Glacier Nationwide Park with Children
A number of summers in the past, along side Visit Montana, my 7-year-old daughter and I flew to Whitefish, Montana and explored Whitefish and Glacier Nationwide Park for 4 days. It stays one among my favourite journeys – it was a straightforward vacation spot from Los Angeles, the climbing, kayaking and fly fishing have been nice, the park was attractive, and we had numerous enjoyable. I like the bonding after I go on adventures with simply one among my youngsters.
I by no means posted in regards to the journey on my weblog, nevertheless. So now that we’ve visited numerous different Nationwide Parks the previous few years (together with Arches Nationwide Park) it’s time for a publish on Glacier Nationwide Park. Listed below are the highest 5 issues we liked, and the explanations you need to ebook a visit!
Attending to Glacier Nationwide Park is Simple
Some Nationwide Parks aren’t straightforward to succeed in. Glacier is. In our case, we flew two hours from Santa Barbara to Denver, had a brief connection, after which flew two extra hours to Kalispell, Montana. Kalispell’s airport is properly small, so choosing up baggage and getting our rental automobile was straightforward, and 20 minutes later we have been in downtown Whitefish. There are additionally direct flights from Los Angeles (3 hours) and San Francisco (2 1/2 hours).
We selected to spend a day and a half in Whitefish earlier than heading to Glacier – lower than 40 minutes away. If we had gone straight to the park from the airport, it’s solely 35 minutes. And it’s a straightforward drive. Visitors-free. Stress-free.
The Lakes
There are a number of main lakes close to Whitefish and Glacier, together with Flathead Lake, Whitefish Lake, and Lake McDonald. Flathead Lake is by far the biggest of the three, and is ideal for fishing, tenting, boating and water sports activities. As we have been based mostly in Whitefish, we selected to spend time at close by Whitefish Lake. We went over for sundown our first evening, headed again for kayaking the following day, after which returned but once more within the afternoon to spend time on the seaside. Significantly idyllic! And Lake McDonald in Glacier Nationwide Park is beautiful. Take out a kayak, canoe, paddle board or rowboat and luxuriate in!
The Rivers
Montana and fly fishing are synonymous, proper? We headed out onto the Flathead River, which travels from Canada via each Lake McDonald and Flathead Lake, and fished for almost three hours with an area information. My daughter liked the expertise and caught (and launched) a number of trout. Our information was extremely affected person with a 7-year-old fishing for the primary time! Extremely really helpful — simply ensure you take loads of water and sunscreen.
The Climbing
We spent half a day climbing from the highest of the Chair 1 at Whitefish Mountain Resort, in addition to on the paths across the backside of the resort, after which hiked for an additional half day at Glacier Nationwide Park. The surroundings was beautiful in every single place, and we found bear grass, a tall flowering plant, that made the hikes much more enjoyable. My daughter, at 7, was nice with the entire trails, however Path of the Cedars in Glacier was best.
Our favourite hike was Sperry Path inside Glacier Nationwide Park. We parked at Lake McDonald Lodge and easily crossed the road to start out the hike, after which we walked partway to Sperry Chalet. It was an ideal early-morning hike, and simple sufficient for brief legs (it will get tougher in case you proceed on).
The City of Whitefish
Don’t skip Whitefish in your hurry to get to Glacier Nationwide Park. The city is a good base for a few days, and even on your whole journey given how shut it’s to the park. We ate at a number of glorious eating places, liked the proximity to climbing and Whitefish Lake, and completely loved the Whitefish Farmers Market, which takes place each Tuesday all through the summer time. And Candy Peaks Ice Cream is great!
The place We Stayed
We spent two nights at Kintla Lodge at Whitefish Mountain Resort — above city, nevertheless it’s a terrific setup for households, and handy for exploring the mountain and for the Aerial Journey Park on the base of the mountain. Our third evening we stayed at Under Canvas Glacier simply exterior of the park — primarily glamping with a campfire and s’mores. However the space between the park and Whitefish is compact sufficient that you could possibly actually keep anyplace and be simply superb. Personally I’m tempted to ebook the Lake McDonald Lodge contained in the park subsequent time. The setting is wonderful!
Glacier Nationwide Park – Your Flip
Have you ever been to Whitefish and Glacier Nationwide Park with youngsters? What did we miss? What are your favourite issues?
