First time to Glacier Natural Park…drive/park question

[Chris Mescia]

So I’m finally getting the family up to Glacier…super excited and pretty surprised at the logistics you have to figure out to get where you want to go.  I have most of my trip planned out, but had one question about transportation that I hope folks here could give me some tips.  Not everyone in the group is backpacking friendly(group of 12) so some of this journey will be more traditional camping.

In the middle of the trip we are doing a couple nights in Fish Creek campground near Lake Mcdonald.  (will be arriving there late afternoon, so I dont want to chance the first come first served sites being full…Im aware Fish creek campground is just ok compared to Sprague etc).  After being there I was planning on driving early am to Logan’s pass and parking there to start the hike up to Granite Chalet (got reservations there set up for 2 nights).  From the Chalet we are hiking down swiftcurrent to spend a couple nights at the Many Glacier Lodge (got reservations there for a couple nights).

My question is how to best go get the car from logans pass after hiking down swiftcurrent.  I plan on dropping the family off at the lodge to clean up, but possibly this might be late afternoon.  This will be august 1, so peak times for the park.  Are the shuttle services that packed that I might miss out on them, esp if they end at 5p?  Can you get a 1 way uber up going to the sun to logans pass?  I don’t mind if it costs a bit more or takes longer to make sure Im not stuck somewhere away from the car/gear/food/beer/cleanclothes.

Any recommendations?  Im guessing Ill need a diff ride from swiftcurrent trail head(if shuttle exists from there?) past the Many Glacier Lodge down to the GTTS Road where I get the different shuttle there over to logans pass?  I know cell service (I have AT&T) is minimal, so ubering might not be possible?

 

Thanks in advance,

Chris

[Josiah Grothe]

According to my recollections the shuttle service does not run to Many Glacier Lodge. My advice would be to leave your car at Many Glacier and schedule a taxi service out of Kalispall or Whitefish up to Logan pass the day of the hike. My reason for this being that the Logan Pass parking lot can fill up very quickly and force you into delaying your hike while you wait for a spot. Plus I always like to hike back to my vehicle rather than having to find transport back as timing up hiking arrival times with a taxi service can be challenging. Its been a number years since I used a taxi service in Glacier, but a quick Google search should get you several options out of those two towns.

Good luck and let me know if you have any further questions.

[Bruce Tolley]

+ 1 to Josiah’s comments
The Logan Pass parking lot fills up fast. I am also not sure overnight parking is allowed there. Check the park website.

There is a private hiker’s shuttle run by Many Glacier that runs between St Mary and Many Glacier via Montana SR89: http://www.glaciernationalparklodges.com/red-bus-tours/shuttles/

In my experience shuttle busses up to Logan Pass run often enough that you have no problem getting a seat on them. On your way back to the car if you are a large group, you might plan to be first in line.

I have also given rides to hitchhiking backpackers to and from Logan Pass but I sensed that they waited a long time.
Cheers
Bruce

[Chris Mescia]

Thank you for the advice.  We will have no problems getting to logans pass in the early morning, so I don’t think parking there will be a problem (assuming we roll in there around 8a).   Usually I too prefer to hike to the car and then drive from there instead of the reverse.  However in this case I was choosing between taking the whole group in the morning all the way down Going to the Sun and up to Many Glacier (or in that case I assume I would park at Swiftcurrent motor lodge so its closer to the trail head coming out) to then park and have all of us take the shuttle or taxi all the way back to logans pass, OR the whole group just gets to Logans pass in the morning and hikes to the Chalet.  Then when that’s over I can drop the family off at the many glacier lodge and either just me or me+1friend makes the shuttle run back to logans pass to get the car.

 

If there’s no overnight parking at Logan’s, then the decision is made, I will look into that.  I was just fearful of missing out on the shuttle on the back end of the trip if I was to try to get back to logan’s pass once we hiked out of Swiftcurrent.  But ideally if we could park at logans and then just me go get the car at then end will be more wife and kids friendly.

 

I though the redbus tours was just for tour bus type trips not just a hiker shuttle…thanks for the info.  I am super excited, Ive dreamt of getting up to GNP for a long time.

[Gary Dunckel]

What I did was to leave my truck at the Swiftcurrent parking lot, then take the shuttle to the Rising Sun ‘motel’. The next morning get your breakfast at the cafe, then take the shuttle to Logan Pass and start your hike to Granite Park. With 2 nights at Granite Park, a great day hike for the middle day is to go up to the Swiftcurrent fire lookout for perhaps the best view in the Park. The descent from Swiftcurrent Pass to your vehicle is quite the ‘adventure’, where you pray there isn’t a griz coming up the trail. Keep in mind that the Many Glacier area has the most grizzlies in the Park. Be sure you have a few cans of pepper spray, and know how to use them (without spraying yourselves). The route from Logan > Granite Park > Swiftcurrent is one of my favorites in all of Glacier, so I think you made a great choice.

[Bruce Tolley]

@ Chris:
I was not saying there was no overnight parking at Logan, just that you should confirm.

Most National Parks have designated areas for overnight parking for backpackers and I do not remember seeing any such signs at Logan.

[Chris Mescia]

Thanks!    It looks like I will try to figure out how much time it will take to get from lake McDonald/fish creek up to swift current to park and then shuttle backtrack to Logan’s pass with the family.  I didn’t want to start the granite chalet hike too late in the day, but it sounds like that’s the best overall plan.

 

And yes im guessing both the fire tower hike and the grinell overlook are good dayhikes for the inbetween day and we plan to do both.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

The one time I did a backpack in Glacier we had two vehicles and spent a great deal of time shuttling them around setting up and finishing up the various legs of our trek. Even though it was sometimes hundreds of miles and many hours, I think it was a lot less time doing that than trying to figure out shuttles and hitches. I did everybody’s laundry while the cars were being shuttled on one particular leg. On another leg, there’s was a really good burger place we drove by numerous times, and our friend Shroomer, used his van while parked to air-dry porcini mushrooms that we found on our hikes.

[David Chenault]

Chris, your overall plan sounds dialed and well researched.  Glacier is fantastic but negotiating crowds and logistics can really crimp ones style if unprepared.  Well done.

You’ve got three options for getting your car from Logan (where overnight parking is fine).

-Send someone back via the Highline Trail.

-Stay at Swiftcurrent sans additional supplies the first night, send someone over Piegan Pass to catch the park service shuttle the final 3 miles back to Logan.  This is a stellar 12 mile hike.

-Take a Xanterra shuttle (http://www.glaciernationalparklodges.com/red-bus-tours/shuttles/) from Many Glacier to St Mary, then switch to the park service shuttle up to Logan.  I have no direct experience with this new Xanterra shuttle, and don’t know how quickly it fills up.  I would guess very quickly.  Taking those two shuttles could easily be 2+ hours to get to Logan.

No bad options, really.

[Chris Mescia]

Thanks, David.  I have been impressed at how far in advance you have to get your act together to plan to visit this park.  Makes Grand Canyon seem like nothin.

I guess this all hitches on one concern I wasnt sure was valid.  If the last NPS shuttle leaves at 5p to go to Logans, does it fill up frequently and leave a crowd stranded at St Mary’s with no further shuttle options till the next day?  Or as long as I get there by 4:30 or so and get in line Im pretty guaranteed after a shuttle or two to not get left stranded?  I dont mind waiting/chilling out.

–Its me, my wife and three kids on the Chalet leg, so I cant leave them to head back via Highline again.  Plus I dont want to backtrack and miss out on Swiftcurrent.

–We have reservations at Many Glacier hotel for the next two nights.  I did think about staying there overnight without supplies the first night.  However the next day we plan to ride the boats across St Josephine and dayhike to Grinell, but I could solo to the car after we get back…Xanterra red shuttle> St Mary>NPS shuttle>logan’s.

 

Ideally Id like to drop the wife and kids at Many Glacier to wreck out after hiking down Swifcurrent while I go solo to get the car and return.  Then the next day can be more stress free.   But if theres a chance that an unexpected delay could strand me at St mary’s with no car and no way to return to the hotel, then Ill plan to do the first night without supplies and get the car the next day.

Thanks again,

Chris

 

 

 

[David Chenault]

The east half of GTTSR is broader than the west and thus larger buses are used for the shuttle.  I’ve never witnessed nor heard of an east side shuttle being full.  On the other hand, 4 years ago running out of room on late rides back up to Logan from the Loop was a near daily thing.  The park has added more shuttles, but on the west side this is still a concern.

Have a good trip!

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