How to spend 3 days at Glacier National Park
We had planned to visit Glacier National Park in August 2020. But due to the pandemic we had to cancel our plans then. But given GNP was on our radar , we did it in June 2021. Here is our 2 days itinerary in and around GNP.
Day 1
This was more of an evening that a full day, But you can definitely extend this to a day. We drove from Bozeman MT all the way on Highway 83 towards Bowman Lake. Highway 83 is a gateway to many lakes in Montana like Seeley Lake and Swan Lake. These lakes have campgrounds attached to it, so you might want to check those out as well. We just made quick stops at lookouts along the highway because our destination Bowman lake was gorgeous .
So here are a few tips to your way to Bowman lake. The road post highway 464 to go to Bowman lake is a very rough road. So the distance is not so much but the road does take a long time to drive, so take this extra time into consideration. Once you reach Polebridge, make sure you stop and try their baked goods at Polebridge Merchantile and bakery. We tried the huckleberry turnover and it was scrumptious. Please make sure you take some time before moving on or your stomach may rumble on the next 20 miles towards Bowman lake.
It was almost 1PM by the time we entered the ranger station at Polebridge and one of the rangers warned us that there are only a few parking spots left at at Bowman lake.But we took our chances and proceeded through the rough road. You will encounter a gate within 5 mins of the ranger station. We were instructed by the ranger to open the gate and cross it and close it back again before moving on.
Bowman lake area is full of bugs and mosquitoes so make sure you come prepared. The area is also a gateway to long hikes. If you are planning to spend a day here, make sure you are equipped with all the swimming and floating gear. A lot of families had taken shade under trees and were enjoying the water , collecting rocks or just sun bathing here.
From Bowman lake we drove 20 miles back to Camas Road towards Glacier National Park entrance. We had booked for the night at Mountain Pine Motel at East Glacier Park. Protip: If you are not able to acquire the Going down the sun road ticket, take the Camas road to enter Glacier National park as we did not see any check points there. But we had a ticket so we decided to take Highway 2. On our way to East Glacier, we stopped at Flathead river access point and took a dip into the flowing glacial water stream which was merging into the Flathead river.
If you decide to stay at East Glacier Park for your visit to GNP, there are a couple of dinner options in the East Glacier Village. You can try at Brownies (A cafe with baked goods), Pizza pie place(inside Glacier Trading Post grocery) or fine dine at Grand view lodge (opposite to Amtrak station).
Day 2
Our focus for Day 2 was to do the Grinnell lake trail. If post the trail our body permits more hiking , then explore another trail. Hiking the Grinnell lake trail was the sole reason we decided to stay at the East Glacier Village at Mountain Pine lodge.
We woke up at 6AM and drove for 90 minutes until we reached the Grinnell lake trail head parking lot. You can start the trail from East glacier hotel as well. At around 7:30 AM the parking lot was almost 3/4th full. The Grinnel lake trail is a heavily trafficked trail and when we were here in late June, the last part of the trail was closed due to snow. Nevertheless the trail was worth it even with its partial closure. So the trail starts flat surrounding the Swift current and Josephine lake and then gradually incline increases as you see glimpses of the glacial lake.
The entire trail provides you with scenic views of the lakes beneath and around. As you walk through the trail, you will be surrounded with all sorts of wildflowers and their inviting fragrance(that's how they lure bees to pollinate). We walked for about 3.5 miles one way before the snow made a hard stop. We stopped at that point, ate our mandatory snacks enjoying the mist of the glacial waterfall on our faces.
One outstanding remark of this trail is that you will tons of photo opportunities all along this trail. After a long hike , we had a scrumptious lunch at East Glacier Hotel. This is a 3 star hotel and after touring the hotel ,we made up our minds to stay here for a winter getaway. Over my travel in these years , I have realized that some places deserve your attention in all seasons. Do try the penne pasta or the elk sandwich at the cafe at East Glacier Hotel.
From there we drove to Two Medicine lake and did a short hike to the paradise point. It was scorching hot so when we reached the paradise point we decided to immerse our legs in the cold medicine lake water. That was a heat saver, as cold legs somehow cooled our bodies as well. Two medicine lake is a popular hiking and biking area. Also you can rent water sport equipment as well here for kayaking , paddle boarding , etc.
Eventually after all the walking it was time to fuel our bodies, so we grabbed our dinner and called it a day. Our plan for next day was more hiking and overlooks as we explore the GNP.
Day 3
We packed our luggage and started off from the East Glacier village towards St Mary Visitor Center. You need an entry ticket for Going to the sun road. The ticket window opens everyday at 8AM, 2 days in advance and within seconds all 350 tickets get done. We tried multiple logins to get hold of the tickets with the fastest internet connection but weren't able to grab them. So instead we booked paddle boarding tour at Glacial Outfitters, MacDonald Lake as our entry point to the road.
With that entry , here is a order of the lookouts and hikes we stopped on Going down the sun road.
Wild Goose Island Lookout
Sun Point Nature Trail:
We did the 5 miles roundtrip trail all the way to St mary falls and back just to avoid the unavailability of parking spot.
A waterfall long the sun point trail.
St Mary Falls
Sunrift George
Jackson Glacier Overlook
Logan Pass Visitor Center: We wanted to do the Hidden lake overlook trail but because of the snow it was closed.
Weeping Wall
MacDonald Lake access area : You will reach this access area within a few miles of the MacDonald Falls.This access area is good opportunity for swimming and enjoying the beach on the lake.
After visiting all the lookouts at around 3PM , we decided to fuel our bodies at Taco Loco in Bigfork. We were surprised at the authenticity of Mexican food that we were rewarded here. Post lunch we decided to drive to Missoula to spend some relaxing time in the mountain town. As we were enroute to Missoula , we stopped at Stevie coffee & cafe to sip in hand crafted cold brew and a banana muffin. We called in for the day with a pizza from Pie hole and some good Oregon wine.
