Question Planning Glacier and Montana for 2020

[redbaron]

@redbaron … planning is all done and reservations made as of yesterday. We will be at East Glacier KOA from 8/19 to 8/23 and then West Glacier KOA from 8/23 to 9/2 and then will move down to Polson from 9/2 to 9/6 on the way to West Yellowstone.

FLSteve

Very good! The crowds will be minimal that time of year.

2019 DSDP 4369 * Active Air * NHSO

 

[Neal]

We will be at East Glacier KOA from 8/19 to 8/23 and then West Glacier KOA

Interesting idea. Is it better do split it like this to see various areas vs. staying in one place? Hmm....

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Do I see the beginning of a "Hoots" at Polson in late August/early September? That would be fun. We'll be in Lot #166. Come on by!

TJ

 

[redbaron]

IMHO, it is better to stay put longer.

Weather greatly affects what trails you will hike and see. Going over the divide changes the weather. In side of Logan's can be fully socked in with no visibility while the other has blue sky.

East side has no at&t service and very spotty verizon. To make phone calls you are using either wifi or driving to west side.

It is 1.5 hrs to drive the going to sun road end to end. East side is closer to Logan's pass than west.

We are not afraid to drive the g2s road and often start out at 5am to arrive at our choice of trailheads.

2019 DSDP 4369 * Active Air * NHSO

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Interesting idea. Is it better do split it like this to see various areas vs. staying in one place? Hmm....

Depends on how much toad driving you like to do vs being close to various scenic spots. And, there is more to see than just Glacier NP, though to do that well would take quite a while.

TJ

 

[deaton]

We did Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in the summer of 2018. We started out staying in Dubois,Wyoming at a small RV park called Solitude. The place has great views, 19 sites, and it would be wrong to say they are “pull-thrus” since ours was about an acre in area. I could do a 360 degree turn, no problem!

Entrance looks a little spooky, but once you go around the turn, and across the bridge, it opens up and is gorgeous.

View from our campsite.

From Dubois, you run about thirty miles west and the road splits. If you go south, you enter Grand Teton NP and if you keep going south, you end up in Jackson. If you turn north, you also run through the northern edge of Grand Teton and you go straight to the South Gate of Yellowstone.

After a week in Dubois we moved to the Yellowstone Inn and RV Park which is about thirty miles west of Cody and thirty miles east of Yellowstone’s east gate. We stayed there a second time last summer on the way back from Glacier.

 

[FLSteve]

Interesting idea. Is it better do split it like this to see various areas vs. staying in one place? Hmm....

@Neal … not really sure and this will be our 1st time there. We are coming from the east (Michigan) so figured we would stop on the east side for 4 days before moving to the west side for 10 more days. I have always heard the west side is better so am staying more time over there. I think @redbaron probably knows the most as he has been going there many years.

FLSteve

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

We are not afraid to drive the g2s road...

It is definitely an exhilarating experience! The road is OK; it is the crazy people driving on it that can make it scary!

For the uninitiated, a significant portion of the Going to the Sun Road is carved into a sheer vertical rock wall. And, there are few guardrails due to winter avalanches. Some drivers just freak out and freeze, creating difficult traffic situations since the road is fairly narrow and easily blocked.

We did it once and unless we needed to use G2S to get somewhere specific, we probably won't do it again.

TJ

 

[redbaron]

You will find that g2s is more crowded 2 weeks after opening date (varies with weather and snow) thru mid August. July is often the worst, and we avoid g2s during peak hours.

That being said, early mornings are often a breeze, and after 6p the road is much less busy.

Since we have been going, our toad has been a crew cab 3/4 ton diesel pickup. This is the vehicle that we use to get around the g2s, find parking for trails, etc. We have never had a problem. Many more options open up when you have a smaller toad. Next year we will have our JLUR (4 door jeep) so it will be a brand new experience, especially once I take the doors and top off!

We hike a lot. Often we go to many glacier, from west side which means crossing g2s. Driving the g2s is always an opportunity to see wild life, and people doing stupid things. Always a story to tell.

Many times we start the day out with a very open plan as to what trail to hike, and make the decision based on conditions of parking and weather.

Being flexible with your itenary really helps.

2019 DSDP 4369 * Active Air * NHSO

 

[Neal]

Can’t do Hoots without a nearby Newmar dealer. Of course we could make new rules.

I'm not smart on the Newmar Hoots thing, it's been interesting figuring that out I guess what I was implying was an informal Newmar rally such as people merging at destinations like we did for the Balloon Fiesta. Was super great to meet some of the fellow Newmar folks along travels.