First Time RV Roadtrip to Glacier National Park Tips

Your First Time RV Roadtrip to Glacier National Park Tips, known as the Crown of the Continent, takes some major planning. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and is most definitely my new favorite place on earth, taking a RV 1600 miles to see it, wasn’t the easiest and cheapest option there is. You can learn from all the ways I wasted money, and save along the way. There are always lessons learned when you get back from a trip, and this will be the round up so you can make the most of your adventure to Glacier National Park.

7 Facts about Glacier National Park

1. Located entirely in Montana, USA
2. Established in 1910 it is the United States 8^th National Park
3. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was an engineering marvel when created
4. It meets the Waterton Lakes National Park at the USA-Canada Border
5. You can hike to an actual Glacier
6. There are 3 visitors centers
7. Often called the Crown of the Continent

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First Time RV Roadtrip to Glacier National Park Tips

When visiting Glacier National Park, planning ahead is the best way to make the most of your time and money. The park actually has quite a few campgrounds and lodges, but they book up a year in advance and as the season is so short, (they are closed for winter), if it is about a year from when you want to go then you can make your money go the furthest. We booked super last minute (only 4 months in advance) in the busiest year (2021) of park history so major lessons learned.

First step is getting to Montana, you have several options but the easiest would be to fly into Kalispell Glacier Park International Airport (FCA). There are a couple of options for renting a RV, there are the bare bones RV4Rent more corporate ones, and there are the smaller rent from a family type ones Outdoorsy or RVShare. We went the family route, and it had some nice options, already included in the price. You should shop around and see what they will give you. Think the basics, if you are flying in you won’t have bedding and cooking needs and some RV options will throw those into the rental price. Additional Costs to Consider

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Additional RV Costs to Consider

1. Mileage costs (estimate 20% more just in case)
2. Gas costs vary by RV size (estimate ¾ tank every 3 hours)
3. Generator costs (estimate using while driving)
4. Hook-up costs (keep lower by staying in the park)
5. Propane Tank refilling costs
6. Bedding essentials (are they included or additional fee)
7. Cooking essentials (pots, pans, knives, cutting boards)
8. Food (don’t forget the essentials, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil)

Unfortunately, there were no reasonably priced RV’s to rent near FCA, so we flew into Salt Lake City and drove the 10 hour drive up, hind sight rental RV’s only give you 100 miles per day, after that it costs .35 cents per mile. So we probably didn’t save much money by doing it this way. Also, gas mileage is going to come into play, you need to plan to fill up the gas tank every 3 hours, so the 10 hour drive was 3 tanks of gas. That was an additional $300 at about $3.75 per gallon. Also, if your whole crew is riding in the RV, you will need the generator on while driving, it gets hot in the summer and the generator is the only way to keep the RV cool while on the road.

Most rentals give you an hourly amount of generator use, so factor driving time into your needs. We paid the gray tank dumping fee ($40), hindsight you dump it every time you move, because no one wants to deal with a smelly tank on the road, and since you are already doing it you can save yourself the $40. We also paid for camp chairs to be provided, if you have hook-ups you likely have chairs or a picnic table available so save yourself the money and skip this added fee.

The comfort a RV gives you as far as spreading out, and having all the necessities with you made it much more enjoyable for us as a group of 6. Traveling during covid makes wanting to stay in one spot more desirable, and the RV gives you that option, and changing the scenery daily. This is the perfect trip to take in your lifetime, and they don’t call it the Crown of the Continent for nothing, it is literally one of the most breathtaking places on earth.

If you have made it to Montana, and you have picked up your RV, the next step is to get your food essentials. The best tip I have to save you some time, is to do an order ahead of groceries, most major chains offer pick-up, we found that Smith’s Food and Drug (part of Kroger’s) was the perfect option for grocery pick-up as you can schedule ahead and they will even help load it into the vehicle! This helped us get on the road that much faster, there is one located in Columbia Falls on the way to Glacier National Park.

Next up, is finding the perfect spots for hook-ups. This can be a little daunting, because there are both a lot and not a lot of options, and you certainly don’t want to spend a significant amount of time driving to and from your RV spot. If you are planning a year in advance, then it is worth a try to book a campsite at Fish Creek or Many Glacier (reservations available at NPS.gov). If you are more about living on the edge there are other campgrounds that operate on a first come- first served basis.

Not being that brave, especially in such a busy time, West Glacier has quite a bit of camp sites and if you fly in and out of Kalispell this is the closer location. East Glacier, St Mary or Babb also have some options. We stayed in Essex further away from the entrances and took an additional 30-45 mins to get into the park, however Glacier Haven Resort was beautiful, the hook-ups felt private and the bathroom and laundry were clean. Only downside was that there was no WIFI, which was nice because I really wanted to un-plug, but the planner in me was itching to put together the plans and we had to play it mostly by ear.

The bad news is, you will need a rental car if you are coming during high season, don’t get me wrong I know there are buses that can take you on the going on the sun road, but you will want the freedom and the time to explore as you wish. There are rental car locations actually in the park and it is worth it to check them out. Another option, would be to get a Turo (rent a personal vehicle) for the trip. If you are coming with a group, you may want to rent a car at the airport when you fly in (we did this and the freedom it gave us was awesome). If you absolutely cannot rent a car, please be patient and give yourself the time you need to explore the park.

There are four major entrances to get into Glacier, the first is West Glacier by the Apgar Visitor Center, the second is Two Medicine the third is Saint Mary and the fourth is Many Glacier. All of these are worth visiting and timing is everything. One of the most beautiful roads in the country is the Going-on-the-Sun-Road, it runs from the West Glacier Entrance to the Saint Mary entrance. It is size restricted, so no RV’s allowed and it is required reading that you drive this road through the park.

Currently they are selling 300 tickets per day to access the Going-on-the-Sun-Road, if you are not staying in the park you must have a ticket to drive the road, however you can access the road after 5pm without a ticket. My friends this is the key to happiness, because a) you don’t have to stress over getting kicked out of their system 500 times before they sell out, and b) after 5pm traffic decreases, you get to see amazing sunsets and you still have 5 hours of light!

Itinerary for Glacier National Park

Day 1 Morning

Spend the day in the Two Medicine area, the Running Eagle Falls is a great trail to get your feet wet on (can be literally). The falls are an easy hike, there are bathroom facilities at the trail head and parking is pretty easy to get. This hike can take 30 mins to an hour and the shots of the water fall are amazing. The clear water and colorful rocks are an amazing way to start the day. (assuming you are staying in the West Glacier Area)

Day 1 Afternoon

Hit the Two Medicine Lake and trails surrounding, if you have your pack ready the hike to twin falls is worth the trek, but may take several hours. Make sure you bring your bear spray, and you stay hydrated. Once you make the hike back, hit up the Two Medicine Campstore and grab some ice cream as your reward.

Day 1 Evening

It’s 5pm let the party start! Drive up to Saint Mary entrance, after 5pm they just may glance at your entrance fee (hey might be worth it to say, park annual pass is $80, but if you have a 4th grader it is free!), otherwise you can get a week long pass for $35, all available on the National Park Website. Then you are officially on the Going-on-the-Sun-Road, every single turn-off is epic, totally serious the views in every direction are awe-inspiring.

• Most Epic Views- Wild Goose Island
• Best Goat Experience- Hidden Lake Nature Trail
• Scariest Turn Ever- Siyeh Bend
• Most Amazing Waterfall Ever- Cascade Falls
• Most Over rated- Lake McDonald
• Most Beautiful Lodge- Glacier Lodge in East Glacier
• Most likely to experience a Bear- Many Glacier
• Scariest Hike- The Highline Trail

Day 2 Morning

You are going to have to get up early for this one! You are at Glacier, I am guessing you might want to see a Glacier. The hike to Grinnell Glacier is not for the weak of heart, it is 11.2 miles long and you hike the same trail out and back. This is truly bear country, and the trail can close for when there is bear activity in the area. You may want to check the status of the trail before making the drive. When we went the trail was closed due to bear activity, be warned if the trail is closed at 2.5 miles maybe don’t take a break and eat a snack before turning around. The bears don’t know that it is closed at 2.5 miles and might just be wandering around the 2.1 mile mark… long story short we did not get eaten but were slightly scared for our life.

Bear Safety- from experience

• Make noise while hiking, putting a bell on your pack is a good idea
• Hike with a group and do not separate
• Keep space at least 100 yards, or 5 school buses
• If you see the bear, do not make eye contact and do not run, move sideways to get out of the area
• Clap your hands, wave your arms and make noise
• Keep your food in your pack, and always take your pack with you
• Bring Bear Spray (or rent it), watch a video on how to use it, but really if you get to the point where you need to use it you have probably not read the above safety tips and therefore did not watch the video on how to use it so best of luck 🙂

Day 2 Afternoon

An early dinner at the Two Sisters Cafe is just what the doctor ordered, there are other options in the area, but this feels the most authentic. Make sure to get there right before they open because they fill up fast and can have a wait for quite a while. Be prepared to get Hucked. While we were there we had the huckleberry pie, and the huckleberry ice cream milkshake, totally worth it! Then its time to take a second stab at the Going-on-the-Sun-Road, there are literally so many more places to see and hikes to take, if you didn’t stop there yesterday you need to stop today.

Make sure you are on the Going-on-the-Sun-Road for sunset, it is beyond unbelievable and every turn will give you a picture better than the last.

Day 3

Today is all about the outdoors, there are 56 hikes in Glacier and they vary in length from <.1 mile to 8.3 miles for one trail. You could even combine trails to get to an 18.8 mile loop. There are so many options, asking a Ranger might be a good excuse to find out the trail status, and if any animals have been seen in the area.

Once you are done with your hiking, make sure you stop at the Park Store, 100% of the proceeds support Glacier National Park conservation efforts.

Day 4

Make the drive up to the Canadian Border to go to the Waterton Lakes National Park. These two parks were the first International Peace Park established in 1932. These two parks hold mutliple distinctions, Biosphere Reserves a World Heritage Site and the world’s first transboundary International Dark Sky Park. You will be crossing an international border so FYI you will need to check the crossing requirements.

You must visit the Prince of Wales Hotel and National Historic Site. The Hotel looks so amazingly beautiful and it might even be worth seeing if you can plan ahead and spend a night here. What a gorgeous location?! Spending the day just driving through the natural beauty would be the perfect way to spend some time. There are also some lakes with beautiful views, including Upper Waterton Lake, and Linnet Lake. Take your time exploring and enjoying all the unbelievable views!

Make sure to drive back before it gets too dark, because there are plenty of animals and seeing one on the road in the dark can be very scary. In the summer, the sun doesn’t set until almost 10pm so it gives you plenty of time to get back.

Time to return your RV, rental car and fly back home, missing the views and the wildlife but taking nothing but the memories with you!

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