I am, or rather until 3 years back, been a road tripper till age (now 77) caught up. However, the itch has returned and I want to take on one last trip. My friends and family think it’s too much given my age but I think I can do it!

I want to go to Glacier National Park (Had already visited Yellowstone and Grand Tetons before) and also spend 3-4 days visiting a friend in San Francisco. Plan on leaving June 3rd. Not sure if I should see Glacier National Park before or after I go to San Francisco. Not sure when the Sun Road opens.

I want to do no more than 400-500 miles each day. I want to make it a 20-25 day trip (with 3 days in San Francisco).

your suggestions on a scenic route is appreciated..

Took a three week driving trip during COVID from the Bay Area that included Glacier NP. We went via US 50 across Nevada as far as the western side of Colorado (visited Gunnison, Colorado Nat'l Monument and Dinosaur Nat'l Monument, esp enjoyed the latter) and then up through Wyoming, a brief stop at the Tetons and to the east side of Glacier NP via the Montana State Capital of Helena. We spent four nights on the east side of the park and two on the west. We arrived at Many Glacier (which we absolutely loved) in late June (maybe the 24th or 25th) and had a reservation for the Going to the Sun Road a couple days later. When we arrived, the GTTS road was still closed, but while in the lobby of the lodge the first afernoon, the rangers started announcing that the road would open at 6 a.m. the next morning. That was on the later side of opening dates and it varies greatly. So we were ablet to make the drive. That is all by way of introduction to my suggestion for a potential route from Glacier to the Bay Area:

We took three nights, four days getting home. We drove from Lake McDonald to Missoula for the first night stopping at the Bison reserve on the way. That was a pretty short drive--I think we were to Missoula by lunch time. You could go farther but Missoula was a nice college town and Flathead lake was pretty. From there we drove along the Salmon River (there is scenic byway that was very nice) spending the next night in Stanley (this is in the Sawtooth Mountains and it was beautiful). From there we drove south through Ketchum and stayed the next night in Twin Falls. We went to some state parks in the area. Again, you could go farther if you wish, we again arived in early afternoon. From there we took a route that took us on a dirt road to Bruneau Canyon, but you could probably skip that. We considered City of Rocks but decided we'd rather get home more quickly. Our next stop after Twin Falls was US95 to Winnemucca--I hadn't been there since I was a child (a very very long time ago) and it was worse than I remembered (and luckily we arrived fairly late in the day). And the the drive home from there the next day on I-80 (until past Reno) is not the most attractive. But we made it home in less than six hours. So if you can find a way to get from wherever you stay in Idaho to somewhere closer to Reno or even Truckee, that would be better, I think. There also is the option of heading to California from Idaho on US 395 which is much more scenic, but takes quite a bit longer. What ever you do, be aware that I-80 from east of Sacramento to the Bay Area is notoriously traffic prone and the earlier in the day (after morning rush) you can get through there the better. It can take anywhere from an hour and a half to close to three hours depending on conditions.

We greatly enjoyed Glacier and highly recommend spending most of your time on the east side of the park.

Now, I can't get you to Glacier from St Louis...of course, if you go to SF first to time Glacier right, you could sort of reverse our route but I liked arriving on the east side of the park and heading west on the GTTS road.

Welcome to Fodors. If you think you can do it you probably can. However -- by the most direct routes St Louis > Glacier > SF > St Louis is a 5,000+ mile drive. That could be a lot to bite off driving solo. Have you considered just doing Glacier on this road trip - maybe including Mt Rushmore/the Badlands - and maybe doing San Francisco/northern California on another trip flying in to SFO??

The longest one I did was about 5190 miles, seeing Yellowstone and Grand Tetons, then attempting to drive to Alaska in May. I made it through a number of US states, then up into Canada (Banf National Park, Icefield Parkway and Jasper) and to where the AlCan Highway begins in Dawson Creek. There, other travelers looked at my low slung Corvette and educated me about issues that I would face while driving that car over frost heaves and gravel and such. Turned around and headed home.

I have been to San Francisco and other places. It’s that my brother lives there and I thought I would go spend a couple of days with him.

its possible, I might just decide to do Glacier National Park and return home.

Would this be a one-way car rental??

No, it’s my personal car. I would be driving it back.

Forgive me if my comment seems non-responsive ... but I wonder: Is driving an essential part of your goal? I ask because you could take Amtrak -- St. Louis through Glacial National Park and on to Seattle; Seattle to San Francisco. GLORIOUS scenery without having to drive. Just something to consider. Again, my apologies if I've missed the whole point.

Oh -- hadn't thought of that -- I assumed the OP was driving their own car. If its a rental that could add add some other issues.

Yes, I love driving. I don’t mind driving and it’s much easier these days with music, podcasts, and phone calls through the car. I retired in 2016 at 68+ years, drove through all 48 lower states and some parts of Canada since. Driving gives me a great feeling of independence, no commitment, stop where I want, turn around and head home when I want. After working for some 45 years and making compromises, having schedules and such, once I retired, I revel in knowing I can do whatever and whenever, limited only by my health.

I’m fairly certain a road trip is out and back.

Taking Amtrak is convoluted, via Chicago and Seattle, a very long way. May have to go through Chicago both directions.

I don’t think a GTTS Road reservation is required from those staying on the east side as referenced above.

Google when the typical opening dates for GTTS Road are and plan accordingly.

Probably true -- but still, IMO, worth considering. If a person is not in any hurry and wants to see the scenery, it can be a very relaxing way to travel. Again, maybe not at all of interest to the OP....

ZeeBaBar's posts #4,6 and 9 were caught up in the spam filter so didn't display when subsequent comments were posted.

In that case, go for it!

Thanks for letting us know!

You can do it! I remember when some acquaintances of a friend of mine who were in their 90s drove an RV to Yellowstone to go fly-fishing. They had a great time though one got pneumonia from standing in the cold water. You could stop en route in the Black Hills (which are actually small mts.). There's lots of things to do and see there (Custer State Park with its bighorn sheep; Wind Cave National Park with its bison herd; Mt. Rushmore; and Badlands National Park).

An issue that had come up was the price for lodging! I have looked into St. Mary’s MT and Kalispel, MT and even in midweek, the lowest price cheap room is $295 and up, the better ones over $400+. On weekends, it $400+. Given that I would be in my room about 9-10 hours each night, that’s a lot!

Where should I look to stay when visiting Glacier National Park?

You want to stay on the east side, St Mary or Manyglacier. It’s more scenic on the east side and you won’t need a GTTS Road reservation. You could look in Babb if desperate.

That’s really the going rate for well placed Glacier lodging.

Thanks!

Thronson's in Babb or Red Eagle in St Mary are two lower priced options. I've stayed at Red Eagle and it's very basic. There aren't many options particularly on the east side of Glacier so they charge accordingly. I would also look at Rising Sun inside the park if they're open during your dates. I agree that you should spend the majority of your time on the east side. I would not expect GTTS to be fully open in early June. Here are the past opening dates https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/news/...sing-dates.htm