Glacier National Park

[Donkey Hoatie]

My brothers and I are hitting up Glacier in a couple of weeks for backpacking/hiking. We'll be there about 4-5 days. Any of you been there before? Trying to figure out which sights to see while we're there. Also, do I need to bring a passport with me to get into the Canadian portion of the park?

[Mikey]

Never been there but this pic makes me want to visit bigtime

Reminds me of the Matterhorn

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Many_glacier_hotel.jpg/800px-Many_glacier_hotel.jpg

[Mawni]

I have. It's a beautiful place! I worked in Waterton National Park which is the Canadian sister park just across the border.

I think they would let you in with just a driver's licence. You can take a boat that goes into Waterton. I cross the border a lot with a passport but other people crossing have been telling me you don't need one.

[Saroyan]

Oh yes- I worked at Lake McDonald Lodge the summer of 1991!

The places easiest to access- Apgar, Lake McDonald Lodge, Trail of Cedars...etc. get lots of tourist since they are easy access. If you want to go in a little deeper, check out the hikes to Sperry and Granite Park Chalet (s) any of the trails by Saint Mary's lake- really it's all good. Less traffic the earlier in the day you can start. Also know that it rained nearly every single day in June- and quite a bit in July as well- not all day- but a passing shower. That means rain down low but snow fall in the higher elevations.

Have you ever done much hiking \camping in bear country? They are serious about the Bear precautions- (Night of the Grizzly happened in Glacier- 2 fatal bear attacks the same night). Also there have been Bobcat attacks but that usually happens to kids since they look like the right size for big cats to eat.

When I was there, a drivers license would get you over the border to Canada- don't know if that's still true. Waterton is beautiful little town and the Prince of Whales hotel is a nice site- but you could skip that based on the distance and additional travel time.

Be advised if you have never been through a reservation town- Browning is really depressing and a little scary!

Lastly- if you are passing through Kalispell, stop in Moose's Saloon for pizza!

http://www.usparklodging.com/glacier/lakemcdonald.php

http://www.moosessaloon.com/

[Donkey Hoatie]

Thanks Saroyan. I have indeed done hiking/camping in the past. Did the backcountry thing in Yellowstone a couple of times. However, considering that Glacier has about a bajillion more grizzlies than Yellowstone, we're going to stick to group camp sites this time around. Not bringing any kids and considering the 3 of us average about 6' 1" and 230 pounds of solid mass and look like we could be the linebacking corps for an NFL franchise, I think we're OK with bobcats steering clear of us. We've got a couple canisters of bear spray and make plenty of noise any time we're on the trails, especially when approaching a blind curve. Don't worry, we're very respectful of the power of these types of animals in the wild. In fact, the last time we were in Yellowstone, we actually found ourselves being watched intently by a couple of wolves. That was a bit disconcerting, especially knowing how smart those things are.

Not sure exactly what day hikes we're going to be doing, but we're going to try to mix up a couple of longer 15+ mile hikes with some shorter 5-6 mile ones. We've heard it's beautiful there and can't wait to see it, even if it's raining/snowing.

[Mawni]

If you find a place that serves "Moose Drool" beer on tap-give it a try! I think it is delicious.