Glacier Natl. Park

Also will be going to Banff and Lake Louise Canada and would like to know if making a base in US and travel to Canada would be best.

No. It's 6 hours from Glacier to Banff, and then another 3.5 hours or so between Banff & Jasper. It's about 2.5 hours or so between Glacier and Waterton, so that's feasible to do from one spot. You really want to minimize your driving between all of the spots you want to visit.

don't miss waterton national park just across the border from glacier.
it is every bit as impressive with a lot less people.

We love Glacier Meadow RV Park in Essex MT. It's between the east and west entrances to Glacier. Reasonable rates, long level pull thrus. Water and electric with pump service for tanks 2x a week. Don't miss Izaak Walton Inn in Essex. Go up east side of Going to Sun one day and the west side another day. Stop along the way and enjoy the views.
We went into Canada in the RV, stayed 10 days then returned to the US.
check www.rvparkreviews.com for Tunnel Mountain campgrounds in Banff. We stayed at Mount Kidd RV Park in Kananaskis AB and drove to Banff and Lake Louise.
Agree Hwy 287 from Helena, then take US2 west at Browning. For a reasonable overnight stop, in Shelley ID, North Bingham County Park worked for us. Envelope pay $20.00.

Uncle Rj wrote:
There is so much to see and do in those areas. What are your interests? Are you traveling with kids?

These places are basically my backyard so if you give us a few more details I will happily provide some recommendations. I live in Calgary but spend a lot of the summer in Montana, right outside of Glacier National Park.

A general comment though, making a base in the US and traveling to Lake Louise is not very practical unless you are going to overnight in a hotel. It is a 6 hour trip one-way from the east side of Glacier to Lake Louise and that doesn't account for any time at the border crossing.

I'm planning on making a trip to Alaska in 2018 and Glacier NP will be my first stop. I would really be interested in things to do in the area. I'm a photographer and I'm looking for scenery and wildlife.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and tips.it gives us a great starting point to work with.

watching

What dates are you planning to do this??? Glacier - Going to the Sun Road - often doesn't even open until July... keep that in mind when planning! ST

I guess we need a little more information - how long do you have for this trip? Do you want to take in other national parks along the way? Do you need full hookup parks or will dry camping be o.k.?

The most direct route from Flagstaff, AZ to East Glacier is Hwy 89 North to Panguitch, Utah (could take in Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park) then west on Hwy 20 ti I-15.

Take I-15 north toward Butte, Montana. You could take in Grand Teton Nat'l Park and Yellowstone Nat'l Park.

I-15 to Hwy 287 at Wolf Creek, Montana to East Glacier.

That would be 1200 miles without any side trips - 4 days @300 mi./day which is good for RVs. Of course, there are many scenic ways to go rather than the interstate...depends on your time and what kinds of things you want to see/do.

How long do you have for this trip? That will influence the recommendations.

You could easily spend two weeks in Glacier and two weeks in the Canadian Rockies. From California to Jasper and back, that trip took us six weeks.

Here is a link to the first of several posts from that trip:

Part One of Seven

Not the shortest leave AZ to Cortez CO. for basecamp to visit Mesa Verde and Durango. Then to Montrose CO for Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Then to Rifle Falls State Park CO. Then either through Yellowstone to Glacier or bit longer through Mount Rushmore area of South Dakota.