Glacier National Park, Montana

metaoblivia

I'm thinking about spending a few days in Glacier National Park in Montana this summer, July specifically. Because rooms tend to sell out quickly, I've already put down a deposit for a 5 day visit, but that's refundable if I change my mind.

I'd love to do some hiking, horseback riding, boating, and just break away from modern society for a few days. I've wanted to go to a US national park for a while now. The one thing I'm concerned about is I've never had a vacation in a remote area like this. I've always gone to cities before. And also - this might sound like a joke, but I'm completely serious - I'm a little worried about the native fauna. They have grizzly bears and several species of large wild cats, which I'd love to see, but not under the circumstance of them eating me. I'll be traveling by myself, and I'm not one to go drifting off the trails - I've seen too many of those shows about people getting lost in the wilderness. But animals don't really pay much heed to whether you're on a trail or not!

So has anyone ever been? Any advice? Any experiences to share? It doesn't have to be strictly related to Glacier National Park if you've gone to another place that's similar. Thanks!

This is the site I've been using so far: http://www.gpihr.com/

JohnMearsheimer

I lived in Banff National Park in Canada for a few months which isn't too far away from Glacier National Park. We had similar flora and fauna in BNP that they'll have in Glacier National Park. It's not recommended to go hiking by yourself even if you stay on the trails. It's probably best to join a guided hike or if that's not possible try to pair up with 2 or 3 more people. You'll probably find people at the trail heads waiting for a group of people to gather so everyone can go hiking.

Bears will probably be quite active at that time of year. They'll be stocking up on food before they begin hibernation. Surprisingly most of their diet is berries. If you see a bear you're meant to make a lot of noise to let it know you're there. A bear will smell/hear a bunch of people out hiking and most likely will move away. Don't surprise a bear, they don't like being surprised and could charge you. Keep food covered as well. You can buy things like bear bells or bear spray but more than likely you won't need any of that. Cats like lynxs will probably be quite elusive, I've only ever seen them in a wild life sanctuary. Parks Canada always told us that the most dangerous animal in the park was moose because there's lots of them and they like to charge.

InTheTrees

There's a pretty good overnight train service from Seattle to Whitefish just south. You can also get the train from Chicago.

metaoblivia

Thanks for the replies! Amtrak actually has two stations on either side of the park. However, the trains are not only more expensive than flying, they also eat up a lot of travel time. I'm coming from Orlando and it would be a 2 day trip in one direction to get there. Even if I flew into Seattle or Chicago, I'd still have to buy the flight, purchase the train ticket and add an extra travel day on my schedule, plus the added expense of traveling by train. By contrast, I can get a fairly good price on a plane ticket from Orlando to Kalispell, which is 25 miles south of the park. I would love to travel across the US by train one day, but it's not on the cards right now.

InTheTrees

metaoblivia wrote: »

I would love to travel across the US by train one day, but it's not on the cards right now.

This is true the train is an experience in itself.

I've done it once from Minneapolis to Seattle and am now desperate to go again. I've tentatively planned a trip with my GF:

From Seattle, Train with a cabin overnight to Glacier, one night there, then train overnight back to Seattle.

Staying at this place: http://www.izaakwaltoninn.com/

Its an old railroad construction camp turned into a hotel on the rail line.

Killer Wench

I've ridden the train from Chicago to Seattle many times and I even drove from Seattle to Chicago through Montana. I have stayed at Glacier National Park. I stayed on a guest ranch outside of Browning, Montana, on the Blackfeet Reservation. The Blackfeet do tours during the summer months and they show you historical and cultural spots in Glacier Park. They also will have powwows and rodeos going on during those months. There was a pretty neat little bed/breakfast hostel in East Glacier Park Village. I think it was called Brownies - they used to have group hikes from there.

http://www.brownieshostel.com/

dodderangler

If you are worried about bears go with a group and a guide and he/she will explain what to do
Make loads of noise in forest and let bears know you are there
They will clear off
Bear attacks happen when a person has stumbled upon a bear and surprised it or a female with cubs
Let all animals know your present and you'll be fine
Main animal to worry bout is moose as mentioned
Big male moose is very aggressive in autumn and will charge without hesitation
I plan to go to Vancouver to visit a mate In September and according to him I will see plenty of wildlife including the famous bald eagles that surround Vancouver coast