushed? Any ideas anyone has would be greatly appreciated. What lodges/cabins should we stay at in the Parks? Thanks for any assistance you can offer.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 04:53 AM
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You didn't mention specifically when in the summer you plan to visit these parks. In my opinion, the best time is August to eastly September, especially in Glacier. The Going to the Sun Road which connects both sides of the park, doesn't usually open until the end of June. But many of the best trails can still be covered in snow well into July.

If you are hikers, I would devote a full week in Glacier National Park. The best scenery and hiking are on the east side of the park, particularly the Many Glacier area. I would suggest spending most of your time in Many Glacier and then 1-2 nights on the west side of the park, either staying in Apgar Village within the park or just outside the park in Hungry Horse. Tamarack Lodge would be close fairly to the park entrance.

As far as lodging in Many Glacier, I would suggest Swiftcurrent Motor Inn or Many Glacier Hotel. You'll need to book those later this year as they fill up quickly.

The "must do" hikes in the Many Glacier area are Iceberg Lake and Grinnell Glacier. If you do the ranger-led hike to Grinnell, which includes a boat ride across the lakes, you'll have to purchase your boat ticket a day or two in advance as that's one of the most popular hikes in the park.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/grinnell-glacier.htm

The Highline Trail begins at the Logan pass visitor's center on the GTTS Road. You have to arrive early at the visitor's center to get a parking spot - no later than 9:30 or 10AM.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/haystack-pass.htm

One of the overlooked areas of the park is Two Medicine, which I think has some incredible hiking. If great hiking trails are your goal, you may want to consider spending a few days in East Glacier Park which has lots of mom & pop type motels. We usually stay in Jacobson's Cottages. The best hikes in that area are Scenic Point and Dawson Pass.

Just about all the hikes I mentioned above are in the ranger-led series. If you have any fears about hiking in bear country, I would strongly recommend the ranger led hikes. This year's schedule hasn't been posted yet, but you can look at last year's and see what's available. Iceberg Lake is listed under the Heart of Glacier hike:

http://home.nps.gov/glac/planyourvis...activities.htm

A shorter hike, but my favorite waterfall hike, is to Virginia Falls. It would be a good hike to consider during your drive of the GTTS Road.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/virginia-falls.htm

On the west side of the park, the "must do" hikes are The Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake - which can be combined.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 07:28 AM
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wave725:
WOW! You have provided a wealth of information. We had been thinking about early July but from your details we should wait until late July or August. My kids are still in school so I need to take that into consideration. Having never been to that part of the country, I never realized there could still be snow in July. Ranger-led hikes sound like the way to go. Have you been to GTNP or Yellowstone as well? Do you think two weeks is a reasonable amount of time to see all three parks? Glacier sounds absolutely beautiful!! Thank you so much for your comments/assistance.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 07:44 AM
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Wave, I'm going to Glacier the last week of July. You list Must Do hikes as Iceberg and Grinnell. It seems the biggie on most peoples list is Highline Trail as #1 and almost always followed by the two that you mention. I plan on doing one major/longer hike while at Glacier and I am having a tough time deciding which one. It appears that Grinnel is probably the toughest and that Highline is going to require the most time. I have about decided to go with Iceberg on a Ranger-led hike. Have you hiked Highline? I imagine that I will hike the short hike to Hidden Lake.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 07:51 AM
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There is also a FREE shuttle that travels the entite GTTS road which eliminates the need to find parking. It stops at MOST of the popular trails including the Highline, Avalanche,Piegan and Virginia Falls. Pick up the shuttle at Apgar Transit Center on the west side which has a large parking lot. Visit the Apgar Visitor's center for the latest info on weather, trail closings, bear postings etc.
We are having a normal winter, snow wise, however the GTTS will NOT open till June 21 at the earliest due to road construction, and that is weather dependent of course.
Happy trails
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 10:58 AM
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spiro,
Iceberg Lake is longer but the only slightly steep part is at the very beginning.

Grinnell Glacier is shorter. Especially if you take the boats at the start. However, it's quite a bit steeper and those somewhat high steps are tough on old legs.

We were there at the start of August and the latter part of Grinnell Glacier was closed due to a dangerous snow field.

On the Hidden Lake hike we did hike across some smaller snow fields. have to be careful and dig the boots in.

We took the ranger-led hike to Grinnell Glacier and didn't bother for Iceberg Lake. We left an hour after them and eventually caught up. They stop a lot for explanations which may or may not be of interest. We were at the lake at the same time as they were.

As far as popularity, it's tough to say. Logan Point is a gathering spot. Many people only do the start of each hike. One way is Hidden Lake and the other way (across the road) is Highline.

Hidden Lake, Highline, Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake all had a fair number of people but none was packed.

It seemed like there were more cars parked at Logan Pass than there were hikers.

You can hang around the visitors center and wander the first few hundred yards of each. However, for Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake you don't see much unless you go.

Grinnell Glacier is a bit more complex as there's a boat ride (actually two boat rides) at the start.

For Iceberg Lake you can just park in the small upper parking lot at Swiftcurrent and the trailhead is right there. You can go as far as you'd like. The scenery starts after a few minutes.

A "do not miss" is the very short hike to Fishercap Lake. We went there 3-4 times in a couple of days and saw moose and deer there each time. We also saw a grizzly about 15 minutes past the Fishercap Lake turnoff on the way back from Redrock Falls. That was a bit scary as we were alone and it was starting to get a bit dim.

The hike to Fishercap Lake starts at the far end of the lower parking lot at Swiftcurrent Inn. The trail is Swiftcurrent Pass. After 10-15 minutes you'll see a sign pointing to the left. The lake is about 75 yards from there. We saw some deer between the main trail and the lake.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 11:32 AM
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spirobulldog: The Highline Trail is absolutely one of my favorites, but it sometimes gets a bad wrap because there's always a LOT of hikers on the trail. Plus, the "ledge" section can be a little hairy for parents with kids.

As far as scenery, I always say I can hear Julie Andrews singing "the Sound of Music" when I'm hiking the Highline- it's that spectacular!

We've hiked it as far as Haystack Pass and back and also have done the loop hike starting at Logan's Pass and ending at "The Loop" parking lot. I would say unless you really want to hike to Granite Park Chalet, just do the hike to Haystack Pass and back. It's a fairly level hike until you get to Haystack Pass which is where most of the elevation gain occurs. It's a popular lunch spot! By doing this shorter hike, you could probably do Hidden Lake Overlook the same day.

The Loop hike which takes you to Granite Park Chalet is a long day and once you pass the Chalet you're in the woods and there's very little scenery...or people - which made me a little uneasy because of the bears.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 11:39 AM
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lin911: Personally, I think two weeks is not enough time to do all three parks, especially with all the time you will spend driving to and from Denver. I think the kids would be bored with all the time in the car.

Plus, you'll be doing a lot of driving in Glacier just because it's that big and takes time to get around. The driving along the Going to the Sun Road should be planned as an entire day trip when you factor in stops for pictures, or any short side hikes.

Glacier has activities besides hiking which the kids would enjoy too: horseback riding, whitewater rafting (on the west side) and boat rides across the lakes.

Save Yellowstone and the Tetons for another trip so you won't be rushing through each park and exhausted from all the driving.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 02:24 PM
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Agree that two weeks is not enough to do those three big parks like that in a manner they deserve. However, if you are settled on spending time in Glacier and you are committed to Denver as your flight destination, then you might as well drive through the Tetons and Yellowstone. At least you'll see a couple of the main sights there.

Or since Glacier is the farthest from Denver then save that for another trip. Tough call, and you can't really go wrong, but seeing these places mostly from inside a car is really a shame.

Don't know how old your kids are, but my dad took me into Yellowstone when I was an 11-year old New York City boy. It was a life changing event, so at least some kids love that place. Have fun planning.
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Old Apr 24th, 2013, 05:22 PM
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Thanks everyone for your comments/information. I realize now that the 3 parks may be too much for two weeks. I'm the type of traveler that wants to see everything in that particular area in case I don't get back. Sometimes I wear my family out. Is Salt Lake City a better "starting point" if we would choose to do just Yellowstone and GTNP? I didn't realize how long of a drive it is from Denver to GT. We would like to enjoy ourselves and do all these fun activities. I have a 12 year old and 16 year old. Don't want to be driving for 14 days and having no time to just enjoy this beautiful country. Still in the early planning stages. This has been a fascinating forum to talk with people who have been to these places. I'm so grateful for all your input.
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Old Apr 25th, 2013, 04:24 AM
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Two weeks for three parks isn't a problem. You have to try and be more efficient with the driving.

Salt Lake is better than Denver and Jasckson, WY or Great Falls would be much better.

These three parks are "must see" parks. If you think getting back in the not too distant future is a problem, then fix the arrival and departure locations and plan it out.
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