Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Glacier National Park,

BTW, how old are the kids. I'm working up a list of options, ages would be helpful.

While one is at it, anyone bothered to fish around/in Glacier? I never feel like I've been on vacation if I can't get in one or two days of angling each week.

While one is at it, anyone bothered to fish around/in Glacier? I never feel like I've been on vacation if I can't get in one or two days of angling each week.

If I knew if you considered camping an option my recommendations would be quite different.

If your flight arrives later in the day you could stay in town the first night just to get started.
https://kalispellgrand.com is about a affordable as it gets for anything decent and it's in the middle of town.
You can walk to outdoor shops and restaurants and the like, one of the hiking shops right there on main would have the bear spray you'll want to pick-up.

Glacier Park can really suck due to crowding, it's a day trip, make the run and get it over with, the surrounding area offers so much more.
Lunch or dinner at Lake Mcdonald Lodge ( https://www.usparklodging.com/glacier/lakemcdonald.php ) would serve you well on the way in or out.. The hotel rates just don't measure up to what it takes to deal with the congestion of the park.

We all have our favorites, I have a few.

The https://izaakwaltoninn.com is at the top of my list. It's on the southern end just across the border from the Park.
It's slower there, a good spot to start and end you park day tour, you can make the loop from east to west through the park and the Izaak Walton will be in the middle.
Be aware, there is going to be big time road construction on the parks east side for the next two summers.
It's a federal government project, stand by for disastrous traffic conditions.
Great food, nice little bar, and plenty of impeccably maintained restored historic value. There is nothing else in the immediate vicinity except an amazing river, the Goat Lick and a few hiking trails. You're in the river drainage so everything is uphill from there and steep when it comes to hikes.
It's a Cross Country ski lodge, that's their mainstay so summers are just slow for them..

Now for some hiking....

Hungry Horse Reservoir, this is another slow, outta the way location that'll be tourist free. It's the locals playground... there is 170 miles of shoreline with 110 miles of road that loops around it. This is also on the southern boarder of the park.

Check your rental car agreement to be sure these back country areas I mention are not forbidden, all those cars have GPS locators on them, they'll know where you've been....

Places like this are the real real Western Montana. If you're camping, it's all for free.
For hiking, fishing, camping and even hunting, it's all there. look at the maps, do your research and you'll be overwhelmed with the opportunities this area has to offer.

I could pinpoint some great camping areas, there are developed spots with fees but you're in a national forest, you can camp anywhere you like for free other than their developed locations.

There are a couple lodges that you can book into there.

They are both good but funny..http://www.spottedbear.com gets great reviews but it's gonna be spendy.

Then there is the https://www.diamondrranch.com . This one is more intriguing, they don't know how to advertise, never have.
I've seen them written up as "one of Montanas best kept secrets" that's not what I'd want my place of business to be know for.

I suppose that's why they are always slow, nobody knows they are there..
The place is for sale, maybe they've just lost interest but whatever it is makes for a quite slow and more than tranquil layover.

They have these cool little cabins, this is the view off a back deck..


That's the Spotted Bear river they are sitting on, great fishing, amazing hiking trails yada yada.. You can book a horse trip to one of nearby mountain lakes even.. They have good food, but don't go looking for normal conveniences....like electricity, they ain't got none... I think you could negotiate a family rate with them but getting one of the cabins overlooking the river is a must.

Now for along the western border of the park...

Like the southern park border where the Middle Fork of the Flathead river defines it, the North Fork of the Flathead defines the parks western border.

There's another road...check car rental agreement...it follows the river all the way to the Canadian border.

Up the Northfork road much like Hungry Horse, you're in a National Forest looking across the river at the Park.
This is where you'll find the iconic Polebridge Mercantile OMG what a bakery..
You gotta stop there, hell they have rooms too..Even Bristoe went there, but they kicked him out...

I had drinks in the Norther Lights Saloon next door last summer, they have a little food there as well.

There is a little buzz of tourist right there being it's so well known but it's the gateway to the remotest region of the park if you just insist on hiking there.......rental agreement....it's not a paved road in the park there either.
This is where you'd find access to the remote Kintla and Bowman Lakes. You can drive there but I just can't recommend the camping.
Yeah, it'll be slower on this side of the park but the park is where you have more negative interactions with bears.

I don't care what anyone tells ya.
Grizzlies have killed eight people in Glacier, bears, both black and grizzly, have injured about 100 more people.
I've camped and hunted all around that park with little incident but you'd never catch me camping in that park, I don't even like to hike there because of the conditioned bears. Too many people in one spot mixing and mingling around these bears make for bears you're gonna have trouble with...

Now where was I.......did I mention Polebridge Merc's bakery? It's amazing.....

Oh yeah, the North Fork road...I can only assume you're looking at the maps if you are serious about this trip.
Look west of the North Fork Road.
All those drainage have a host of hiking trails and of course free camping because we own the land, it's National Forest.

This is another playground for locals..

>>>>>>> More later if requested....

While one is at it, anyone bothered to fish around/in Glacier? I never feel like I've been on vacation if I can't get in one or two days of angling each week.

JeffA, Camping is not likely at all, We love to camp, but not on this trip.

Again, outside the park...but nearby.


Gotcha....

It may have been the Dachshund....
I don't care what they say. I'm packing something heavier than spray if we go hiking. Just in case the current Dachshund wants to start something.....

If I recall, huge advice on the fact that Browning was the coolest place of all to stay..............