Staying in Glacier Park

[TimePeace]

What are the options for lodging or camping in the Park from where you'd get off the Empire Builder? How much does it cost to stay in a room, how about food? Cost of campsite?

Who here has gone camping there from the train? How much gear do you bring?

I'd be interested in hearing anyone's experience staying for a couple or few days and then getting back on the train...

 

[Henry Kisor]

A good place to start would be at http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/glacier.php?gclid=CJynl4PB6K0CFYvRKgodsmTT7g

Have been to Glacier with my family three times, and loved it. Best to make those lodge reservations NOW because they fill up early and fast.

 

[abcnews]

If you are travelling westbound, I would at least stay at the Isaak Walton Inn for the first night - since you get in rather late. The Inn is an old railroad hotel - and very Amtrak friendly. Also - lots of old classic rail cars on their property. And it is right next to to tracks - on the westbound side. I did notice that there are trails that come right to the Inn too.

And best of all - the train stops right at their front door - no need for a car rental, cab or shuttle. Just like the old days of rail travel. You walk off the train and into the hotel. And it is very mountainous around the Inn. Great scenery...

Give it a try for a night - then regroup in the morning and head out on your expidition.

 

[Montanan]

There are some inexpensive Mom-and-Pop type motels in East Glacier, that you could walk to from the train, and a youth hostel as well. There are some reasonably-priced restaurants there, too, as well as basic grocery supplies. All in all, it's a pleasant little town to stay in, though there's nothing in terms of night life, or that sort of thing. The problem is transport from East Glacier into the park -- the only scheduled bus service is the service provided by the park concessionaire. You'd ride the cool old red busses, but the schedules are limited and rigid, and prices are high. Really, unless you're fine with doing just a single guided bus tour, you almost need a car there.

West Glacier also has a couple of Mom-and-pop motels and a couple of restaurants, and a fairly well-stocked grocery. Motel prices are a little higher than in East Glacier. Again, you're disconnected from the park's mass transit system, though in this case the park's free shuttle busses are only about 2 miles away, so you could conceivably walk to the transit center at Apgar. There's a Park Service campground adjacent to the transit center there, and so if you wanted to camp that would be the place to do it ... but there's no public transport from the train station to the campground, so you'd probably have to hike it. And in the summer, the Apgar campground fills up most nights, so if you're coming from the east on Amtrak the campground would very likely be full by the time you got there. Other campgrounds would be available, but you'd need a car to reach them.

There are definitely people who take Amtrak to Glacier and camp there, but not a lot of them. If you do it, you need to be prepared for the possibility of cold weather and uncertain weather conditions. Though it's rare, I've been snowed on in Glacier in early August!

So overall, a low-budget Amtrak trip to Glacier is doable, but fairly complicated. Having a car up there makes all the difference in the world, even if arriving by train. The concessionaire's red bus tours are the only real choices from East Glacier, but they're expensive and you miss a lot. Without a car in West Glacier, you'd need to be fine with the idea of walking a couple miles at the beginning and end of each day.

 

[jb64]

We stayed at the Glacier Highland Resort last summer. It is conveniently located right across the street from West Glacier station. Nice, family run motel and restaurant with great food. Much less expensive than the lodges in the park.

Here for more info

 

[JayPea]

East Glacier does have car rentals available. I've rented a car there before and drove into and around the park. In fact I'm leaning heavily toward doing that in June for my annual use-my-vaction-days-before-I-lose-them vacation. I usually head west to Seattle and/or Portland from Spokane, the nearest station to where I live. Time for a change!

 

[Montanan]

You can arrange for car rentals at all the Glacier station stops -- East Glacier, Essex, West Glacier, and Whitefish. It's easiest in Whitefish -- there's a Hertz counter right in the station -- and they'll have more cars available. Reserving the cars in advance is always important, and at the smaller stations is nearly essential, and rates are likely to be a little high. You won't find amazing rental car deals at any of the places, unfortunately.

(And I hope I'm not making the whole Glacier trip planning thing sound too complicated -- it really isn't. Besides, it's definitely worth it!! )

 

[pennyk]

I traveled labor day weekend 2010 from SEA to WGL. I arranged for a park shuttle in advance to take me to the Lake McDonald Lodge, where I spent the night. I was staying inside the park and took advantage of a red bus tour and a boat tour. I made my reservations well in advance and I think my room at the lodge was $179/night. I ate lunch and dinner at the lodge and the food was pretty good, but not cheap.

They were expecting snow the day I left and many of the hikers were re-thinking their plans.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

If you have a rental car…….continue north……Glacier National Park becomes Waterton Lakes National Park at the US/Canada Border. The Great Northern Railway (US) built the Prince Of Wales Hotel here in 1926. A classic Railway Hotel that's still open today and a National Historic Site.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/...ul/natcul4.aspx

http://www.nationalp...princewales.php

 

[Long Train Runnin']

If you have a rental car…….continue north……Glacier National Park becomes Waterton Lakes National Park at the US/Canada Border. The Great Northern Railway (US) built the Prince Of Wales Hotel here in 1926. A classic Railway Hotel that's still open today and a National Historic Site.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/...ul/natcul4.aspx

http://www.nationalp...princewales.php

You can also reach that hotel on one of the red bus tours. That hotel is very nice, and the whole Canadian section of the park is amazing. Also be sure to have your passport stamped on the way back into the states if you go. Although not necessary if your a US citizen they have quite an interesting passport stamp if your into that kind of thing.

 

[smee]

I'm going in July and I booked a room at

Mountain Pine Motelwww.mtnpine.com(406) 226-4403Box 260 - Highway 49East Glacier Park, Montana 59434

their rates are

1 person - 1 Queen bed$75.00

2 persons - 1 Queen bed$82.00

2 persons - 2 Queen beds$87.00

3 persons - 2 Queen beds$91.00

4 persons - 2 Queen beds$95.00

2 adj. 2 queen beds in each$171.00

2 adj. 2 queens/1queen bed$164.00

Ye Olde House (cottage)$135.00

I also plan on renting a car and flying home from the airport in KALISPELL which is about 75 miles southwest of East Glacier.

 

[TimePeace]

Thanks for all the replies and good information. It is just a fantasy now - but I have ridden the Empire Builder through there once each way and it is very appealing to get off sometime for a brief stay and do some hiking and sightseeing.

 

[Rush2112]

If you have a rental car…….continue north……Glacier National Park becomes Waterton Lakes National Park at the US/Canada Border. The Great Northern Railway (US) built the Prince Of Wales Hotel here in 1926. A classic Railway Hotel that's still open today and a National Historic Site.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/...ul/natcul4.aspx

http://www.nationalp...princewales.php

You can also reach that hotel on one of the red bus tours. That hotel is very nice, and the whole Canadian section of the park is amazing. Also be sure to have your passport stamped on the way back into the states if you go. Although not necessary if your a US citizen they have quite an interesting passport stamp if your into that kind of thing.

I saw the Northern Lights over a lake there, then a shooting star during the natural light show. All reflecting off the Lake. We stayed in a lodge type place on the.lakeshore. There really is not a bad place to say in the Park. (But if you camp, there are Grizzly Bears.)

There is no way you cannot have a great time in those US/CA parks.

Next time i take the Train. Like in the old days. I love all those old travel posters that promoted National Parks.