Glacier National Park might just be my favorite park in the US!
It reminded me a lot of Banff area and that region of Alberta, likely because it’s part of the same mountain range. The sweeping valleys and mountain landscapes, the wildlife and all the lakes are all absolutely remarkable.
We did this trip in the summer of 2024, over the July 4th holiday weekend and it worked out quite well. While some trails were still closed for snow and hazardous conditions, most trails were open and the Going the Sun Road had just opened a couple weeks prior.
I would not recommend going to Glacier National Park if Going the Sun Road is closed – you’d be missing out on so much of the park! It’s usually open from late June until September, so make sure to check the NPS website to get up to date information on closures.
We did this trip over 5 days and it felt like the perfect amount of time, though we were hiking quite a bit every single day with very little rest. If you like to enjoy your life a little bit more, consider adding a few rest days in between all the action 😉
1. Grinell Glacier Trail
This was hands down my favorite hike we’ve ever done, and one of the harder trails due to length and elevation gain.
Even though it’s on the tougher side, I’d still highly recommend attempting this one. The lakes, the wildflowers, the wildlife, absolutely everything about this hike was breathtaking. And once you finally reach the top and see the emerald blue lake from above, all the hard work becomes worth it! The final stretch to Grinell Glacier was closed at the time due to bear activity, so we only hiked 10 miles round trip. And yes – we saw at least two grizzlies on the trail!
2. Avalanche Lake Trail
This is a super fun and easy 5 mile hike that my kids basically ran through! It starts out in a beautiful thick forest with a wooden boardwalk and ends at the gorgeous Avalanche Lake. There are often bears hanging out at the lake so the trail might be closed or posted for bear activity on and off throughout the summer.
It’s always best to come here first thing in the morning, but we had no issue finding parking late morning on July 4th. You can combine this hike with Trail of the Cedars as it’s part of the same trail system.
3. Lake McDonald
After forcing the kids to do two 10 mile hikes in a row, it was time to relax by the lake and work a different group of muscles! There are no rest days when you travel with me, there’s just different muscle groups being worked 😉
Kayak rentals are available on the spot though you could reserve them in advance. If you don’t feel up for kayaking, relaxing by the beach at Apgar is a really fun way to spend an afternoon. The rainbow rocks are super colorful and fun to play with, so the kids had a blast just splashing in the water after all the hiking we had done!
Hidden Lake Overlook Trail
We did this hike after doing another hike in the morning – maybe I was overambitious, but my family knows that vacations with me mean extreme physical exercise to here we are. The hike to the top is just a mile, but it’s quite steep and often still covered in snow. You’re almost guaranteed to see some mountain goats at the top of this trail hanging out!
Iceberg Lake Trail
This is one of the harder hikes to do in Glacier National Park with kids, as you have about 1500 feet of elevation gain over roughly 10 miles. At the end you’re rewarded with a beautiful lake covered in – you guessed it – icebergs! We saw some people doing polar plunges or walking along the icebergs but we just enjoyed our lunch and the beautiful view.
Wild Goose Island Lookout
This stop has one of the best effort to views ratio – it’s literally right off the highway and all you need is to pull over for a few minutes. There’s no trail, just a lookout area, though you could walk all the way to the lake if you wanted to. The sunsets and sunrises here are spectacular!
If you’re staying on the West side of the park, this is an easy 15 minute drive and there are almost always bears out along this stretch of road.
Glacier Highline
This is a super fun activity to do for the kids if you find yourself out of luck with entry reservations to Glacier National Park. Glacier Highline is an aerial adventure park right outside the south entrance of the National Park and is open most days.
Where to stay in Glacier National Park with Kids
I was originally thinking we would mostly stay on the south side of the park for easier access, but after realizing we don’t have reservations and that the West side allowed entry without reservations, I quickly changed my plans. I ended up booking a small cabin for the 5 of us at the St Mary / East Glacier KOA and it was the perfect place to explore.
It’s a short and easy drive to the Many Glacier side of Glacier National Park, as well as St Mary Lake. There’s a decent size grocery store in St Mary and this area did not feel busy at all, unlike the Apgar side of the park.
