Glacier NP : 3 days enough?
 

In planning for our August trip to YNP and GTNP, we thought we might as well add GNP.
We'd be flying into Kalispell from Newark,NJ and plan to spend 2 weeks touring the parks.

Would 3 days(really 2.5) be enough to get a feel for Glacier, or should we add another day?
Which lodge would give the most central location?

From Glacier, we'd drive to Red Lodge for a night, then head over the Beartooth H'way into YNP for 4 nights,maybe 5. Remainder of our time would be spent at GTNP and Jackson.

Any thoughts??

P.S. Just how high is the fright factor for Beartooth and Going to the Sun roads? I was a passenger on a drive from Ouray to Silverton,Colorado and I think I'm still recovering!?

I'm glad to see you've included GTNP with YNP.

I'm also planning a trip to Glacier.

Qhile not as large as yNP there are several different areas: West and East along GTTS Road, Many Glacier above and Two Medicine below.

Also, many people include Waterton NP just on the Canadian side.

So, three days doesn't give you much leeway. However, if that's what you have that's what you plan.

If you can add a few more that would be good.

Many Glaciers is our favorite spot in GNP. It is about 50 miles from Waterton Lakes NP in Alberta (which is very much worth a visit).

Red Lodge is a delightful town. We had a large, comfortable room at Rocky Fork Inn.

If the drive from Ouray to Silverton excited you, so will the Beartooth Highway.

In GTNP we like the family friendly Signal Mountain Lodge. There is a good restaurant there with sensible prices.

In Jackson we had memorable meals at Snake River Grill and Rendezvous Bistro.

HTTY

Glacier has several different areas and you really need to stay in those areas to get a feel for it. Many Glacier would be a must for a day or two. Lake McDonald on the west side of the park would be a nice place to stop for the other side.
So I think 2.5 days is not enough.
And btw the Going to the Sun drive is another one to get your heart pumping. Great views.

Thanks everyone!

I'm already hyperventilating...but I'll suck it up because I don't want my family(or me) to miss those views!

How long you stay would depend on how much hiking, rafting, horse riding, etc that you want to do. You might take one of the Red Bus Tours and leave the driving to someone else for the GTSR.

You really need to spend time on both sides of the Park. a night or 2 at Lake McDonald and then another stay at Many Glacier or another option the lodge at Two Medicine Lake. There are more lodging options on the West side of GNP if you can't get into Lake McDonald Lodge. Apgar Village, West Glacier and Columbia Falls are reasonable options. We real;y enjoyed the Bad Rock B&B near Columbia Falls.

Glacier's pretty spectacular. Agree with the "both sides" post. And it would be hard to leave out Waterton on the Canadian side. Never enough time. You could save both parks for a trip that includes Canadian Rockies, but if you only have 2.5 days, I'd go for it.

As Spirobulldog points out, how long you stay at GNP depends on what you want to do. We were there for a week of hiking and did get to see most areas of the park (Many Glacier, West Glacier, Two Medicine and the North Fork) but that still wasn't enough for us!

If you are just going to drive around, then 2.5 days is probably enough. If you want to do any outdoor activities (boating, hiking, horseback riding, etc.), then you need to add as many days as you can.

If you end up staying 3.5 days, I would spend 1.5 days in the West Glacier area and 2 days in the Many Glacier area. We stayed at the Many Glacier Lodge, but I can't recommend their accommodations--too much money for mediocre rooms. However be sure to go over to the Lodge for the views from the lakeside deck and to enjoy the ambience of the lobby fireplace area.

Thanks everyone!

We are going to add another day to Glacier, as we definitely want to do some short hike, maybe a boat excursion.