Aug. trip to Glacier, Have some questions
 

We plan to arrive in Waterton on August 21, and leave via the western entrance on August 30. I like that it's easy to secure accomodation in Waterton and all the amenities the town has to offer; a stark contrast to the madness further south in Glacier. I already have some Sun Road reservations and will get reservations for a few more days as they are released.

- Everything is booked up for my timeframe; in your experience, do people tend to cancel? I've only managed to book 1 night at Lake McDonald toward the end of my trip.

- For the 3 nights on the east side, I'd prefer to stay in Many Glaciers but nothing is open, I'm thinking of booking a Camping Cabin at the St Mary KOA while looking for cancellations. Anyone stayed here before? Would you suggest other strategies?

- How early do the parking lots at Many Glaciers, Logan Pass and the Loop fill up? Does NPS publish statistics so we can plan appropriately? When are the lines for shuttle longest?

- What are the best food options (groceries and restaurants) on the east and west sides? What are your ideas for early pre-hike breakfast when staying in a hotel room with no kitchen?

- Any cool things to do in the area for the lighter activity days? Anything that can keep kids from revolting would be great.

- Below is my plan, I'd appreciate any comments.

--Three nights in Waterton:
0 - Arrive in Waterton
1 - Crypt Lake hike
2 - Boat tour? horseback riding in Waterton?

-- Three nights on the east side of Glacier:
3 - Drive to St Mary, hike Iceberg Lake
4 - Day trip to Two Medicine; maybe kayak or easy hike
5 - Grinnell Glacier hike

- Three nights on the west side of Glacier
6 - Drive Sun Road; hike Hidden Lake
7 - Highline hike (plan to park at Logan or Loop, then take shuttle back)
8 - Avalanche Lake hike
9 - Leave for Missoula

Are you renting a car in Canada and returning in the US? How does that work? The last time I visited the east side of Glacier, we got off the Amtrak Empire Builder in Cut Bank MT and had a rental car waiting for us at the train station lot. The next day we went up the GTTS road as far as the upper gate which was still locked (June 1). Our room for the night was in a motel in Cut Bank.
On the west side of the park we really liked a condo (with hot tub) at the Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls.

I was there just before Covid exploded. We were at Logan’s Pass about 8 AM and parking lot was full with cars parked on shoulder of road in both directions. Some people waited in parking lot waiting for someone to leave and everyone was impatient. We never did get a parking spot but we saw the only mountain goat of the trip in the parking lot so it was not a total waste.

Last year, the Park sent tweets about when the Logan Pass lot was full, and it seems like it was filling up by 7 am most days.

What are your ideas for early pre-hike breakfast when staying in a hotel room with no kitchen?

Assuming you have a fridge and microwave - I suggest cereal, yogurt, oatmeal and/or bagels, cheese and ham (or the deli meat of your choice) warmed in the microwave.

We did this very thing when visiting Utah last winter when most restaurants were closed. We got pretty good at making simple breakfasts and lunches in our hotel room. I took along a mason jar full of coffee concentrate that I brought from home, added milk and sugar and heated in the microwave. My spouse prefers those instant coffee packets that you add boiling water to, but most of our hotels offered drip coffee so they weren't needed.