Glacier National Park Itineraries

If You Have One Day

Glacier National Park is a big place. Home to more than one million acres, off-the-beaten path gems and adventures ranging from one-hour guided trips to multi-day excursions, it can be hard to know where to start. To help make your journey a little easier, we've put together several suggestions for your consideration. Happy travels.

Tour the Going-to-the-Sun Road

Travel the Going-to-the-Sun Road to the hand-hewn, grand Lake McDonald Lodge to board a Red Jammer Bus tour along the 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road. These historic soft-top buses were introduced in the 1930s and have since been restored and outfitted with propane engines.

Explore Two Medicine

Located a short drive from East Glacier is the picturesque Two Medicine Valley. Plan to spend the day here. Make your first stop at Running Eagle Falls (also known as Trick Falls) and take the short hike to the waterfall. There are numerous hiking trails in the area, as well as boat tours—with commentary—from Glacier Park Boat Company. This portion of the park is sacred to the Blackfeet Tribe. Finish up your day exploring the Two Medicine by heading to Serrano's in East Glacier for dinner.

Hiking along the Going-to-the-Sun Road

Several trailheads and two Glacier Park Boat Company tours (at St. Mary and Lake McDonald) can be accessed from the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Trails range from the 50-foot walk to the beautiful Sunrift Gorge to the canopy covered hike along Trail of the Cedars. Check out more hikes in Glacier National Park at the National Park Service. Guided hikes are also available through Glacier Guides.

Trail Rides

Trail rides inside Glacier National Park are available at Apgar Corral, Lake McDonald Corral and Many Glacier Corral. Experienced wrangler can take you on a guided ride ranging from one hour to a full-day. For more on trail rides in and around Glacier National Park, visit Swan Mountain Outfitters.

Chief Mountain International Highway

Travel up the Chief Mountain International Highway from Many Glacier to Waterton to get an unequaled perspective of what geologists call the Lewis Overthrust, a gigantic slab of the earth's crust that slid over the top of another to thrust the mountains onto the surrounding prairie. Waterton's compact size makes it a perfect place for the auto tourist. After reaching Waterton, you can follow the Akamina Parkway to Cameron Lake or explore the Red Rock Parkway, or do both. The roads around Waterton are lined with interpretive exhibits and scenic pullouts.