5-Day Adventure Itinerary in Glacier National Park, Montana

Left NYC aboard an Amtrak to Chicago for a three hour stopover, then took the Empire Builder Route to the West Glacier stop in Montana. Total travel time around 59.5 hours to reach. Picking up our Touro Ford Explorer rental at the station, we checked-in to Glacier Vista Motel.

Waking up early, we drove on the Going to the Sun Road into Glacier National Park, enjoying the sweeping panoramic views and parked at Logan's Pass Visitor Center, Logan Pass Visitor Center where we walked past the Continental Divide to The Highline Trail. The first part of the trail is very narrow (two feet wide), as at certain spots there is a rope that is cast into the side of the mountain. The towering arete with snow along the side, lush green valley's on the other side with towering peaks and high glacier waterfalls, was a sight to behold that makes for some fantastic photographs. After some hiking, you will find some snow (in August) for a good pic and a snowball fight. The Highline is an 11-mile trek that climbs above the Going to the Sun Road, so plan for this to take up the entire day, so bring snacks, lunch and water. Highline Trail. This is a strenuous hike, so be prepared!

We bit off a little more than we could chew on the Highline hike so we were a little achy which left us with the perfect reason to sit back for the early part of the day by taking the Red Bus Tour. Pick up was at Lake McDonald Lodge where we had an all you can eat buffet breakfast (we were very hungry from yesterday's hike). The canvas top that comes off gives us the sky view of the towering cliffs and waterfalls, as we go up the windy Going to the Sun Road. Stopping at the rest stops along the way for some spectacular photos. We stopped at St. Mary's Lake for some panoramic shots.

From there, we had lunch at Two Dog Flats. Great tap selection, we had the pulled pork with beans & mashed potato. The Red Bus takes you all the way across the park & back, so you are assured of plenty of amazing photos & videos.

We finished the day hiking the Avalanche Trail, ending up at the lake surrounded by towering cliffs and waterfalls that would take your breath away. This hike is deep into the forest (as opposed to being out in the open during the Highline) and is mostly flat so an easy trail to do especially at the end of the day. Avalanche Trail

The Going to the Sun Road was under constructions at night so was not open until 7 am. Since we wanted to get to the trail as early as possible and also perhaps find a camping spot for an overnight and did not have a park pass (it's a first come first serve basis if you don't have reservations). We got up at 4 am for a drive on Rt. 2 to go around to the eastside of Glacier National Park. It's a drive along flat grassy plains when you get to the east side, and makes for great views of the east side mountains of the park along with a farm with Bison on the plain, which made for some great photos on the way back. We had breakfast at Nell's which was right in the parking lot where we left our vehicle. Swiftcurrent Restaurant.

This is a full day hike so be prepared with snacks, lunch, and water ( which we refilled our thermoses in the icy water melt by the glacier) It is a six-mile hike to get to the glacier which sits atop Mt. Gould at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Glaciologists have predicted that if carbon dioxide levels increase at a worse-case scenario, all the glaciers in the park, including Grinnell , will disappear by 2030. The trail hugs Swiftcurrent Lake before ascending 1840 ft. and passing Lake Josephine which you can ride a tour boat on Many Glacier and then overlooking Grinnell Lake as you ascend higher up the path with colorful flowers, with a waterfall and snow pack here & there. The glacier and the surrounding caldera-like cliffs are awe inspiring, with their high, narrow, majestic waterfalls. You can if you're brave take a dip in the glacial melt lake, which is good if you are there at around noon or early afternoon on a hot summer day, but prepare to shiver! Grinnell Glacier

Driving on the Going to the Sun Road bright and early, we went to the east side of the park to find parking at Logan's Pass Visitor Center to hike the Hidden Lake Overlook Trailhead. It's an easy - moderate trail that is 2.7 miles out and back with an elevation of 551 ft. The entire length of the trail is open & exposed so expect a lot of sun & wind. Since it is one of the most popular trails in Glacier National Park, to avoid excessive crowds and find parking, highly recommend you get there early morning, by 6:30 or earlier.

Don't get complacent because it's a crowd favorite, bring your bear spray! The trail was closed on a prior day because of a bear sighting. Micro spikes might be necessary for the early season depending on the snow pack. This is because upper elevation trails can be covered in snow for much longer than lower areas of the park, and when the snow is melting during the day, it can freeze overnight, creating icy hazardous conditions on the trail.

The paved path turns into a boardwalk that helps to keep hikers above the snow, slush, mud, so great for people who have mobility issues. The easy ascent across the alpine meadows with the nonstop views of the high peaks surrounding Logan Pass will take your breath away. You will pass bye the Hanging Gardens, a beautiful carpet of wildflowers fed by many rivulets shimmering in the sun. Get ready to see big horn sheep & mountain goats. We were lucky that a family of goats decided to share some of the trail with us so we got some great up-close photos. Don't forget these are wild animals so don't try to pet them.

A great viewing area overlooking the lake and surrounding mountains makes for some captivating photos & videos. If you are up for it the hike extends to the lake but the trail loses almost 800 ft. as it descends to moderately steep to steep grades to the lake in 1.25 miles.

We then drove east to St. Mary's & Virginia Falls.

For our last day, we traveled on Route 2 to Glacier Guides Montana Raft for a three-hour whitewater rafting adventure. The water was so mesmerizingly clear and blue; we could not help but fill our thermoses up. The rapids were Class 1-3, and there was a photographer from the raft company that took some action photos of us during some of the dramatic Class 3 rapids, which we later bought.

After our whitewater adventure, we continued along Route 2 to the town of Coram to stop at Glacier Distilling Company. This was on a tip we got the evening before from the bartender at McDonald Lodge after we had a drink of Bearproof Whiskey. This single malt whiskey distilled on-site is flavored with the juice of huckleberries. Because of its one-of-a-kind sweet & tart taste, we had to buy a few bottles to take home with us. (Warning: does not actually make you bearproof)

We finished the day with a dinner buffet (could not get enough) at McDonald's Lodge, followed by walking to the back of the lodge to the lake for a boat cruise on McDonald Lake.

The next morning we dropped off our rental at West Glacier train stop and boarded Amtrak for our scenic 2014-mile train ride home.