Glacier National Park: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Many Glacier and Waterton

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Whitefish

   Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) to Whitefish

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Whitefish
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), between Kalispell and Whitefish in the Flathead Valley, and land by about 3 pm; we confirm the group pick-up times with your final itinerary. Your See Sight Tours guide meets you in arrivals, and it is about 25 minutes north to Whitefish, our base for three nights. Whitefish grew up as a railway town on the Great Northern line, and Amtrak's Empire Builder still stops at its 1920s depot. Downtown is a few walkable blocks of shops, galleries and restaurants, with Whitefish Lake a short way beyond and the ski runs of Big Mountain above the town. Check in and take a walk to stretch your legs. In the evening your guide briefs the group on the week ahead: what the Going-to-the-Sun Road is like, why tomorrow starts early, how to carry bear spray, and what you need for the day in Canada. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in town.

   Compris

   • Pick-up at Glacier Park International Airport (FCA)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner in Whitefish

   Temps libre : Free until the evening briefing

2. Jour 2 : The Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass

   Whitefish to West Glacier, along Lake McDonald and up the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass, then back

   • Environ 4 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Whitefish
   Détail du jour 2

   We leave Whitefish at about 6:15 am, because the car park at Logan Pass fills early on summer mornings and the light on the Garden Wall is best before mid-morning. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, finished in 1932, runs about 80 km across the park. Today we take its western half: the length of Lake McDonald, along McDonald Creek, then the climb cut into the cliffs past the Loop and the Weeping Wall to the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, 2,026 m. Large coaches cannot drive this stretch; our van is sized for the road's limits. From the visitor centre a boardwalk and trail climb through alpine meadows to the Hidden Lake Overlook, where mountain goats and bighorn sheep often graze beside the path. On the way down we stop at the Bird Woman Falls viewpoint and walk the boardwalk Trail of the Cedars at Avalanche Creek, then sit down to lunch by Lake McDonald. We are back in Whitefish in the late afternoon, and the evening is free.

   Compris

   • The Going-to-the-Sun Road from West Glacier to Logan Pass, at the pass by about 8:15 am
   • The Hidden Lake Overlook trail from Logan Pass
   • The Weeping Wall and the Bird Woman Falls viewpoint
   • Trail of the Cedars at Avalanche Creek
   • Sit-down lunch by Lake McDonald

   Option plus facile : Walk the first stretch of the Hidden Lake boardwalk through the meadows, then wait at the visitor centre while the others go on to the overlook. If the park has closed the trail for bear activity, everyone walks the meadows or the first stretch of the Highline Trail instead.

   Option plus active : Continue past the overlook down to the shore of Hidden Lake and back, about 8.5 km return in all, dropping about 230 m to the water and climbing back up.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free in Whitefish

   Activité : About 4.3 km return to the Hidden Lake Overlook with about 150 m of climb, above 2,000 m. Snow can lie on the trail into July, and the park sometimes closes it for bear activity; if so we walk the Logan Pass meadows or the first stretch of the Highline Trail instead. If cloud hides the pass, we swap days 2 and 3.

3. Jour 3 : Lake McDonald and the Middle Fork

   Whitefish to Apgar and Lake McDonald Lodge, then West Glacier and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, then back

   • Environ 2 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Whitefish
   Détail du jour 3

   A later start after yesterday's early one. We leave Whitefish at about 9 am for Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park at about 16 km long, and walk the shore at Apgar, where the water is clear enough to see the red, green and blue stones on the bottom. From Lake McDonald Lodge we take an hour-long cruise on the lake, with the peaks of the Continental Divide at its head, then sit down to lunch in West Glacier. In the afternoon a local rafting outfitter takes us down the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, which forms the park's southern boundary. Choose the scenic float, a gentle few hours on clear green water watching for ospreys and bald eagles, or the whitewater stretch through John Stevens Canyon, with Class II and III rapids. Splash gear and the river guides are included. We are back in Whitefish by late afternoon, and the evening and dinner are yours.

   Compris

   • The shore at Apgar on Lake McDonald
   • One-hour cruise on Lake McDonald from Lake McDonald Lodge
   • Sit-down lunch in West Glacier
   • Half-day raft trip on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River with a local outfitter, scenic float or whitewater

   Option plus facile : Take the scenic float rather than the whitewater, or skip the river and spend the afternoon at Apgar or back in Whitefish.

   Option plus active : The whitewater stretch through John Stevens Canyon, Class II and III rapids, paddling with the river guide.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Whitefish

   Activité : Rafting outfitters set minimum ages and ask about swimming ability. Bring a change of dry clothes and a warm layer for after the river.

4. Jour 4 : Over Marias Pass to Two Medicine and Many Glacier

   Whitefish along the Middle Fork to Marias Pass and East Glacier Park, then Two Medicine and north along the mountain front to Many Glacier

   • Environ 4 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Many Glacier
   Détail du jour 4

   We pack up after breakfast and leave Whitefish at about 8 am on US Highway 2, which follows the Middle Fork along the park's southern edge to Marias Pass, 1,589 m on the Continental Divide, where the Great Northern Railway crossed the mountains in the early 1890s. Beyond the pass the peaks drop away to the plains of the Blackfeet Reservation. In East Glacier Park we walk into the lobby of Glacier Park Lodge, built by the railway in 1913 around huge Douglas fir columns, and sit down to lunch in the village. After lunch we turn up the valley to Two Medicine Lake, a quieter corner of the park, with a short walk to Running Eagle Falls on the way. Then it is north along the edge of the mountains to Many Glacier, where we stay two nights, arriving in the late afternoon. At about four hours this is one of the longer days on the road, but it crosses the Divide without driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road twice, and four stops break it up. Dinner is included tonight.

   Compris

   • US Highway 2 along the Middle Fork to Marias Pass on the Continental Divide
   • The lobby of Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier Park
   • Sit-down lunch in East Glacier Park
   • Running Eagle Falls and Two Medicine Lake
   • Dinner in Many Glacier

   Option plus facile : Running Eagle Falls is about 1 km return on a flat, good path, and at Two Medicine you can stay on the lake shore.

   Activité : Wind at Marias Pass and Two Medicine can be strong and cold; keep a jacket in the van.

   

5. Jour 5 : A full day in Many Glacier

   Many Glacier: Swiftcurrent Lake, Lake Josephine and Grinnell Lake

   • En bateau
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Many Glacier
   Détail du jour 5

   Many Glacier is the valley most visitors see for a few hours on a day trip; we have it from dawn to dusk. If you want it, your guide walks down to Swiftcurrent Lake for sunrise, when the peaks often reflect in still water and moose sometimes feed along the edges. After breakfast we board the tour boat across Swiftcurrent Lake, walk a short portage and take a second boat across Lake Josephine. From the far landing a gentle trail of about 3 km return leads to Grinnell Lake, milky turquoise with glacier flour, under a cliff streaked with waterfalls. The easy group rides the boats back for a sit-down lunch and a free afternoon by the lake. Hikers carry a packed lunch on up the Grinnell Glacier trail. Late in the day we scan the slopes above the valley with binoculars: grizzly and black bears, bighorn sheep and mountain goats are often seen from the road and the lake shore, at a safe distance. Dinner is included again tonight.

   Compris

   • Optional sunrise walk at Swiftcurrent Lake with your guide
   • Tour boats across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine
   • Guided walk to Grinnell Lake
   • Sit-down lunch, or a packed lunch for the hikers
   • Evening wildlife watching with binoculars
   • Dinner in Many Glacier

   Option plus facile : Ride the boats there and back and stay near the Lake Josephine landing, or spend the day around Swiftcurrent Lake, whose loop trail is about 4 km and nearly flat.

   Option plus active : The Grinnell Glacier trail from the Lake Josephine boat to the overlook above Upper Grinnell Lake and the glacier, about 12 km return with about 490 m of climb. It usually opens in mid-July; earlier in the season we walk to Redrock Falls instead.

   Temps libre : Afternoon free in Many Glacier

   Activité : Bear spray is provided, and your guide shows you how to carry and use it. Boat timetables change with the season and are confirmed with your final itinerary.

   

6. Jour 6 : St. Mary Lake and over the border to Waterton

   Many Glacier to St. Mary Lake and Sun Point, then north over the Chief Mountain border crossing to Waterton Lakes National Park

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Waterton Park
   Détail du jour 6

   After breakfast we drive down the valley and a short way up the east side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road to St. Mary Lake, for the view this side of the road is known for: Wild Goose Island, a small pine-topped rock in the middle of the lake, with the peaks rising behind. From Sun Point a walk of about 2 km return leads down to Baring Falls. Then we head north through Blackfeet country to the Chief Mountain crossing, open only in summer, and into Alberta with passports in hand. Waterton Lakes and Glacier together form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, created in 1932 and listed by UNESCO in 1995. After lunch in the townsite we take the cruise down Upper Waterton Lake, which crosses the international border between steep mountain walls. Later, walk to Cameron Falls at the edge of town and watch for the mule deer that wander the streets. Many slopes are still recovering from the 2017 Kenow wildfire, green again with young pines and fireweed. We end the day on the bluff by the Prince of Wales Hotel, high above the lake, before a farewell dinner.

   Compris

   • Sun Point, Wild Goose Island and the walk to Baring Falls on St. Mary Lake
   • The Chief Mountain border crossing into Canada
   • Entry to Waterton Lakes National Park
   • Sit-down lunch in Waterton
   • Cruise on Upper Waterton Lake
   • Cameron Falls and the Prince of Wales Hotel bluff
   • Farewell dinner in Waterton

   Option plus facile : Skip the Baring Falls walk and stay at the Sun Point viewpoint; Cameron Falls is a few steps from the road, and we drive up to the hotel bluff.

   Option plus active : The Bear's Hump trail above the townsite, about 2.8 km return with about 200 m of climb, for the view down the length of Upper Waterton Lake.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon free in Waterton

   Activité : Keep your passport with you, not in your suitcase. Whether the cruise stops at Goat Haunt on the US shore depends on that year's border arrangements; we confirm the timetable with your final itinerary.

7. Jour 7 : East Glacier and home

   Waterton over the border to St. Mary, south to East Glacier Park, then west over Marias Pass to Glacier Park International Airport (FCA)

   • Environ 5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   Détail du jour 7

   We leave Waterton at about 7:30 am and cross back into Montana at Chief Mountain, then follow the mountain front south past St. Mary, with long views east across Blackfeet country. At East Glacier Park we stop for coffee by the railway station, where the Empire Builder calls in summer. Then it is west again over Marias Pass and down the Middle Fork, stopping at the Goat Lick overlook, where mountain goats come down to a natural mineral lick above the river, most often in early summer. We lunch in West Glacier and reach Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) by about 3 pm. Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm. At about 290 km and four and three-quarter hours at the wheel, this is the longest day of the trip and over our usual four-hour limit: Waterton lies north of the border, and the only way back to the airport that avoids re-crossing Logan Pass on a flight day runs round the south end of the park. The border, coffee, the Goat Lick and lunch split it into short legs. If you are staying on, we drop you in Whitefish instead.

   Compris

   • The Chief Mountain border crossing back into the US
   • Coffee stop in East Glacier Park
   • The Goat Lick overlook on the Middle Fork
   • Sit-down lunch in West Glacier
   • Drop-off at Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), or in Whitefish

   Option plus facile : For an earlier flight we skip the coffee stop, the Goat Lick and lunch and reach the airport by about 1 pm.

   Activité : Book a flight leaving Glacier Park International Airport after about 5 pm.

   

Faune et météo : Late June can still bring snow at Logan Pass and closed upper trails. July and August are warm, often 20 to 28 C in the valleys, with afternoon thunderstorms and cold nights at Many Glacier. September brings first frosts, autumn colour and fewer people. Late-summer wildfire smoke can haze the views, and fires sometimes close roads or trails. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.

• Whitefish3 nuits
• Many Glacier2 nuits
• Waterton Park1 nuit