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Road Trip from Glacier National Park to Mount Rushmore--Doable??

Road Trip from Glacier National Park to Mount Rushmore--Doable??

Old Dec 10th, 2009, 07:38 PM
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Road Trip from Glacier National Park to Mount Rushmore--Doable??

My husband and I are in the planning stages of our next vacation out west to visit some national parks in September or October. We have already been to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and several of the national parks in Utah (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef). This time we were thinking of doing a road trip that would include Glacier National Park and the parks in and around Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Our plan would be to fly into Kalispell, Mt and fly out of Rapid City, SD to avoid a roundtrip excursion. We've already gotten some great rates on a one way car rental so that's one problem we've dodged.

We are not hikers and we do enjoy scenic drives and wondered if this would be a good road trip to take, especially in September or October. From what I have read on this site, it would seem that we would not need a lot of time in Glacier and so I would like to combine it with another park, if possible. Since we've already seen Yellowstone, I would be interested in visiting the areas around Mount Rushmore this time around. Mapquest seems to put the drive time between the two parks somewhere in the 10-11 hour range, which I guess we could break into two days, if necessary. How is the drive between these parks and would it be a scenic drive to make? How is the weather at either park that time of year?

Any help or suggestions would be most appreciated!! Thank you.
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Old Dec 11th, 2009, 07:25 AM
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Glacier will take a couple of days to see even if you do not hike. If you have passports I would encourage you to drive up to Waterton (the Canadian side of the park) for at least a night. The drive between Glacier and Mt Rushmore is long and not nearly as scenic as the two ends. I would head first to Theodore Rosevelt NP in ND before heading down to the parks in SD. In addition to the SD NP's also go to Custer SP to view the wildlife. As for weather I would go soon after Labor Day to have the best chance of having the Going to the Sun Rd still open. We were there in mid Sep a couple years ago and had snow. Visit NPS.gov website to make sure you hit all the parks and sites. Have fun!
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Old Dec 14th, 2009, 08:47 PM
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Thanks, Barblab, for the suggestions. Been looking online for some itinerary options and some people have suggested combining the South Dakota parks with a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park instead of Glacier National Park. Have not been to any of these parks yet and wondered if it would make more sense to do the Colorado/South Dakota trip this time around. We were in Banff and Jasper last summer (loved it!!) so I wondered if they are similar sights to what we would see in the Glacier/Waterton areas.

Also thinking whether to plan to go in September or October. Which month is more likely to be clear, crisp and sunny? Any thoughts?
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Old Dec 15th, 2009, 06:06 AM
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Both Glacier and Rocky Mountain NP's are beautiful and you will not go wrong picking either one to combine with SD. Rocky would obviously mean less driving but then Glacier has fewer crowds due to its location. In my opinion the prettiest part of the Rockies is the Canadian locations you have already been to, but this is relatively speaking because the US part is beautiful too.
As to when to go we have run into early snow in all these locations so I would again encourage you to go as soon after Labor Day as possible. If you choose Glacier be sure to do as dmpalena suggested and go in time to see The Going to the Sun road. If you are trying to hit peak fall color late Sep is probably better. Have fun!
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Old Dec 15th, 2009, 11:19 AM
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It's really hard to compare Glacier with Jasper and Banff, but there are some similarities to the scenery. I think Glacier is better mainly becasue of Going-to-the-Sun Highway and a side trip Waterton. Also the National Bison Range is not too far south toward Missoula.
That said, the Rocky Mountain alternative is less driving. If, however you wanted the same amount of driving between Mt. Rushmore and your last stop you could even add Mesa Verde and Four Corners.
I don't think the drive across eastern Montana or eastern Wyoming is overly attractive. But, if you like wide open spaces, you'll find it.
Also near Mt. Rushmore is the Badlands NP.
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