Alex on the Map offers outdoor, hiking, and national park tips and info in order to make getting outside accessible. She loves helping women have their most epic adventures in the outdoors.
Hey Alex! Love your channel, new subscriber! My husband and I are taking our first trip to Glacier on October 3-6 this year. We’re staying near West Glacier.. will grocery stores and restaurants still be open around this time? Thanks!
@@Alx_mckn hey, there! Nice to meet you! Any restaurants or grocery stores in Whitefish and Columbia Falls will definitely be open. There will be a few near the park open too!
These GTX Salomons did me well. Had 2 pairs which I hiked from the Himalayas to Machu Picchu. The lifespan were about 5 years for both pairs. Where they first showed end of life was where the top of the boot met the footbed.
I live in North Carolina and we have fireflies all the time.. you don't have to go to a national park to see this you just have to live outside of the city.. and you should probably lower your sugar and gluten intake it will help your eyes..
When you say you need a reservation to hike the highline trail, does that only apply to if you are entering the park from the west entrance? I dont know if im misunderstanding the reservation system but i thought if you enter through st mary then no reservation is needed?? Thank you!
Hi Alex. Thanks for letting me know about getting in before 6 am to drive the going to the sun road. Another question is if i arrive after 9 sepember, will i still need a ticket and park pass after 6 am? Thanks
Nice info but it would be great if you can put some photos or on screen write ups to note down the names. for 1st timers we are not accustomed to these places.
Since they run frequently, I'd look to arrive about 30 minutes before. Depends when you plan on going, but two hours is a long time to wait! And yes--you will need to wait at transfer stops.
Hi Alex! The first day of our trip we are planning on leaving East Glacier and driving up to the ciry of Waterton for the day (we are not going on any hikes). We will have all of our "stuff" with us since we cannot check into our lodging back in Many Glacier until the middle of the afternoon. This means that we will have our bear spray packed in the car. Do you think we will have any problems at the Canadian Border with this?
Hi, there! There's no guarantee that they won't take it away, but I would "declare" it at the border and they'll probably let you through just fine. I crossed it last year with bear spray and let them know, and they were all good with it.
Hi Alex, Since you know all about Glacier Nation Park, i wanted to ask and be sure of something. If i can in the park before 6 am, can i drive the complete going to the sun road? Thanks
my parents ashes were put at the far end of Avalanche Lake (2012 and 2017). my parents loved that hike. we first hiked together in 1983 and most every other time they visited from Minnesota for the next 20 years. looking out at Heaven's Peak seems appropriate i visited it every Mother's Day and Father's Day in remembrance until i moved away (Ecuador) from Whitefish (where i lived from 1982-2021)
Couldn't make it to the Sun Road, we all started getting woozy of heights, made about 1 hour in then had to turn around, was fun tho what we did see, I'll watch the rest on utube 😅
My dad drives shuttles for the park, they are definitely useful, a lot of people don’t like them but I mean I would rather have them than not! If you want to ride up to Logan pass it’s definitely worth the wait, rather than having to concentrate on driving the road, you get to enjoy the experience with the big windows.
Such a useful video! Thank you! I’m planning on hiking Grinnel Glacier trail the end of July and of course reservations are booked until the night before. From what I have collected, I won’t need a reservation at all if I get the to the trail around 5 am?
We were just at glacier and the reservation system was no big deal as long as you were at a reliable cell signal. Got ours both days that we wanted. Also, go at mid morning the lines are short
Thanks for the helpful info! I am feeling overwhelmed and worried that without a vehicle pass we may be limited in our hiking opportunities. We will be arriving the Tuesday after Labor day. Is it notably less crowded after Labor day? When does the fall hours shuttle times start?
Hi Alex, great video and full of good advice. I am coming to Glacier NP and would like to know the likliness that the 2 Medicine Rd into the park will be closed, as well as the Rt49 highway that leads to to the 2 Medicine from East Glacier would be open. Overall in early to mid October is it not a good idea to visit Glacier NP due to road closings?
Hey, there! Unless there is a lot of snow, it’s likely that the road will still be open! Facilitates will be closed, but that’s one of my favorite times to visit the park!
I had heard from many sources about getting in early to the parking lots for some of these super-popular places. With that in mind, we were considering getting in super early as suggested but essentially tailgating in the parking lot for breakfast (i.e. use a small grill to make coffee, etc. but nothing too fancy). Do you know if we're going to catch flack for this or be discouraged? Obviously we are aiming to do this away from other parking spots/cars as to not be a nuisance to others using the lot (possibly at a picnic table if they have any there) but I would hate to *plan* for this only to have someone like a ranger tell us we shouldn't be doing it. I had read on reddit this wouldn't be a problem but it would be nice to hear it from someone else who has been there as well. I appreciate the advice!
You should be fine! Just make sure your grill is propane. The park is open 24/7 technically. Some people even stay overnight at Logan Pass to get night photography.
@@AlexontheMap Thank you so much! Yes, our grill is propane! I truly appreciate your response as it gives me great comfort! This will be our first time in Glacier but I've never had to do so much planning in advance for a National Park! Looking forward to it all the same! Best wishes!!
Thank you for the informative video! Question. Do we (my partner and I) each need a standard pass and then just one private vehicle pass? We are planning on bringing our car.
Just FYI from Texas, we thought we'd be able to find cheap Styrofoam coolers once we got to Glacier to put our groceries in. No luck - we had to buy trash bags to put ice in to cool our lunch/dinner food. Bring a soft cooler if you plan to buy lunch/dinners you want to ice before you get to your lodging. I also like that you told about people leaving bear spray at the resorts. Ask car rental, hotels, etc. before you buy. We actually had someone at a cafe give us theirs, and we did the same on our way home. Most people don't actually use theirs so it's not that hard to find.
Great information! Our favorite pictures on the GTTSR were from the Wild Goose Island turnout - so glad you mentioned this! It's just a fabulous view (if you can avoid the Instagramers). We had to wait on a photoshoot. Worth the wait, such a pretty view.
Have questions about which hikes need reservations? Don't forget to check out my blog post on Glacier's reservation system in 2024: alexonthemap.com/glacier-national-park-reservations/
Hey, there! It depends how you are planning on getting to Many Glacier. If you are going west to east on Going-to-the-Sun, then you will need a reservation for that. If you are taking Highway 2, then you only need it for Many Glacier. Regardless, you will need a reservation for Many Glacier if you plan on being in the park in between the hours of 6:00 am and 3:00 pm. Hope this helps!
So glad this is helpful! Makes my day! I would recommend about a month before your trip for rafting and horseback riding, and as soon as you can with boat tours--they tend to book up fast!
As always, I have a corresponding blog post on all my videos that you might want to check out! Here's the one on the Highline: alexonthemap.com/highline-trail/
