kureiff

We stayed at the Many Glacier Hotel last year and had an updated room. The rooms are small, but the flooring and all the fixtures were brand new. I thought it was pretty decent for an old Nat'l Park hotel.

I'm jealous of your stay at Lake Louise! Have a great trip!

ceezee

Thanks for the update on the Many Gacier Hotel rooms. Small, I don't care really. I give all those Nat'l Park hotels a lot of slack considering how old they are.

And hey, I'm jealous of my stay at Lake Louise! I hope it meets my expectations.

sludick

ceezee - watch data usage on that phone. Turn it off except for when you have wifi, if you can. My first trip with a smartphone (Verizon) to Canada cost me about $100 in the first few days before I realized. Otherwise, I think it's running 69 cents/minute for voice, not bad for short calls but not for casual use either.

Sorry I can't advise you on the SIM card for Canada - check out Rogers Communications, I believe they are the leading telecom around there.

ceezee

Actually, I should have wifi at the Chateau. I really just need it for texting and Internet use. I can text over wifi with other iPhones over wifi so that's no problem. Phone calls should be minimal.

And good idea to turn off the data unless I am in wifi range.

Myer

Make sure you visit Moraine Lake early in the morning and late in the day. There are a lot less people there than Lake Louise. Reputation I guess.

We were at Moraine Lake in the middle of the day on one of my stops there. It started to cloud over so we decided to drive up the highway to Peyto Lake (also spectacular views).

As we were walking down the "Rock Pile" we passed a wedding party on the way up for photos. It suddenly started to rain and they had no rain gear. Ouch!!!

On the way to Peyto Lake we saw a bunch of cars on the side of the road. That means they saw something. We got out and crossed the road and there was a gigantic black bear eating berries. The people were way too close and not near their cars.

enzian

We love Many Glacier hotel. Have stayed there three times, never yet in a renovated roo. ( We do have one reserved for our next visit in August). The rooms are small but you are not there for the room; nit is what is outside. If have a balcony you can sit out there and just gaze at the scenery in the evening. And be sure to wake up for sunrise. Our first time there I felt something calling to me and got up to look out the window. Of our lakefront room. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen in mylife. The sky and lake were dark but the sun hit Grinnell Point across the lake and turned it into a glowing golden pyramid. Since then we have set the alarm so we don't miss it. That show has not been repeated, but it is still pretty nice.

I don't know how the food is in the dining room as we have never eaten there. We go over to Swiftcurrent to the more casual restaurant. It is fun to join the group in the parking lot with their spotting scopes.

Grinnell Glacier is one of our favorite hikes. We find it much more interesting, terrain-wise, than Iceberg Lake. If you want to do the ranger-led hike, do make reservations for the boat well in advance. It does sell out, leaving people disappointed.

If you are staying only at Many Glacier, you will probably only drive up to Logan Pass once. Hidden Lake Overlook is a short hike almost guaranteed to produce mountain goats footing for photos. If you have time, you can also do a short out and back hike on the Highline Trail.

I am a nervous hiker in grizzly country, having been charged by one when we lived in Alaska years ago. I have a lot of respect for these magnificent creatures, but hope never to see one up close again. We follow the advice to hike in groups of four ( or more) and talk as we walk to avoid surprising one.

(One of the two grizzly attacks in Alaska last summer, the non-fatal one, was a young woman from our community whom we know. She was working with a colleague mapping minerals but they were not talking. She surprised a bear and it attacked her. Her bear spray was not in reach ( mistake) but she remembered to " play dead" ( good thinking in this situation) and it left her alone after biting her hand and dragging her a short way. Fortunately she was not traumatized by this, and will keep hiking and enjoying tha outdoors, but her hand is damaged.)

John

For the Grinnell Glacier hike, you can skip the boat ride by hiking 2 miles on the flat and meeting the boat and Ranger at the boat landing just before the trail head. Course you will have to leave earlier to make connections.

justineparis

Someone mentioned it, but I am going to mention it again, you don't "need" an SUV for this trip, fine if you want one, but if trying to economize you can easily drive this route in any car,,even a sub compact. The roads are perfectly normal.

jlub

Most of the folks here seem a lot more knowledgeably than I am on GNP. We can say however, that it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been (and we live a few hours from Yosemite). The bear advice here is good and more importantly it is very real. When we were there, we saw bears seemingly every time we turned a corner. We did wear bear bells and I carried a holstered bear spray canister. Be aware that (at least in those days) you could not take the bear spray canister across the border in one direction (I forget which direction).

I don't claim to be an expert, but my research suggests that most bears will leave you alone if given the chance. But a very very small percentage will be looking for something to eat and decide you are it. If you begin to be stalked by a bear, this is the beginning, get to safety or be ready.

jlub

Oh, and one more thing. When we went, the bus to the top of Going to the Sun road was first come, first served basis. This meant that people could and did get stranded on this huge wild mountain. We almost did ourselves when the driver said there were 2 seats. We ignored him and put my then 8 year old on my lap. Half-way down the mountain, some young hikers were told there was no room. We wrote to the Park Service and told them this was irresponsible. They seemed to agree and promised it would change. Check before you go.

Myer

Most people appear to use their cars and the shuttles never seemed to be full.

We took bear spray from Glacier to the Canadian side with no problem.

In general bears are not predators. They prefer to eat berries and will only turn of you if they think you are eating theirs. Just make noise, be in a group and they'll avoid you.

Also, a mother with cubs is protective.

Warn that you're around and they'll go around.

sunbum1944

In the Banff/Lake Louise area signs will be posted where bears have been sighted- not that you won't meet one anyway - but at least a heads up for some trails.
The Johnston Canyon hike is a good one- continue onto the paint pots

Also like the hike to the tea house at Lake Lousie- its quite an elevation gain but beautiful when you get there

ceezee

Thanks again for all the valuable info!

The only reason we're getting the SUV is to have a higher view when driving than you'd get with a smaller car. I figured the roads would be good but I do like the higher seats.

Does it pay to get a guidebook ahead of time with the hiking trails or is this info readily available at ranger stations? It's good to know the elevation changes and the rate they change.

I have a job where I stand and walk for 8 hours but I have to get my husband out there on some long walks. Luckily we live close to Valley Forge Natl Park which is great for walking.

sunbum1944

There is a great visitors center in Banff Springs- they have all kinds of info on hikes, maps, bear sightings, trail conditions etc- they are very helpful for that area .

enzian

I have to disagree with Myer about the shuttles at GNp. We had a problem with shuttles being full when we tried to get from the Loop,parking area up,to Logan Pass for the Highline Trail hike. We followed recommendations to leave our car at the Loop parking area to leave space at Logan Pass for others. The first two shuttles that passed were full and would not pick up anyone. We were running out of time to make our starting time for the hike. So others who were in the same position offered to drive up to Logan Pass. We all loaded up in their pickup truck, with lost sitting in the back. Who knows if we would have gotten space on a shuttle.

John

Both Apgar on the west side and St. Mary's in the east side have info and a guide on trails including mileage, elevation gain and location of trailheads in GNP.

Bear spray can be taken into Canada now as long as it is a cannister that specifically states it is for use on animals. Some of the cheaper brands don't specify that info.

FREE shuttle buses area available however be informed of the last shuttle down from Logan Pass which in the past has been 7:00 pm. I guarantee NO ONE will be stranded at Logan Pass. If the last bus is overloaded they will radio down and send another bus up. At the very least, a Ranger will take you down.


ALL this information and more is available at Visitor's Centers in the park along with the latest up to date on trail closures, weather etc. from the Rangers in the Center.

ceezee

I'll plan on stopping at Banff Springs to check out the visitors center.

Also at GNP, I was planning on taking the Red Bus Tour. Are they good?

Myer

I would drive my car in Glacier. I believe that for some reason the schedule has been somewhat spread out in the last year or two. Just get to Logan Pass by 9:30AM and you should be fine.

I called Parks Canada a few months before and they sent me a map of hiking trails in each area and a description.
ISBN: 978-1-100-11210-7 or Catalogue No: R63-243/2008E
There was also a visitors package included.

The most popular hikes that I saw appear to be Tunnel Mountain in Banff, Johnston Canyon, Peyto Lake, Lake Louise Shoreline and Agnes Lake. There are others as well.

Glacier NP.

The Red Bus tour is a nice way to spend a leisurley day (or part of a day) along GTTS Rd. I wouldn't do well in that (so wouldn't take it) but others might. I think it depends on your timing.

The most popular hikes appear to be Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake in Many Glacier and Hidden Lake, Highline and St Mary / Virginia Falls along GTTS Rd.

I haven't been to the west side or Two Medicine yet.

A good web site is: www.hikinginglacier.com
The hikes are split in many ways so you can look at things any way you want.

sludick

You can also find a wealth of information on the Parks Canada website, and download PDF files for hiking, biking, camping, bears, and a ton of other stuff. http://www.parkscanada.ca/

There's even a couple of really funny song videos about mule deer and white tail deer:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/media/nature_e.asp?video=15

http://www.pc.gc.ca/media/nature_e.asp?video=16

Myer

That web site that sludick wrote may also have a copy of that hiking brochure I mentioned. Printing it is a bit of a challenge but good info there.