GNP August Pre-trip Planning

Assuming you already have that permit, well done. Good sites all, and during a crazy busy time of year. You might consider buying a lottery ticket today.

I'll answer your questions in reverse.

I wouldn't call Many Glacier to Granite especially tough. You've got a good, scenic, mostly flat trail up a valley and then one big climb, which is also very scenic, and a short descent to the campground.

I'd just get the Trails Illustrated GNP map. The trails on your route are all well signed and dead obvious.

The shuttles you'll be using on the east side of the park are not massively expedient, so build that into your schedule. For the night after your trip, I'd try to book in to the cabins at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. They're about 100 yards from the trail you'll end on, pleasant, and fairly inexpensive. They have showers in a separate building. This way you won't have to worry about getting done in time to catch a given shuttle. Dinner at the Motor Inn is ok.

Given your schedule, I'd book a room at the Glacier Park Lodge for Monday night. Amtrack is often (usually, almost always) late, and the Lodge is a 200 yard walk from the platform. It's also where you'd catch the Waterton shuttle the next morning. The less fancy rooms aren't too expensive, and the building is pretty cool.

If you've never been to Glacier, I'd skip Waterton for Tuesday and head up to Logan Pass. Book into somewhere in St Mary for Tuesday night, take the shuttle, drop your gear at the hotel, and take the NPS shuttle up to Logan and spend the day. Logan is more scenic, and you'll spend less time sitting in a car and going through the border crossing nonsense.

Whatever you decide to do, book your hotels ASAP, as mid-August fills up fast.

Thanks David!

That is great insight and exactly what I was looking for! And yes that is the permit we got! It is not lost on me how lucky we are. It wasn't the exact dates or sites, I was pretty open all of August and just asked for a cool 6 day trip.

Great call on Logan Pass, I'll check that out.

John

Just to add to Dave's grea overview info–he's right about the Swiftcurrent cabins that are cheaper and use a shared bathroom, but you can also get a room with a private bath (are those called "motel" rooms?). Anyway, I think the food is fairly decent in their restaurant, not just OK. And Dave is an imp–that hike up to Swiftcurrent Pass, though quite striking, is nothing to scoff at. True, the first 4 miles are pretty flat, gaining maybe 500' as you pass lakes and waterfalls. But then there's the 1500' grunt over a couple of miles of the more beautiful hiking in GNP. Lots of fun views as you stop to catch your breath at the switchbacks. It's a whole lot easier to hike from Granite Park to Swiftcurrent than the route you will be taking. You'll wonder how they ever managed to create that trail on the east side of S'current Pass–cliffs on one side of you and serious exposure on the other. It's plenty safe, but, wow.

You have a pretty sweet itinerary set up–you were very lucky to get those campsites. Hope you have a splendid time. I'll look for you in the Mokowanis River/Elizabeth Lake area, providing my trip comes through.

If you've already gotten your permit, you are incredibly fortunate–probably near the top of the lottery. I'll just echo what everyone else said. You'll have have a tough, but beautiful climb up Swiftcurrent Pass. The good news is that once you make it up, you have a short downhill to Granite Park Chalet. If you can get started early enough, I highly recommend dropping packs at the chalet (if they'll let you–not sure about the policy as I've never stayed there, only passed through a dozen or so times), and climbing up to Swiftcurrent Lookout if you have the time in the afternoon. The downside is that you'll retrace the last mile that you just hiked, but if you can do it without packs, it'll be a lot easier than with your first day's weight.

But also bear in mind that the second day will be no picnic either. The Northern Highline ascends and descends significantly as it has to dodge a number of impassible cliff bands along the Garden Wall north of Granite Park. Also, take the short detour to Ahern Pass. It's an out-and-back kind of trail, but it's well worth it, and it will offer you stunning views down into the Belly River drainage (where you'll be staying in a couple of days).

The trail from Fifty Mountain to Stoney Indian is also a lot of elevation loss then gain, but it's not terrible. Just be prepared for that as well. But once you get over Stoney Indian Pass (fantastic–among the very best in the park), it's only your last day which will be a challenge. But the benefit is that you get to go through the Ptarmigan Tunnel. It feels a bit like walking into Moria from the Lord of the Rings, but the other side only has more stunning valleys below, not hordes of orcs.

Personally, I ignore most restaurants on the East Side. But, by the time you get down, you'll be so hungry that everything will be amazing. So no worries there either.

Thanks Gary and Clayton! Thanks for pointing out the side trips too, I feel like the mileage is pretty tame allowing a good pace even with the elevation. We travel pretty light which will help. One other question I had-our last night in Many Glacier and then we exit. Do you know if the MAN-Many Glacier backcountry site is the same as the Many Glacier campground? I'm debating making the last day the hike from Elizabeth Lake to the exit. I might be confusing myself and MAN on my itinerary isn't another night but just the exit?

John, I believe that your MAN campsite is among a cluster of several that are designated for backpackers only, within the main Many Glacier campground. Maybe Clayton or Dave can confirm this for you. Or call the GNP backcountry office.

I concur that the hike up to the Swiftcurrent lookout offers a tremendous 360* view–maybe the best in the Park.

And it's too bad that you won't have a car, or even bikes. A mile or so down the road from your campsite is the Many Glacier Hotel. The little knoll between the hotel and its parking lot above to the east offers the great view for your post-hike beers. You can sit on a rock and watch the mountains that form those 3 splendid valleys erode. From there, you can trace your route up Swiftcurrent, and also the lower reaches of the Ptarmigan wall. The third valley, the southernmost, contains the Grinnell Glacier complex. Maybe you'll have time to go there when you first arrive in the area, maybe by using the Park shuttle (or just hitchhike).

(Edited to add some map info): The Trails Illustrated maps will work well for you. NG prints a big map of the entire Park, and also 3 sections maps that show better detail-North Fork, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier. The Many Glacier map covers your entire trip, so that's the map to take with you. You can buy these at all the gift shops and Park visitor centers.

The MAN bc site is a cluster of sites within the auto campground, reserved for backpackers. Typically it is not given out as either the first or last night of a trip. Weird that you have it as part of your reservation.

I imagine the BC officed assumed you'd be hiking over Piegan Pass on Tuesday to finish your trip. Since you have the time, I'd do just that. It's a fitting capstone for your route. You could even snag a cabin, and/or shower, in addition to a restaurant dinner and breakfast, on that last night.

Since you are taking the train in, I highly recommend eating at the Belton Chalet across the street from the station. It's amazing and cheap. The train will be late getting there, especially if you are coming from the east.

The Belton is in West Glacier. It is good, but I think their food has been slipping a bit in the last year.

Add.:
The Two Med Grill in East Glacier is the only place on the whole east side I patronize on a regular basis. There is a reason it's pretty much the only place which can stay open year round. There are other places which are ok, but they tend to be expensive for what you get and often very, very slow.

Thanks for the recommendations! Yeah bracing for how late the train is, saw the eastbound was 0% on time last year! Sounds like Amtrak is trying to adjust the schedule but we'll see. On the flip side I'd rather be on a late train to GNP vs. on my way to work!