Glacier National Park in Montana is a spectacular place to take a family camping trip. More than 50 glaciers can be found in the park, and more than 200 lakes and streams. The hiking is great and very family friendly in this park. There are more than 730 miles of marked hiking trails in the million acre park.
When you’re entering the park you have to drive down the Going To the Sun Road. It’s a 50 mile road that cuts right across the heart of park and hugs a glacier in some sections. It’s an amazing drive that the kids are sure to find impressive.
The road is a National Historic Landmark and is often mentioned as a feat of modern engineering, even though it was completed in 1932. Before that time visitors would arrive by boat or take a train into the heart of the park. Once you’re in the park, you will be amazed by the beautiful scenery, the abundant wildlife, and the glaciers.
The land that the park sits on was once the home of two powerful Indian tribes, the Blackfoot and Kootenai. Many of the spots that were considered sacred to these tribes are still intact and are marked so that you will know when you are coming up on ground that these tribes thought were special and important. You can also find historical information about those tribes in the towns near the park if you want to take the time to teach your kids more about Native American history.
Because of the lush grasses, abundance of water and great location the park is teeming with wildlife. When you’re out hiking you could come across bears, elk, moose, mountain goats, deer, wolves, bobcats, lynxes, wolverines, mink, foxes and coyotes.
Camping in Glacier State Park is a little bit different than camping in other parks. Because of the elevation and because of the glaciers the temperature gets close to freezing just about every night. So it’s important that when you’re going camping in Glacier State Park you bring plenty of warm clothes and cold weather gear. Even though the weather gets very warm and beautiful during the day it’s best to be prepared for quick temperature changes because of the variety of the landscape.
There are ten campgrounds for visitors in the park, plus a special section of campsites in the back country for experienced hikers that want to try some back country hiking. Some of the campgrounds have showers, bathrooms, laundry facilities and a market with limited supplies but only two or three of the ten have those amenities. Those fill up fast, so make reservations early, at least 6 months in advance. Campsites in the park range from $10-$20 per day depending on where they are and what amenities they offer.
