Glacier Nat Park

[rjansen518]

We are planning a trip from Minneapolis MN to Glacier Nat Park early
June via Medora ND. Any advice on RV parks or interesting sites? Pulling 24' trailer.

[NYCgrrl]

dave54 wrote:
If you are in Glacier before the road opens a special opportunity exists. The road is closed to vehicles, but open to nonmotorized use. You can bicycle the Going to the Sun road without dodging cars and breathing diesel exhaust.

Now that sounds like a good thing!

[dave54]

If you are in Glacier before the road opens a special opportunity exists. The road is closed to vehicles, but open to nonmotorized use. You can bicycle the Going to the Sun road without dodging cars and breathing diesel exhaust.

[NCWriter]

We're also going to Glacier this summer - glad to get all the input folks gave on the campgrounds. We booked the KOA on the east side of the park - one reason was that the Red Bus tour will pick up at right at the campground.

[zigzagrv]

If you are in the Medora area Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nearby. Well worth a day or two in the park with the ND badlands.

[Army11Bravo]

Mount Rushmore and Little Bighorn are great stops along the way. I live just outside Glacier National Park, and in years with typical snowfall, the snowplowing crews start plowing the 52-mile "Going to the Sun Road" in April and finish around mid to late June. This weekend we are getting hit with another foot of snow and GNP will see 2-3 feet. This year will be above average snowfall, so I wouldn't expect the entire road opened until closer to the 4th of July.

As far as campgrounds, St. Mary Campground inside the east side of the park is very nice. Camping here will allow you to access the east side of the park even with the road closed at Logan Pass on the continental divide. Camping on the west side, the West Glacier KOA is very nice with plenty of amenities. For a cheaper spot inside the park, Apgar Campground is just inside the west entrance and nicely wooded with great bike trails.

Just know that you cannot pull a trailer over the Going to the Sun Road, you must drive around the southern part of the park on Highway 2. However, you can explore lots of the park in a tow vehicle no matter if the summit is cleared of snow or not.

Enjoy your trip!

[azdryheat]

Duplicate post

[azdryheat]

Re: West Glacier KOA. We stayed there three years ago and their best space was beautiful and priced in the mid $80's. It's now $116 for that space and mid $80's for their standard space. KOA's, for the most part, are getting way too expensive. We're going to Glacier in July and have found a nice park in Kalispell for $38 a night.

[Lauren]

West Glacier KOA is one of the best and loaded with amenities - but you pay for it.

The west side is the more commercial; the east side has more hiking, etc. The KOA on the east side is good.

[Dick_B]

Search this Forum for `Glacier'. Also do the same search in the RV Parks section. Take your hiking boots. The 600 steps path to Hidden Lake is a very popular hike. I'd post a photo but I don't know how.

[Ed_Gee]

I don't generally care for KOA's but the West Glacier KOA park near the west entrance to the National Park is quite exceptional.

[coolmom42]

Stop at the Little Big Horn National Battlefield. Well worth a day; it's historic and beautiful.

Also, the Big Horn County Museum is really interesting.

Both of these are off I-90, between the Wyoming state line and the I-94 junction.

Marias Pass on the south end of the park is expected to get up to 5 feet of snow in the next 2 days. Logan Pass may not be open until late July this year!

But there is lots to see even if Going to the Sun road is not open all the way across the park. Well worth going.

[Bayerlake]

Stop along the way to see Mt. Rushmore, Hill City. and Deadwood. We went in late August/early September. No crowds and very interesting. Found many campgrounds along the way.

[ReneeG]

With a 24' trailer, you could stay at any of the campgrounds within the park and I would recommend that you do. The GNP website has a page on the status of the campgrounds and fill times. If you need hookups, then there are many RV parks outside the gate. Mountain Meadows and the KOA we've stayed at on the West Side and the KOA on the East side is good too. Visit all the sites within the park taking the time to stop at Lake McDonald and walk the shore to see the colorful pebbles at the shore. On the South side around the park on Hwy 2, stop at Goat Lick. The Goats travel there every day to lick the salt there. We've been there three times and still see something new.

[Allworth]

Big Horn

[Alabama_Jim]

The going to the sun road is beautiful. A lot times it does not open until the third week of June, due to snow. If you do get to drive it, plan on spending a full day at the top where the ranger station is. It will be worth your time waling on a glacier and you may see a long horn sheep (also called rams).