I’m vicariously living through my past self (and her ability to freely travel in a COVID-free world and visit national parks)…so I decided it was a good time to post about my five day trip to Glacier in Montana in 2018!
While much of the park is closed right now, I hope this 5-day Glacier National Park itinerary will help anyone planning on visiting once things open up. If you think you’ll be there for fewer than five days, I also mention the highlights of our visit at the bottom of this post.
For reference, we visited in June. At that point, Going-to-the-Sun Road was still partially closed due to snow, so we didn’t have access to the entire park. That said, we still got a lot in, and had an incredible time!
Five Days in Glacier National Park (and Waterton Lakes!)
Day 1 – First Full Day in Glacier
We arrived the evening before and checked into Glacier Park Lodge.
On our first full day, we headed out to Two Medicine Lake. There, we hiked along South Shore Trail and Paradise Point. It was rainy, so we didn’t hike too far, but decided we’d come back later on a clearer day! We did decide to do a short hike (really just a walk) to Running Eagle Falls, which is just a few minutes down the road from Two Medicine Lake. Very pretty, and a great option if you’re looking for easy to access viewpoints in Glacier.
After visiting Running Eagle Falls, we got in the car and made our way up north to St. Mary Lake (a little over an hour drive). We found a pretty spot on the side of the road to park and eat our lunch in the car (rainy day problems).
Once we were done with lunch, we headed over to Sunrift Gorge (towards the western edge of St. Mary Lake). It’s super easy to access – it’s just a quick walk up the trail from Siyeh Pass Trailhead. You can also walk under Going-to-the-Sun Road from the trailhead to see more of the creek, and can continue down the trail for 0.7 miles to see Baring Falls. Definitely a beautiful area to stop by if you’re headed down Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Once we were done, we got back in the car to head over to the historic Many Glacier Hotel, which is about an hour and a half away. We checked in, walked around Swiftcurrent Lake, drank some beer while sitting by the fire, and got some rest!
Sunrift Gorge and the view of Swiftcurrent Lake from Many Glacier Hotel
Day 2 – Day Trip to Waterton Lakes
Day two of our Glacier National Park itinerary…wasn’t actually in Glacier! We decided to cross the border and visit Waterton Lakes National Park and the town of Waterton Park in Alberta, Canada, which was an hour and a half away from our hotel.
Waterton Lakes is absolutely gorgeous. If you have the time in your Glacier itinerary, I highly recommend you head up there. Beautiful surroundings, a historic hotel, and a super cute town – what more could you want?
Half of the fun of this day trip was actually stopping at viewpoints/pretty areas as we were driving to Waterton Park.
Two of our favorite pit stops were Maskinonge Overlook (where we saw some brown bears!) and Driftwood Beach (where you get great views of the Prince of Wales Hotel). If you like to take photos, these are both great spots!
Once we got into town, we walked around and stopped at Thirsty Bear Kitchen + Bar for beers and lunch. After lunch, we drove over to Prince of Wales Hotel to check it out. The building has such a cool, old-timey charm, and you get great views of the town and the surrounding area from the back lawn, so I highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area!
Once we were done at Prince of Wales, we decided to drive back to Many Glacier Hotel. We laid low that night since we had a pretty busy day. We just enjoyed the views of Swiftcurrent Lake from the back patio.
Day 3 – Grinnell Glacier Hike
Day three of our Glacier National Park itinerary was dedicated to exploring and hiking around Many Glacier.
We took a boat across Swiftcurrent Lake, and then went on a super short (0.2 miles) walk along Grinnell Glacier Trail. From there, we boarded another boat on the shore of Lake Josephine.
This second boat then took us to the opposite side of the lake. You can access the trails without the boats, but I highly recommend taking them. It’s a great way to take in the views and learn a bit more about the area!
You can find out more about these boat rides here. Reservations fill up fast, so make sure you make one ahead of time!
Once we got off the second boat, we hiked part of the Grinnell Lake Trail around Lake Josephine. That trail connects to Grinnell Glacier Trail, so we hiked up there to get a view of Grinnell Lake.
It was a pretty busy day of hiking, so once we took the boats back, we laid low and repeated the routine from the last two nights (AKA we enjoyed another sunset over Swiftcurrent Lake).
Day 4 – More Exploring
Since it was a clear day, we decided to head back to Two Medicine Lake. Since we weren’t dealing with rain, we hiked to Aster Falls and Aster Park Overlook, which is accessible from South Shore Trailhead. (For reference, on the All Trails page linked above, we did the section that goes along Aster Creek).
After finishing the hike and spending some time hanging out by Two Medicine, we made our way towards Whitefish, where we stayed at an Airbnb for our final two nights. The drive from Two Medicine is two hours, but of course, we made a few stops along the way for A. viewpoints, and B. coffee and food.
Once in town, we got some groceries to make some food at home, and called it a night.
Aster Falls, Aster Park Overlook, & Two Medicine Lake
Day 5 – Final Full Day of our Glacier National Park Itinerary
On our final full day in Glacier, we drove back into the park from Whitefish to hike Avalanche Trail to Avalanche Lake. Heads up: parking around here was a nightmare. I’d recommend getting out early if you can to beat the crowds!
This trail is very pretty and a fairly easy hike. Of course, pretty + easy = crowds…this definitely was one of the most heavily trafficked trails we went on! That said, I still highly recommend it. The hike is gorgeous from start to finish, and Avalanche Lake is beautiful.
Of course, a rainstorm started right as we got to Avalanche Lake. We enjoyed the view while trying to keep ourselves (and our cameras) dry, and then made our way back.
Back towards the start of the trail is the Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail. This mile loop has decking the entire way, making it great for accessibility. It’s a super gorgeous walk through very dense trees, so you definitely won’t want to miss it if you’re doing the Avalanche Trail!
Once back in Whitefish, we had dinner in town at Great Northern Brewing Company. Sadly it’s now closed, but there are a lot of restaurants and bars in the area. After that, we headed back to our house to rest up before flying home the next morning.
My Absolute Favorite Spots in Glacier
And that is our five day Glacier National Park itinerary! I truly loved every moment of our visit to Glacier and wouldn’t pass on anything we did if I were to go back.
That said, if you have less time in Glacier, my absolute favorite spots and moments from our trip were Two Medicine Lake, the Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier Trails, Avalanche Lake Trail, and our day trip to Waterton Lakes (doesn’t narrow it down much…it’s hard to choose!).
Of course, I have my fingers crossed that next time I go Going-to-the-Sun Road will be open. I definitely want to do Highline Trail!
If you’ve been to Glacier, let me know your favorite spots! And if you’re planning your itinerary, feel free to reach out with any questions.