Advise on Glacier
 

My husband would love to take the family to Glacier National Park this summer, but we don't know where to start in terms of lodgings or activities. We've been to Yellowstone, and our kid enjoyed it, but only for a few day. Then they were bored. Any suggestions?

I don't know much about the surrounding lodges and campgrounds, but you can do a search in the archives and you can get peoples opinions. I can tell you that a less expensive alternative is to stay in Kalispell, I think its about 30 minutes from the park. Some people stay in Big Fork, but it can be more expensive since it is a cute little touristy town. In Glacier, you can hike, drive, and take ferry boat tours. If you stay in Kalispell or Big Fork, you will also be able to enjoy Flathead Lake.

Glacier and Waterton National Parks offer some spectacular mountain scenery.<BR>The landscape was shaped in recent geologic history by huge glaciers that have now receded to almost nothing.<BR>The rock formations are so old that they have only trace fossils of stromatolites. No bony animal traces have been found to date as far as I know. The oddity is that some of the formations overlie much younger rocks.<BR>You might ask your children to form an explanation of how this event took place. (Obviously younger rocks should be on top of older ones, not the other way around. So why and how did the situation become reversed??)<BR>Having been there many times, I personally believe that to see the real jewels of the park one must take to the trails. Failing that, the Sun Road over Logan Pass is a spectacular east-west drive of about 60 miles.<BR>At Logan Pass you do get spectacular views of the Garden Wall, a glacial arrete, and the deep valley below.<BR>Lake MacDonald is scenic and perhaps would be interesting to children.<BR>Waterton Park has Waterton Lake and a nice boat ride to the other end of the lake. But the attraction is mainly scenery of the first order. <BR>Sometimes wildlife can be spotted in the park, but frankly the one animal I don't care to see out on a trail is a grizzly, particularly a female with a couple of offspring, or one guarding a food supply, e.g. a deceased deer. (I got closer to a grizzly than I wanted one summer. At least it gave me something to talk about.)<BR><BR>In terms of cabins and motels, probably the best bet inside the park is Lake McDonald Lodge. But I have stayed in several of them and none are what you would call first class. <BR>Last time, I stayed at the Timbers Motel in Bigfork. Kalispell is also a possibility as is Whitefish. <BR>There are few motels in East Glacier townsite and also a few motels are along the highway between Kalispell and<BR>the west entrance. <BR>The best accommodations in the area are in Waterton Park where private enterprise has been allowed to come in.<BR>The motels are more expensive, but they are also nicer. <BR><BR>Another attraction in the area is Hungry Horse Dam, which, at 564 feet, is one of the higher ones in the USA. <BR>It is more than 2,000 feet across at the top. <BR><BR><BR><BR>

Be sure to drive up to Waterton. It's a neat little town and the kids will think it 's neat go into a foreign country. You don't need any special I.D.'s or anything. Drive out of Waterton a little ways, to the Crandell Mt. campground area. It's a good area to spot bears.<BR><BR>As you drive by Flathead Lake up to Glacier, it's kinda fun to stop and pick cherries if they are ready. We were there in mid-July.

Just read your mail re: visiting MT this summer. My husband has booked us a vacation to Glacier National Park for a week this summer. We are staying at St. Marys Lodge, which is right in the park (something he wanted). We then have a few days left to spend in either Kalispell or he is thinking Whitefish, thus my search begins

St Mary Lodge is NOT located in the park. it is on the east side in the town of St Mary at the intersection of the park road and a highway.<BR><BR>Check out www.mps.gov to find the lodges located in the park. Better do it quick.

Whoops--it's www.nps.gov

Beware of St. Mary Lodge...if you plan to do laundry, be sure you're there during the day, as the laundry closes by 8 pm....just about the time we hikers are coming home. The mgnt. does NOT seem to understand that,and were NOT at all willing to accomodate us!! FYI......