How to Make a Winter/ Early Spring Vacation to Glacier National Park

I decided to create a literary for visiting Glacier National Park in Montana. This itinerary will be for a total for 5 days of activity in the park and surrounding area. In the winter and early spring, it is still very cold and snowy in Montana, and because of this there won’t be as many travelers visiting which could make the trip a lot more magical! Also, there are a lot of super fun activities to do in Montana/ Glacier National Park in the wintertime.

First off, I would add a travel day to the beginning and end of this for a total of 7 days so that you don’t eat into any of your time at the park/in Montana.

This itinerary includes 3 days focused on Glacier National Park and many of the amazing views that it has to offer. It will also include 2 days of activities that are not in Glacier National Park, but on the west side of Glacier, if you plan to stay in a different area, I am sure you can do the same things but not at the locations provided. The locations of the activities are very close to Hungry Horse, which is where I would stay, and other small towns near Hungry Horse.

Day 1

8am: Wake up, have breakfast, get into the car and drive to Glacier National Park West Entrance. From the town hungry horse (which is a great location to stay at, it’s close to the park and other activities) it is 20 minutes to get to the West entrance of the park. The fee to get into Glacier National Park is $35 for a 7-day entrance pass.

9am: Time for a long hike! *If you do not want this long of a hike, I have an alternative of hike to it below this*

Grinnell Glacier Trail, total distance: 11.2 miles! This amazing trail will lead you to a breathtaking view that will be totally worth the long hike! This hike should take around 7 hours including breaks and stopping to take in the views along the way.

*A beautiful trail that is not as long but is still at Grinnell Lake is the Grinnell Lake Trail which is 7.1 miles and not any rough terrain. This hike would take about 2 hours. If you do this hike, then you will have more time to explore the area around Grinnell Lake!

5pm: Done with hiking and sightseeing at the park for the day. Have dinner at one of the visitor centers if you are so inclined to, find somewhere in the town you’re staying, or find a new town to stop at on the way back to home base!

9pm: Star gaze!! It is possible to see the northern lights from western Montana, so this is a great opportunity to get all your star gazing in and possibly see the northern lights if you have the right viewpoint!

Day 2

8am: wake up, have breakfast, get into car ready to go. Drive to Whitefish Ski Resort for a day of skiing! A lift ticket is $89 per day and to rent a full package of ski or snowboard gear is $39 per day. So, for a rental and lift ticket it would be about $128 (not including taxes). From the town Hungry Horse, the Whitefish Ski Resort is 37 minutes away.

Here is a link to their website: Ski Resort Link

9:30am: Be all ready to ski and start!

12:30pm:Take a break to grab some lunch in the middle of you ski trip at the resort!

4pm: be done skiing around 4 (very flexible day) and then get dinner in town/ shop around the town you have dinner at.

7:30pm: done with dinner head back to hotel/place you are staying and get rest of the next day!

9pm: Don’t forget to star gaze a little before bedtime!

Day 3

8am: wake up, have breakfast, get into car ready to go. Head to the West entrance of Glacier National Park.

9am: Arrive in Glacier National Park and head to Hidden Lake Overlook which is 43 miles east from Hungry Horse. (Past McDonald Lake just keep following the road until you see a sign for the pull off/parking out)

9:45am: Hike the Hidden Lake Overlook! It is 2.9 miles long and will have some beautiful views to take in! This hike should take about 2 hours including breaks and taking in all the view. After you do this hike just pick two or three pull offs that are just overlooks to stop at. This should take about an hour.

1pm: Take a break for lunch. I would recommend bringing some food into the park and having a picnic at a cool spot! (Just remember to clean up after yourself!). Or you can stop by one of the visitor centers for some lunch.

2pm: Use the rest of the day to just drive through the park and see if there are any new places you want to take a quick stop at or visit one of your favorite views!

5pm: have dinner at a fun, cool, new place.

9pm: Star gaze!

Day 4

8:30am: wake up, have breakfast, get into car ready to go. Head to Action Rentals for a day of snowmobiling the rental facility is 20 minutes away from Hungry Horse. Start times for this rental place are either 10am or 12:30pm and there are either 4- or 6-hour trips, I would do the 6 hour trip, and rates start at $200.

Here is a link to their website: Rental Website

9:45am: Arrive at rental place early to get everything set up and ready to go!

10am: Start snowmobiling.  

4:30pm: Done snowmobiling, return all equipment to rental facility and then head back to town for dinner or another town for dinner.

6pm: the day is done! Relax for the rest of the trip!

9pm: Star gaze!

Day 5

8am: wake up, have breakfast, get into car ready to go. Head to Glacier National Park West Entrance.

9am: Arrive at Glacier National Park and head to Avalanche Lake via the trail of the Cedars. The trail head is a couple miles past McDonald Lake, so once you pass the lake keep an eye out for the trail head. This hike is 5.9 miles, and it should take about 4 hours to complete with breaks and taking in all the views.

1pm: After your hike replenish yourself for your last day in Glacier National Park!

2pm: Use the rest of the day to just drive through the park and see if there are any new places you want to take a quick stop at or visit one of your favorite views!

5pm: Have dinner and walk around the town and gift shops for a souvenir.

9pm: Star Gaze for your last night!