Our first time at Glacier National Park offered one incredible surprise after the next.

September 5-14, 2025

Glacier National Park, Montana

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23: 1-2

At the tail end of an incredible summer, a stop was waiting for us that had absolutely everything we were looking forward to. After being on our list for years, we were extra excited to go to Glacier National Park because:

it’s a popular national park none of us had been to before
we’d get to see actual glaciers
my parents were meeting us there!

Our first glacial surprise unfolded as we rolled into town. My sister, Courtney, surprised us by joining the adventure! I found out she was coming the day before our arrival, and the kids found out once we had all arrived. It was SO fun seeing Aunt CoCo surprise them!

Between the incredible views and the soul-filling family time, I (once again) took way too many pictures. So the best way to share this with you is through hikes and areas of the park we explored.

I’m also hoping this doubles as a short guide for anyone wanting to visit this hard-to-reach, sometimes overcrowded, but oh so worth it national park. A few of the travel tips I learned are at the end.

Here goes!

Going to the Sun Road

One of our first days in the park, we did a driving tour on the famed Going to the Sun Road—the notoriously narrow, windy road that crosses the park from east to west. My parents purposefully rented a car that could seat all seven of us, so we could ride through the park and listen to our favorite audio tour all together.

Along the way, we stopped for views in Logan Pass, hiked to Hidden Lake, and spotted a black bear crossing McDonald Creek!

Many Glacier: Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier

One of the signature hikes in Glacier is a 10-mile round-trip hike to Grinnell Glacier in the Many Glacier area. This popular hike had limited parking this year due to construction, so hikers were required to get a reservation to ride a hiker shuttle to access the area.

Our first attempt at hiker shuttle, we only got two passes, so Nick and I went on an 11-mile hike date. The hike was wonderful, but we hit the weather wrong. We hiked all the way to the top and couldn’t see the glacier (or even the lake hardly) due to fog and clouds.

The great thing about planning five days on this side of the park was having time to try again. Two days later we secured hiker shuttle permits for our whole group and went back to Many Glacier on a sunny, clear sky day. The hike winds up a mountainside along three different lakes, so even before you get to the glacier, there are water views almost the whole time.

As you can see in the photos, the air was pretty smoky from nearby wildfires. So, as usual, the pictures don’t do justice to the beauty around us.

Nick, Sadie, Courtney and I continued to the top and were rewarded with a beautiful view of ice-blue Upper Grinnell Lake. And thanks to abundant sunshine, we finally got to see Grinnell Glacier!

Sadie insisted on touching the glacier, so she and Nick hiked that way.

The hike down held some fun surprises. Here we enjoyed the lush green hillside and maroon rock layers carpeted with bright green bushes and wildflowers. We scored delightful appearances by mountain goats and bighorn sheep beside the trail!

The hike to the glacier and back was 10-12 miles. Some family members took the boat back, shaving off the last two miles. I was so proud of my parents who joined us from sea level and hiked 6+ miles round-trip to beautiful Lake Grinnell Overlook, about 6,000 feet up.

*All in all, an epic family hike! Tho one of us was ready to quit…*

Moon Rise over St. Marys

Because of the smoky skies while we were there, we didn’t get to do any stargazing. But my sister insisted we head back into the park after sunset to watch the Blood Moon rise. And wow. What. A. Show.

West Glacier: Lake McDonald & Rocky Point

After five wonderful days on the east side, we packed up and headed to the west side of the park. From here, we hiked Rocky Point and enjoyed Lake McDonald and beautiful McDonald Creek. We enjoyed last days with my sister before she flew back.

Logan Pass: The Highline & Grinnell Glacier Overlook

Nick and I were eyeing a 15-mile hike called The Highline, which quite a bit longer than the kids wanted to do. My parents offered to hang out with them so we could go. Nick and I packed our bags, set an alarm for 4 a.m., and drove the hour and a half across the park to snag a parking spot at the very limited Logan Pass Visitor Center. We pulled in at 6:05 and by 6:20 a.m. the lot was completely full.

We exhaled knowing the hardest part of the hike (getting a parking spot) was complete. Then we set out on The Highline to Grinnell Glacier Overlook. In 15.5 miles, there wasn’t a bad view on the hike.

The view from the top of Grinnell Glacier Overlook was truly incredible. Here we could see the glacier we had hiked to with Courtney and Sadie a few days before on the northeast side of the park, and way across to Lake McDonald on the southwest side of the park (just over my head on the right side of this photo). Amazing to see how the mountains and lakes connected—all from this one viewpoint.

On the hike back, nature was showing off for us. We saw three grizzlies—one mama and two fighting teenagers (very far away in a valley below), fat marmots, and bighorn sheep. We also sampled huckleberries along the trail.

North Fork/Bowman Lake

After Court and my parents left to fly home, Nick, the kids, and I had two days left in the park. After driving for over an hour of unpaved roads, we reached the very remote North Fork/Polebridge area of Glacier. We were greeted with the absolutely stunning vista of Lake Bowman—no hike needed.

Nick and the kids swam in the lake, which was crystal clear and not as cold as you might think. Every time we looked up and saw this mountain view, we were just floored.

Our final-final day in the park, we went back to some favorite places. We rented a small boat to explore Lake McDonald. Both kids got to learn how to start and steer with the outboard motor. Nick tried to challenge the world record for rock skipping (jk… kind of).

In McDonald Creek, Nick hooked a few small trout, and he and the kids swam in the chilly, gorgeous water. Their favorite part was warming up on cliffs then leaping into the icy water.

A Glacier-Sized Goodbye

As with all visits with the people we love, the hardest part was saying goodbye. We are so grateful for the memories made and the once-in-a-lifetime chance explore this beautiful place together!

*Thanks for the hugs, the smiles, the traveled miles. Love you all so much and can’t wait to see where we meet up next!*

Tips for Planning a Trip to Glacier National Park

Glacier was a tricky park to figure out in advance and book. There’s one main road, Going to the Sun Road, that runs through the main section of the park. But there are three off-shoot locations of the park with different access points: Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and North Fork.

Based on recommendations from previous travelers, we planned five nights on the east side of the park and four nights on the west side. Here’s my take on what I’d do now that I know what I know.

For the easiest travel planning and logistics, fly into Kalispell, MT and stay on the West side of the park.

For access to the longest, best hikes, stay on the East side of the park as many nights as you can. We stayed at the St. Marys KOA, and it was an amazing jumping off point to get to Many Glacier and Logan Pass WITHOUT needing a timed entry pass. Heads up that there are VERY FEW accommodations in St. Marys. Months out from our visit, I tried to find an Air BNB for my parents and there were ZERO! They ended up booking a nice cabin at the KOA (a short walk from our site). But there was literally nothing else available.

If at all possible, stay inside the park. For less driving and waiting in entrance lines, stay at one of the lodges or campsites inside the park. Based on how popular this park is and how short the summer season, this takes some advanced planning but is worth the hassle and expense to be close to the main attractions and beat the crowds to the small trailhead parking lots. Staying in the park was not possible with our setup (otherwise we would have loved to).

Split your trip and stay on both sides of the park. This will give you day-trip access to North Fork from the West side and Many Glacier/Two Medicine from the east side (I’d recommend St. Marys).

If possible, come before July 1 or after September 8. The week of September 8, we noticed crowds dropping off considerably. By the end of that week, we flew through the entrance station with no line and didn’t fight for parking spots at popular trailheads.

Just go! This is one of those places that’s easier to figure out once you get there. If this park interests you at all, it’s worth the effort to go! It’s like nowhere else we’ve been and well worth the hassle of navigating crowds to see the sights. Makes total sense why so many people want to get here. Happy trails!

Roberts on the Road

For those just finding us, hello! Inspired by the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, our family is on a yearlong RV road trip in 2025-2026 to celebrate my husband’s retirement after 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, as well as our 24 years together during the ups and downs of it all.

With our 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in tow, this trip to explore America’s national parks and beautiful places is intended to help our family reflect and reset as civilian life begins.

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