Planning first trip to Glacier

[redchicago]

Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Glaciier for mid July. I will be staying 7 nights and 6 full days. I'd like to see both sides of the park (East and West), any campground suggestions.

We will be tent camping and would prefer more rustic campgrounds that doesn't have many or any rvs/trailers.

If people could suggest a couple places on each side, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Hockey Ref]

Check the link below for a site that lists all of Glacier's campgrounds. Click each one for more detailed information on each site. As the season progresses, you can come to this site to see what time of day it typically gets full (if at all), which will help with your planning.

http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/c ... status.cfm

[Ear Mountain]

No RVs at the Sprague campground on Lake McDonald. Tents only and no trailers. Fills early each day though.

East side your best bet to avoid RVs is at the Cut Bank campground. Rough gravel road and no water at the campground keeps most RVs away.

[orin]

The only campground that bans RVs is Sprague Creek. It is right next to Going To The Sun road though and probably isn't the quietest campground in the park. Other campgrounds that would have fewer Rvs would be Cut Bank on the east side and the North Fork campgrounds (Quartz, Logging, Bowman, Kintla). RVs are not prohibited at these but the roads are longer and rougher and the sites are not tailored to RVs so there will be fewer of them.

[mattB]

I like TwoMedicine campground. It still has RVs and trailers, but its smaller and the way its laid out it doesn't feel like a giant housing complex.
The only problem with Two Medicine for your trip is that its a bit of a drive to get to/from the main Glacier attractions, and the day hike options are a bit limited, although it has what many would argue is the best day hike in Glacier, the Dawson-Pitamakin Loop. Also, Scenic Point, and Cobalt Lake/Two Medicine Pass are good hikes.

I think of the other "main" campgrounds, Rising Sun is my next favorite, it has a nice woodsy setting and isn't too large, and doesn't seem to have lots of RV's or trailers. Its right on the GTTSR, so the access is good for those hikes. St Mary's campground would also work, but most of its campsites are out in the open, not many trees or much shade.
Also, the Many Glacier valley is only about a 20 minute drive from either Rising Sun or St Mary's.

The Many Glacier campground, in my opinion isn't very "pretty", its in the middle of a dog-hair thicket of lodgepole pine, BUT it has awesome hiking options, BUT it also is almost always filled by noon or earlier, so its hard to find a campsite.

I've never camped on the west side, drove through the Avalanche Creek campground and it seemed really "busy", narrow roads, and small sites, so i didn't see a lot of Trailers or big RVs, but lots of people.
Driving through the Apgar campground I really had the feeling of being in a large housing complex or trailer park, but its still nice and in a pretty convenient locations.

Logging Lake or Quartz lake campgrounds might work for you, but they might be "too rustic"! Plus the road up to them is rough and slow, but that might not be a bad thing. Of those two I think Quartz Creek would be more scenic.

Bowman Lake isn't the prettiest campground (again with the dog-hair lodgepole), but the lake is nice and there's some nice hiking, and you won't see many (if any) rv's or trailers.
Never been to Kintla, but I've heard good things, and if remote and rustic are what you're looking for Kintla or Bowman might be a good choice. Only drawbacks may be the driving time to get there, and the hiking options, not sure if there would be 5-6 days of hikes there or not?

[Tara]

The Many Glacier campground, in my opinion isn't very "pretty", its in the middle of a dog-hair thicket of lodgepole pine, BUT it has awesome hiking options, BUT it also is almost always filled by noon or earlier, so its hard to find a campsite.

I've never camped on the west side, drove through the Avalanche Creek campground and it seemed really "busy", narrow roads, and small sites, so i didn't see a lot of Trailers or big RVs, but lots of people.
Driving through the Apgar campground I really had the feeling of being in a large housing complex or trailer park, but its still nice and in a pretty convenient locations.

Never been to Kintla, but I've heard good things, and if remote and rustic are what you're looking for Kintla or Bowman might be a good choice. Only drawbacks may be the driving time to get there, and the hiking options, not sure if there would be 5-6 days of hikes there or not?

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Ref...I think Many Glacier is very pretty. It's wooded but many of the sites have nice views of the surrounding mountains and even those that don't, it's only a matter of steps to see spectacular views. It's more wooded than Rising Sun, but the sites are more private although there are more RV's than at Rising Sun.

You will want to avoid Apgar if you don't like RV's.

I agree, Two Med is also very nice and does have RV's but it's such a nice campground that it might not bother you to have them.

Sprague is wonderful, as is Kintla...which is well worth the drive to get there. But Ref's right, if you want to stay in the same place for 5 nights then maybe it's not the best place.

You could also check out the Cutbank campground. I've never stayed there but plan to...it's primitive camping but a very nice setting and the road in means you'll have few if any RV's (I think they're allowed but I think we only saw tents). This is also a place you might not want to spend 5 nights.

Good luck with your planning and have a great trip!

[Hockey Ref]

The Many Glacier campground, in my opinion isn't very "pretty", its in the middle of a dog-hair thicket of lodgepole pine, BUT it has awesome hiking options, BUT it also is almost always filled by noon or earlier, so its hard to find a campsite.

I've never camped on the west side, drove through the Avalanche Creek campground and it seemed really "busy", narrow roads, and small sites, so i didn't see a lot of Trailers or big RVs, but lots of people.
Driving through the Apgar campground I really had the feeling of being in a large housing complex or trailer park, but its still nice and in a pretty convenient locations.

Never been to Kintla, but I've heard good things, and if remote and rustic are what you're looking for Kintla or Bowman might be a good choice. Only drawbacks may be the driving time to get there, and the hiking options, not sure if there would be 5-6 days of hikes there or not?

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Ref...I think Many Glacier is very pretty. It's wooded but many of the sites have nice views of the surrounding mountains and even those that don't, it's only a matter of steps to see spectacular views. It's more wooded than Rising Sun, but the sites are more private although there are more RV's than at Rising Sun.

You will want to avoid Apgar if you don't like RV's.

I agree, Two Med is also very nice and does have RV's but it's such a nice campground that it might not bother you to have them.

Sprague is wonderful, as is Kintla...which is well worth the drive to get there. But Ref's right, if you want to stay in the same place for 5 nights then maybe it's not the best place.

You could also check out the Cutbank campground. I've never stayed there but plan to...it's primitive camping but a very nice setting and the road in means you'll have few if any RV's (I think they're allowed but I think we only saw tents). This is also a place you might not want to spend 5 nights.

Good luck with your planning and have a great trip!

Wasn't me that said the MG campground isn't pretty!

[Finalshot]

if youre planing to camp that long, and you want primitive have you considered camping outside the park on national forest or tribal lands? There's a few National Forest campgrounds on the south end of the park, there's lots of places to pitch a tent, do you even need a "campground?" How primitive do you want and do you have to stay in the park proper?

[Apikuni]

My vote

East Side....Cut Bank Campground

West Side...Logging Creek Campground

[redchicago]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess by primitive, I mean vault toilets are fine and pumped potable water. We plan on spending some time on the east side and some on the west. Of the two sides, which side should we spend more nights at?

The first night I think we;ll stay at St. Mary since we won't be arriving until evening. Any loop recommendations?

I don't mind if there are RVs somewhere in a campground, I just want to avoid being right next to one. If sites are large enough and afford some privacy, I'm satisfied.

[Hockey Ref]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess by primitive, I mean vault toilets are fine and pumped potable water. We plan on spending some time on the east side and some on the west. Of the two sides, which side should we spend more nights at?

The first night I think we;ll stay at St. Mary since we won't be arriving until evening. Any loop recommendations?

I don't mind if there are RVs somewhere in a campground, I just want to avoid being right next to one. If sites are large enough and afford some privacy, I'm satisfied.

Most people on this site appear to prefer the east over the west side of the park, although both sides have their advocates. The Many Glacier region offers the best overall hiking opportunities on the east side, in my opinion, with many trails right outside your door. If you stay at St. Mary, you can access hiking along the GTTS Road (particularly in and around Logan Pass), and in the Two Medicine area, but you'll have to drive or take a shuttle to reach them.

The best day-hike loop probably is Dawson-Pitamakin in the Two Med region. It's a long day hike at 19 miles (17 if you take a boat ride on Two-Med Lake) and includes a 3,000-foot climb, but the views along the Continental Divide section are amazing.

[Montana09]

Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Glaciier for mid July. I will be staying 7 nights and 6 full days. I'd like to see both sides of the park (East and West), any campground suggestions.

We will be tent camping and would prefer more rustic campgrounds that doesn't have many or any rvs/trailers.

If people could suggest a couple places on each side, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

I spend about a month car camping Glacier every year so I have my favorites and my not so favorites. I can tell you that all of the campgrounds in Glacier are better than most other national parks. Also, the variety of campgrounds is superior to most other parks. The great thing with Glacier is the water - it's everywhere and is what makes the park special IMHO. Almost all the campgrounds have some sort of water or creek frontage - and if not directly, a very short walk away.

I enjoy all of the campgrounds, but my two favorites are Bowman Lake(west side) and Two Medicine(east side). You can see both of them by clicking my signature link and then using the clickable campground map. Two Medicine may not fit your criteria of "no RV's", but it's a wonderful campground with great hikes right from your tent. I prefer to stay there simply because it feels like home to me. Two Medicine and Prey Lake area really neat, and the camp store makes things convenient. I also find the fishing to be first rate(dry fly fishing from shore). Many Glacier is a popular choice but all the traffic at the dead-end roars into the campground during the busy season. You should still plan a day trtip to the area. Cut Bank campground has few RV's, but also few sites. You can check it out on the way to Many Glacier from Two Medicine.

For a unique spot on the west side, try to get the outer loop of Avlanche campground. The old growth forest there is remarkable and it's neat having your tent border those trees. I spent a lot of time photographing that area last fall.

[redchicago]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

The first night of the trip we'll be staying at St. Mary Campground for 1 night since we can get advanced reservations. We are coming from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, so we probably won't arrive until evening. Don't want to risk not finding a site.

any recommendation on nice sites or the best loops for tent camping?

[July Guy]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

The first night of the trip we'll be staying at St. Mary Campground for 1 night since we can get advanced reservations. We are coming from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, so we probably won't arrive until evening. Don't want to risk not finding a site.

any recommendation on nice sites or the best loops for tent camping?

It's been a couple years since we camped at St. Mary Campground. We made a reservation (so we could jump up to Many Glacier the next day). If I remember, with the reservation process, we were assigned a site and did not have a choice in the matter. At least you'll have a site waiting for you though.

[redchicago]

From the reservation system, it looks like you can actually choose a specific site. I guess it doesn't really matter.. not like we will be there very long.