we are planning to go to Glacier national park(from east coast) this summer. where should we fly into? how long do we need there and what else is close by? we only have about a week but wnat to get the most out of our trip. We wnat to see glaciers and wildlife and are up to do seriously long hikes if necessry. Thanks in advance.

Kalispell is the closest airport. A week is a good amount of time split between the east and west sides with more time on the east side if hiking and wildlife are priorities.

If the flight for 2 to Kalispell is more than you want to spend, You can fly to Spokane (larger airport) and take the overnight Empire Builder from Spokane to Whitefish Montana. Rent a car in Whitefish if you can. Otherwise you have to get a ride to the Kalispell airport to pick up a car.
My favorite lodging in the area west of the park is at the Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls MT.

Whitefish is a fun town, and then you can go through the park west to east. We entered from the east so stayed at Many Glacier, but Lake MacDonald, and Whitefish are very, very nice. Going-to-the-Sun Road is an awesome experience. Get your reservations NOW if you plan to stay in the park.

Absolutely need to work on reservations now. The west side has lots of lodging, however, with just one week, I would only stay there 2 nights - the night you arrive and the night before you fly out. The east side of the park is where you'll see the most wildlife and has the best hiking trails. Since in-park lodging is sold out by now, the best chance you have is to call (not checking the website) to see if there are any cancellations for lodging at the Many Glacier Hotel or Swiftcurrent Lodge in the Many Glacier area of the park. In the past, we've stayed in the town of East Glacier (near Two Medicine area) which is an hour's drive up to the Many Glacier area or to the start of the Going to the Sun Road. While that's a long commute to the Many Glacier area, we also did some hiking in the Two Medicine area - a much overlooked area of the park also with some spectacular hiking.

For wildlife, drive up to Logan's Pass Visitor Center (early!!! as the parking lot fills up quickly) and do the hike up to Hidden Lake Overlook - we've always seen mountain goats either around the visitor center or up at the overlook. From the visitor center is also the start of the Highline Trail - where we've always seen big horn sheep. Unless you have horrible fear of heights, this is an absolutely spectacular hike. The only bad section is about a half mile from the trailhead and it only last 3/10 of a mile. I have problems with heights, but there's a cable handhold and the trail is about 6' wide. I just tilt my hat so I can't see the drop-offs!

From the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, take the hike to Fishercap Lake (on the way to Redrock Falls) early in the morning and you'll probably see a moose or two - same with the Swiftcurrent Loop trail at the Many Glacier Hotel.

When hiking, remember that Glacier is a high concentration of Grizzly bears and black bears, and we've mostly seen them in the Many Glacier area when hiking. Iceberg Lake is an amazing hike and we've always encountered bears on this hike. This website lists the hikes in Glacier by location, difficulty, etc.. That can help you determine where in the park you want to stay based on the hikes you'd like to do. I would also recommending checking out their top 10.

Glacier National Park hiking trails | HikinginGlacier.com

Be sure to carry bear spray. You can buy it in most of the large grocery stores and sports stores in Kalispell. You may also be able to rent some in the park - you may want to check on that. Be sure you know how to use it and make plenty of sounds (clapping, calling out "hey bear") so you don't surprise any bears.

Glacier National Park grizzly bears | Hiking with grizzly bears in Glacier

Enjoy your trip! Glacier is one of the most beautiful parks in the country.

This trip got pushed off but I’m back!!! Thanks to all that replied. Your advice is so helpful !! If we fly into Spokane and then have a little more then a week ( 6 full days, not including days we arrive and leave)should we try to go to Yellowstone Also or up into Canada?

Unless you want to see Coeur d' Alene and/or Sandpoint Idaho, riding the train overnight to Whitefish makes sense to me. While waiting for the train to come into Spokane you can check out the large park that was once the site of a small Worlds Fair.

what’s in those two places ? If we are arriving in Spokane in the afternoon is there a reason not to drive snd then we will have our car snd be ready to go the next morning

Sandpoint is a cute town in a pretty setting on Lake Pend Oreille. However with your limited time, I'd head for the park. If would be rushed to include Yellowstone. It's 7 hours between Glacier and Yellowstone and more than that from Yellowstone back to Spokane.

Couer d' Alene is a nice town with a beautiful lake nearby. Depending on when your plane lands in Spokane, getting on the train about midnight makes sense to me. You arrive in Whitefish before 10AM MT.
Flying to Spokane probably costs less than flying to Missoula or Kalispell but look at the rental car costs and the amount of driving you have to do.

What month will it now be?

I think including Yellowstone from a Spokane entry/exit point would be too much - it's a really long drive from Glacier to Yellowstone, and from both/either to Spokane. How much time do you really want to spend in the car?

You posted the other day about doing a tour of the Canadian Rockies, but then said the trip "wouldn't work out." Why? You could do a loop out of Calgary that includes Banff and Waterton Lakes NPs in Canada, which might work out much easier. From a base in Banff you could do a day trip up the Icefields Parkway. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/TQzq9Qr4544JGMo6A
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