Hi,

We are a family of 3 (kid is 5) heading to a wedding in Missoula, MT July 4th weekend and hoping to visit Glacier NP after. We will have 5-6 nights to spend, is this enough time? Too much? We want to really explore and enjoy activities in the area and not rush from spot to spot.

I learned lodging is the most important thing to book NOW. Ideally would like to spend 2 nights camping and 3-4 nights at a lodge/inn. What are Fodorites' favorite options for camping and a nice inn near Glacier? We would like some comfort after camping. Husband and I used to camp a lot but it's been over 10 years; the 5 year old is a city kid who has never camped before but is very into nature, wildlife and not afraid to get messy.

We will be flying in and out of Missoula. Thank you for any ideas!

The problem , I'm affraid , is not which lodging are the best but which are available, even with reservation now...
In the West part Apgar village inn directly on Lk Mc Donald shore is really the must. They have some family' s room.
On the east part Rising sun motel room or cabins are fine or Swiftcurrent motor inn or cabin.
The rooms are bigger than cabins, but also more expensive...
The lodges , Lk Mc Donald in the West part, Glacier Pk lodge or Many Glacier on the East part are more expensive and sometimes the difference didn't worth the $ ...
But try NOW to look what is available...
Erik

A little ways from the park but very nice is the Meadow Lake Resort near Columbia Falls, MT. It also has a nice golf course.

Should you not find accomdations to your liking in the park, the towns of Kalispell and Whitefish have all the major properties available. Both towns are approx. 30 miles from the west entrance to the park

I vote for Many Glacier. Good luck getting any lodging at this late date though(especially for July 4)

I don't know what you mean by camping, but if you are tent camping you need to be very bear aware. Buy Bear Spray!!

I visited Glacier last year over Labor Day weekend and stayed at the Many Glacier Hotel for four nights and the campground 3 nights. For anyone that truly wants the best rare find this is it. A historical lodge built in 1915 is nestled by Swiftcurrent Lake in the most idyllic setting. You should pack lightly as you have to carry your luggage quite a distance from the hotel carpark on the top of the hill to your room. quick access to the St. Mary entrance as well as to the Many Glacier entrance. The cabins are located closer to St. Mary,on up and into Many Glacier as well as points farther north is great exploration area. Clean, comfortable and not overly expensive. Water for a shower was hot and we had plenty of it. No real amenities, but we weren't looking for a resort. Our cabin was perfect to use as a staging area for our daily excursions into the park. Good restaurants are a few miles up and down the road, but really more than a 10 - 15 minute concern. Check-in and out were easy. I would recommend the Glacier Trailhead Cabins to anyone visiting the eastern side of the NP.

Stayed at Glacier Park Lodge a looong time ago - 13 years ago - excellent if you can get in our favorite of three that we stayed at - including Prince of Wales (Canadian side) and Many Glacier Hotel. What a great trip. Gorgeous park and yes there are bears. Keep calling for the lodging you want people cancel all the time. We got into hotels in Yellowstone and I planned a few months in advance just had to keep checking availability.

These are great recommendations. Thanks so much! They all looked incredible.

Just requested the Many Glacier Hotel for 3 nights, crossing my fingers. I was very lucky once, got the Bright Angel cabin right on the south rim at the Grand Canyon 4 weeks before arrival after calling everyday for 2 weeks and the reservation person held the cabin for me expecting I might call at the same hour that day when someone cancelled a booking made 18 months ago. I know I absolutely cannot count on being lucky again but I'm on the case now.

Is 5-6 days a lot to spend in this area?

Ok now I feel like an idiot, did not even think about bears! Thanks for the reminder. So how do people camp? Let me research the campgrounds but if anyone has experience, would love to hear, thanks.

5-6 days are not too much , notably if you like hiking and other outdoor activities.
On the west part , driving to Bowman lake worth the miles and here some nautic activities are possible- boats, kayack if you have them.
In this part hidden meadow is an easy hike.
In Apgar on Lk McDonald also nautic activities, horseback riding, rafting, bicycles.
Avalanche Lk is an easy hike.
On the east part, a day in Two medecine area is a good option. Boat cruise, and twin falls is a good option for hiking. The campground here is good.
Finally in Many glacier, iceberg lake is easy and Cracker lk also hiking for both and horseback possible for the last one . Boatcruises are possible.
Other easy hikes : grinnel lake, redrock falls.
For the bears , bearspray and the usual caution's advice. The most important : don't let run your small child in front of the group.
At Logan pass, hidden lake overlook is also an easy hike.
Numerous small hikes to some waterfalls are also easy in the east part.
Your children surely will appreciate wildlife.
Erik

I would split my time between the East and West side of the park. Glacier is a hiker's paradise, but there are more activities for your little one on the west side if you don't want to strictly hike.

Best hikes are on the east side of the park, specifically the Many Glacier area, although I am partial to Two Medicine too.

Not only do both of you need to carry bear spray, but be sure you know how to use it. Bears are abundant, especially in the Many Glacier area. Do not take your eyes off the 5-year old.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/glaci...park-bears.htm

You might think about doing some ranger led hikes so you are in a larger group which will usually travel a little slower.

http://home.nps.gov/glac/planyourvis...activities.htm

Swiftcurrent Lake and Fish Lake are great places to spot moose. Hidden Lake Overlook almost always has mountain goats at the overlook. St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls are great waterfall hikes. All these are fairly short/easy hikes.

http://www.hikinginglacier.com/glaci...easy-hikes.htm

Wow, these are all very detailed and helpful tips. Thank you. These replies are helping me visualize how amazing this trip is going to be. I can't wait. Thanks again for the warnings about bears, will take this very seriously and not let the kid (who is very active and known for being an escape artist) out of our reach for even a second.

I'm doing more research and will come back here with more questions.

Many Glacier is my vote. Like you, I started looking around this time which is way too late for the popular lodges, and there were no rooms to be had at Many Glacier.

So I booked what I could elsewhere but went back to the National Park Website, not the ripoff one that looks oh so official, every day, MANY times a day and persistence (insanity?) finally paid off and I was able to book rooms there for all our nights. At first, only one night was available so I grabbed it; then I kept checking back and was able to book the rest.

The reason I was fortunate is because people book these popular lodges up to a year ahead of time, but then end up having to cancel. So you never know when a room will pop open.

As you may know, early July is a bit iffy on whether the only road running through the park (the Going to the Sun Road) will be completely open. If not, you won't be able to get from one side of the park to the other and will be limited to whichever side you're staying on. The park has a website with updates on that vital piece of information.

It's a great park with lots of hiking trails, most of which are fairly long though. We hiked 30 miles our first 3 days in late July and could barely walk on the 4th, when we went north to the Canadian side of the park aka Waterton NP (bring your passport) and took a relaxing cruise on the Lake.

Have fun!

After spending a week in the park a year after spending 3 1/2 days there, I would split my time between Many Glacier and the east side of the park from Logan Pass to Rising Sun.

Many Glacier is wildlife central. Fishercap Lake is a 15 minute easy walk from the end of the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn parking lot. Almost every evening deer and moose perform in or around the lake.

Also, mountain goats around Logan Pass visitors center are on the payroll.