Roam

Glacier National Park in June

Overall trip

Pro

  • Frequent wildlife encounters: deer, marmots, voles, bears

  • Equipment rentals and dining are high quality

  • Stunning and diverse scenery: lots of waterfalls, lakes, high altitude gain,

  • Dark, non-light polluted expanse makes for stunning night skies on clear day

  • Child friendly, activities for all ages and abilities

Con(sider)

  • Hotels and equipment rentals inside the park are expensive

  • Limited food options inside the park, unreliable wifi, minimal cellular network coverage

  • Bear spray (must have) is expensive and can't go in either carry-on or checked bags

  • Pets not permitted in many areas

  • Narrow roads and small parking lots that fill up quickly

When to visit

  • June: fewer crowds but limited hikes in June (due to snow!), and as a result many accessible hikes are longer and border multi-day trips. Rain is also more common, but temperatures at night are cooler.

  • July, August: more trails become accessible but crowds and congestion follow

  • September: shorter days but less crowds

Where to Stay

  • Based on experience from the two places below

Village Inn at Apgar

  • Beautiful views of Lake McDonald and the mountains, right from your room

  • Watch the night sky reflected on the lake without leaving your bed

  • First floor rooms have a kitchenette

  • Launch kayaks and paddleboards right from your doorstep

  • Walk to café, ice-cream, and Glacier Outfitters in under 1 minute

  • Clean rooms

û No air conditioning, gets warm at night even in June

û Musty smell in rooms

û No fridge or microwave in non-kitchenette rooms, although not unique to properties in the park

Lake McDonald Lodge

  • Historic lodge with a rustic lobby that looks out onto the dock where visitors used to arrive by boat

  • Variety of different room and cabin options

  • Deer running in front of the hotel, probably where they get elk for the restaurant's burger

  • Right across the road from Sperry Trailhead (which goes to Mt Brown lookout or Gunsight Pass and Sperry Chalet/Glacier) and the start of many other trails like Mcdonald's creek, Snyder Lake, John's Lake and Lincoln Lake Trails

û No views from rooms, no fridge or microwave or air conditioning

û Small crowded rooms (even the deluxe rooms, albeit with beautiful furnishing) with old windows that let in a lot of noise

û Maintenance issues with a leaky toilet delayed check-in and kept the bathroom damp

û Lower value vs Village Inn

Getting Around

By car

  • Variety of rental companies and vehicles at Glacier International Airport

  • Lots of gas stations near park entrance

  • Campgrounds and picnic spots with vehicle parking (e.g. Avalanche Creek)

  • Rental prices above average

By bicycle

  • Bike rentals available in and near the park

  • Rentals include hardtail offroad, city

  • No bike lanes or road shoulders

  • Long distances to many trailheads from park entrance

  • Need to reserve e-bikes 1-2 days in advance

By foot

By red shuttle: closed by covid temporarily (link to usual route on NPS website)