Montana - Glacier National Park in 3 days

This trip to Glacier National Park has been on my list for a few years, and I am so grateful to have been able to mark it off my list.  The past 4 days in Montana have been an absolute dream.  Immaculate views that stunned me every second of the way, I felt like I was walking in a magical forest straight out of a fairytale. If you’ve ever been on any sort of nature trip, especially to a national park, you know what I’m talking about.  Mother nature truly never ceases to amaze me and she gets me hooked more and more every time I see something new. Hiking & sightseeing is truly an addicting sort of hobby to have, and I’m thankful to have been utterly and completely hooked onto it a while back.  It enables the perfect combination of health and wellness into a trip that offers incredible views on top of it all.  If you love to challenge yourself physically, have an appreciation for trying new things, and adore nature in all forms, I completely recommend this trip.  Here’s the itinerary I created and followed in case you (hopefully) choose to experience this incredible sight.

at Avalanche Lake

Day 1:

• Arrived from EWR to Kalispell.  There were no direct flights since Kalispell is a VERY small airport close to the park.  I had a very long travel day so the following day was a bit of a slower day for me. 

• I arrived at my “glamping” Airbnb.  I love to fully immerse myself into my trips, so it was only right for me to book a camping experience.  Although I do need a shower and a toilet (even if it is outside) as a minimum.  I’m a city girl, I can only do so much. 

Day 2: 

• Trail of the Cedars:  a super easy loop hike.  This one is really easy to stroll and enjoy the views of the temperate forest.  Beautiful trees hung as a canopy, and plants covered the ground allowing all sorts of species to thrive. It was incredible to see something like this in the US. I started here because it then connected to the following trail - Avalanche Lake. 

• Length: 1 mile loop

• Trail: Easy 

• Terrain: Flat

• Elevation gain: 49 feet 
  

Trail of the Cedars

• Avalanche Lake:  You can opt to veer off onto this trail from Trail of the Cedars.  This one is slightly more difficult, but I still would recommend it to novice hikers.  It’s easily doable for someone who wants to experience a fulfilling hike with awesome views.  The views at the end once you reach the lake are gorgeous, totally reminding me of my Oeschinesee hike in Switzerland.  Glacier National Park is most definitely the closest you’ll get to something like Switzerland in the USA.

• Length: 6 mile loop 

• Trail: Easy

• Terrain: Flat, Light incline 

• Elevation gain: 757 feet 

Avalanche Lake

Day 3:

• Grinnell Glacier Trail: this trail was packed with gorgeous views and amazing photo opportunities.  Do your history research before this trail for an even better experience (if you’re into that).  Again - very much Switzerland vibes with the bluest lakes you’ll ever see.  I very much enjoyed this trail and had so much fun.  I was completely distracted by the views the entire time. This hike leads up to one of the few remaining glaciers left in the US.  It is expected to be completely melted by 2030, so I feel super grateful to have been able to experience this incredible sight before it is (unfortunately) gone for good.  I encourage anyone else to do the same.  

• Length: 11 miles RT 

• Trail: Hard/Strenuous for the average hiker; I didn’t feel too beat up after this one but the tail end of it was a bit difficult because of the elevation gain 

• Terrain: steady incline at first, lots of upward steps, last .5-1.0 mile stretch is straight incline

• Elevation gain: 2,047 feet 
  

Grinnell Glacier Trail

Day 4: 

• Highline Trail:  My favorite trail out of them all.  If you have a fear of heights and cliffs, this one will be a bit of a challenge.  I was pretty much walking on the side of the mountain a majority of the time on a 4 foot wide trail.  This trail is not for the weak - I had to talk myself through it towards the end.  I would say this was by far the most difficult trail I’ve taken thus far on all my hiking trips, and my body felt this one afterwards for sure. I do think that this was a result of doing a strenuous hike the day before, as well, so my advice would be to stretch the difficult hikes out enough for your body to rest properly.  Regardless, there were beautiful views of the mountains, valleys, and meadows the entire time. You will most likely see wildlife on this trail at some point.  I absolutely adored taking in every single moment of this hike. There is a chalet at the top of the mountain you can stop at for a rest or some lunch/snacks.  You can opt to go back the same way you came, but I chose to decline on the Loop trail, which is accessible from the Chalet.  The decline was a bit steep, I was definitely feeling some strain on my body.  Once you reach the end of the trail, there is a shuttle that can take you back up to Logan Pass where you started and parked your car.  This drive back up the mountain will shock you when you see just how far you hiked.  This was the most rewarding trail of them all.  I recommend it if you are apt to do so (but also know your limits and what you can and can’t handle)!

• Length: 16 mile loop (from Logan Pass)

• Trail: Hard/Strenuous 

• Terrain: steady incline; strenuous decline

• Elevation gain: 2,621 feet 

Highline Trail

Day 5:

• Souvenir shopping

• Departure

Things to Note:

1. Entrance passes to the park can be very confusing.  I did hours of research about what passes I would need to enter parts of the park for different hikes.  For someone that is not native to Montana - it can be a bit complicated.  Tickets depend on where you’re entering the park from.  My lodging was in Columbia Falls, so therefore, I entered the park from the West entrance.  IF you don’t purchase these tickets months in advance, they allow you to purchase them on the park’s website on a rolling basis at 7pm MDT.  Tickets sell out within a few minutes for the most part, so you have to be on top of it.  If you are not able to claim a ticket, you have the option to enter the park either before 6am or after 3pm for free (this happened to me with the Highline Trail day).  I’ll write down what you need so you don’t have to do the research (you’re welcome).  Here’s an extremely simplified version of what you need if you follow this itinerary:

   
   

   1. Trail of the Cedars & Avalanche Lake:

      1. Entrance ticket to GNP (1 ticket is good for 7 days; $35)

      2. Vehicle reservation for Going to the Sun Road 

         
         

   2. Grinnell Glacier:

      1. Entrance ticket to GNP (1 ticket is good for 7 days; $35)

      2. Vehicle reservation for Going to the Sun Road

      3. Vehicle reservation for Many Glacier

         
         

   3. Highline Trail:

      1. Entrance ticket to GNP (1 ticket is good for 7 days; $35)

      2. Vehicle reservation for Going to the Sun Road

      
      

2. The bugs go crazy here so definitely bring bug spray

   
   

3. Parking can be annoying - try to get to the trailheads as early as possible.  I got to the Highline trail at 7am and it was already full.  You can find parking a bit further down the road, but trust me when I tell you - adding those extra miles at the end of your hike is not fun

This was one of the most stunning parks I’ve been to in the USA, and it’s a blessing to have been able to mark this off my list. If you plan to go, have any specific questions to ask me, and/or want to share your experience with me, please reach out via email or socials, I’d love to chat!  Going to ice my calves now...

xx