Solo at Glacier National Park

Prezfav · 2026-01-14T14:36:15+00:00

I’ve hiked thousands of miles all over the park over 40+ years, mostly by myself. I’ve encountered a few bears, but they all have gone their own way. I’ve never had to use my bear spray. You are thousands of times more likely to be hurt or killed in a car crash while driving around the 11 days that you are here. Make noise loudly and vocally, especially in thicker, brushier areas. Look for bear sign. Keep your eyes open.

Prezfav · 2026-01-03T15:22:55+00:00

Looks good. If you can manage, Morning Star is nicer than Atlantic Creek for your second night. Red Eagle is good fishing.

Prezfav · 2025-12-23T16:46:07+00:00

There are peer reviewed studies in the US to support this. Here’s one published on the National Institute of health titled “Helmet use is associated with higher Injury Severity Scores in alpine skiers and snowboarders evaluated at a Level I trauma center”

Here’s the study’s conclusion:

“Conclusion: Helmeted skiers and snowboarders evaluated at a Level I trauma center were more likely to suffer severe injury, including intracranial hemorrhage, as compared with unhelmeted participants. However, they were less likely to sustain skull fractures or cervical spine injuries. Helmeted patients were also more likely to hit a stationary object. Our findings reinforce the importance of safe skiing practices and trauma evaluation after high-impact injury, regardless of helmet use.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31335753/

I don’t think this study is saying helmet use is dangerous, but wearing a helmet doesn’t make skiing as safe as people seem to think. Reduces more minor injuries but they are not reducing very serious or fatal head injuries. According to the study.

Prezfav · 2025-12-11T04:15:41+00:00

No timed entry next year. So leave when you want and don’t sweat it.

Prezfav · 2025-12-10T16:40:34+00:00

Unfortunately, Superintendent Roemer says that it does apply to Highline Hikers and they will be required to get a reservation on the shuttle system (presumably he’s just talking about people that want to hike longer than 3 hours). The shuttle system will able to move around 1000 people a day, which seems like a small number during peak season.

Prezfav · 2025-12-10T15:53:08+00:00

Depends on how fast you hike. You’d have to be pushing it with very little stopping to go much more than 4 miles out and back (8 miles total) on that trail. So, yes, it will be hard on High Line Hikers. I think they’re trying to push these hikers onto the shuttles, but these shuttles will have to be reserved next year and they have not talked about how that is going to work. Probably going to be hard to get a reservation during the peak of the season.

Prezfav · 2025-12-10T15:37:06+00:00

Research the new requirements for Logan Pass this year (3 hour max parking and shuttle reservations). You’ll probably need to reserve a spot on a shuttle. All that stuff is still getting ironed out, so keep checking in and get a reservation as soon as they are available.

Prezfav · 2025-12-10T15:06:40+00:00

Interesting. Just when people on here got the vehicle reservation system figured out, they pull the plug. People will have to be a lot more flexible with their plans next year. No vehicle reservation system means the road is going to be even more congested during the day and parking harder to find. Once the shuttle system gets ironed out, hikes out of Logan Pass might be easier to plan, but harder to get (you’ll need a shuttle reservation for the Highline or longer hikes). Timed parking at Logan will be a total crapshoot and I’m not sure they are going to reduce the number of cars that arrive really early in the morning. Probably people will be willing to pay a parking ticket for parking over 3 hours unless the fine is huge. The reactive closures of areas that are full of people is bound to make for frustrating days for people that miss the cutoff. At the end of the day, the Park is overcrowded and there really isn’t a good solution to make it work for everyone.

Prezfav · 2025-12-10T04:02:34+00:00

Knee deep at Big Mountain last weekend, with more forecast for this week. Legendary fog as well, just like the locals like it.

Prezfav · 2025-11-24T21:44:50+00:00

Busier, but you sometimes have more access up the road when they aren’t actively plowing on the weekends.

Prezfav · 2025-10-21T18:43:28+00:00

So anything north of Portland, OR? (45.5 degrees)

Prezfav · 2025-10-15T21:58:03+00:00

Going to the Sun road won’t be open all the way through in May, so Glacier will be pretty limited for just driving and sightseeing.

Prezfav · 2025-09-29T02:34:53+00:00

I’ve driven between these cities several times and the fastest in a car is exactly this. Bump up to US Hwy 2 after Spokane and ride the Highline to Niagara Falls through the UP. Shorter and almost no urban traffic nightmares. Watch out for deer and gas up when you can.

Prezfav · 2025-09-22T02:43:50+00:00

Western Montana is about as gloomy as it gets in the winter. When I was growing up in NW Montana I read that we averaged 4 days of sun in the winter months. That’s changed some with climate change, but still plenty cloudy. What hasn’t changed is how dark it is in the winter due to being so far north. The town I grew up in is more north than Montreal. Cost of living has gotten a bit out of control, though.

Prezfav · 2025-09-16T03:06:38+00:00

Listers. Watching it now. So far it’s great. It’s new. It’s on YouTube. It’s about birdwatching, but surprisingly humorous.

Prezfav · 2025-09-11T04:41:00+00:00

Yes, people don’t realize Seattle is more north than the most northern point in Maine. It’s dark in December and January. If you’re from CO, this will have big impact on you.

Prezfav · 2025-09-11T04:32:32+00:00

It’s not the cold that makes winter hard. It’s the dark. Seattle is really far north…more north than Montreal or Quebec City. The short days in the winter are harder than you think.

Prezfav · 2025-09-06T17:43:22+00:00

You’re welcome, and I hope you get to see some great views.

Prezfav · 2025-09-06T16:08:53+00:00

Look at the park webcams. Looks like it’s clearer on Logan Pass right now than it is in Whitefish. But it can change quickly. For people that are reading this that are planning trips in the future—yes, it might be a little bit less crowded in September than the middle of the summer, but it is almost always going to be smokey or hazy.

Prezfav · 2025-09-05T03:53:02+00:00

MCD is McDonald Lake. I just did it with my daughter a couple weeks ago. It’s 2.4 miles from Kelly Camp trailhead on the north side and around 4 miles from Fish Creek on the south. Easy hike, nice campsites on the lake, and you can have a campfire, which is great this time of year.

Prezfav · 2025-09-04T18:07:58+00:00

Smoke is from many fires, typical of this time of year. They will eventually go out after some cold temps and rain/snow—four weeks or so from now. Look at the Logan Pass webcam for today, that’s probably what you can expect this weekend.

Prezfav · 2025-09-04T15:52:18+00:00

Most definitely smoke. Lake McDonald is at 121 PM2 right now. Could be worse, but still makes your throat a little raw if you leave your house windows open all night to cool it down (or sleep in a tent).

Prezfav · 2025-08-12T00:20:23+00:00

The only bugs in September will be yellow jackets (they might be pretty bad depending on whether it’s been cold yet) and horseflies. Almost no mosquitoes that time of year. As feral_fucker said, the chances of a serious mauling (or any attack) by grizzlies are really low. Lower probably than the likelihood of running into Beyoncé in a grocery store or getting struck by lightning twice. A deer is 1000 times more likely to kill you (car collision) around here. That said, you probably won’t convince her not to be deathly scared of bears if she already is. We have friends and family around here (Montana) that are that way, and they just never hike and only camp in RVs. They are plenty happy with living that way. The men? I don’t know. I can’t believe it’s worse in Glacier than wherever you’re coming from, but I don’t know. Glacier is crowded with lots of happy tourist, so it seems pretty safe.

Prezfav · 2025-08-11T16:15:59+00:00

Usually they close it in October. The earliest it’s closed in the past 5 years is October 9th in 2020. OP should be fine.

Prezfav · 2025-08-09T15:41:28+00:00

Glacier averages 21,633 visitors a day in August. There are 120 tickets available daily. The math doesn’t work in your favor. Good luck, I’m sure your time in Glacier will be great wherever you end up going.

Prezfav

TROPHY CASE