Road Trip: Visiting Montana

Going-To-The-Sun-Road — OUTFIT | HEADBAND

Hi friends! I haven’t updated you much recently on Dillon’s and my road trip whereabouts, but we finished about 2/3 of our road trip already! It’s crazy that we’ve lived off the grid for over 2 months already! I plan on making a post soon about living off the grid and living out of Airbnbs, so stay tuned for that. But to give you a quick update, right after Washington state, we drove to Montana.

We didn’t stay in Montana for too long. Mainly, we planned to visit Glacier National Park. We basically went there back-to-back on Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday. One thing I would like to mention is that for this national park you do need to get a reservation if you’re going from May 27 through September 11, 2022, from 6 am to 4 pm. This is if you’re driving through Going-To-The-Sun Road. It’s a $2 fee to secure your spot. But from our experience, Dillon and I woke up early to book it a week before. Tickets go FAST.

1st Day At Glacier National Park

For the first day at Glacier National Park, we arrived from the West Entrance and drove straight to Going-To-The-Sun-Road. For those of you guys who haven’t been keeping up with our travels, we went in the beginning of August (so late summer). You can see a quick recap on my Instagram reels. A lot of the snow melted by this point but you could still see some snow piles on higher elevations. The drive through Going-To-The-Sun-Road is gorgeous! It was so beautiful seeing the snowy peaks, the wildflowers growing, and occasional waterfalls here and there.

I must also mention that the wildlife in Glacier National Park is abundant! In just half a day, we saw 3 bears, a herd of bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Please be careful when going to national parks like this where there are tons of wild animals. They can be unpredictable and you want to be extra cautious especially if there are little kids around. Don’t approach the animals or startle them. There are tips on the Glacier National Park website for your safety.

I can’t emphasize how beautiful the drive was! Dillon has been to tons of national parks in the past and he says Glacier National Park is his favorite USA national park. If you want gorgeous scenery, exciting hikes, and a surplus of wildlife, this is your national park. Even if you don’t have time to hike, you can just drive through Going-To-The-Sun-Road and stop at overlooks. You will not be disappointed.

When we drove to the opposite side of the park (east side) towards our Airbnb, we stopped at Curly Bear Cafe for ice cream. I tried a scoop of huckleberry and another scoop of chocolate. Their ice cream is so yummy! Definitely stop by if you like ice cream. It’s a great place to replenish your sugar intake after a hike!

2nd Day At Glacier National Park

The second day, we drove from the East entrance into the park and parked at the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Side note, Logan Pass has the highest elevation at 6646 feet. The hike we did was the Hidden Lake Trail. You could hike to the overlook spot, which was absolutely beautiful. Beyond that, the trail goes down to the lake (we didn’t do that part). But I found the hike easy-moderate and so worth the views. You walk past some snow and gain about an elevation of 529 feet if you go to the overlook spot. If you do the hike to the overlook, it’s 2.6 miles round-trip. If you go to the Hidden Lake, you do 5.2 miles round-trip.

We saw a mountain goat so close to us! There was a whole herd of bighorn sheep eating. Overall, I really enjoyed this hike. The lake view was so nice and you can see the mountain ranges in the distance. The landscape is worthy of being in a puzzle.

3rd Day At Glacier National Park

For our last day in Glacier National Park, Dillon and I did the Grinnell Glacier Hike. This might have been the most challenging hike I’ve ever done. Another hike in Hawaii is right after that but due to humidity. The Grinnell Glacier Hike however, is a day hike that covers over 10 miles total. To be fair, I mentally prepared for a shorter hike since Dillon did this hike halfway in the past. But once we got to a certain point, we talked it over and decided to do the rest of the hike. We still had plenty of daylight left. It is 5.1 miles one way and you take the same route back. It is very much a mental game because it can be challenging.

You definitely want to prepare for this hike. It is considered a day hike because it’s not something you do late in the afternoon. You gain 1,600 feet in elevation which is pretty strenuous for a beginner hiker. I’m not discouraging you guys, just be prepared for a workout! And don’t forget to bring water! I brought my Hydro Flask with me on the hike. Dillon usually doesn’t bring water on hikes and we weren’t prepared to go all the way so we relied on my one Hydro Flask water bottle. Let’s just say we finished that halfway through the hike and were super thirsty towards the end. Please don’t do that and pack enough water!

The hike itself was so beautiful every step of the way. In the beginning you are gaining elevation. Then you stop at an overlook facing the torquoise blue waters (scroll below for pictures). Then as you continue to hike, you pass by wildflowers and waterfalls. At the halfway point of the hike (about 5.1 miles), you get to see the famous glacier, which is probably the most popular one in the park! Dillon did see a bear the first time he did this hike years ago. So just know they are out there! This time around though, we saw bighorn sheeps and mountain goats towards higher elevations and by the glacier.

We definitely enjoyed our time in this park! I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Montana. This is a top national park and it’s not one you want to miss!

If I were to stay in Montana again in the future, here is where I would go and what I would do: