Montana- Glacier National Park

We've been in Montana for a few days now, and I usually blog once we leave a state, but today was just too beautiful. It needed it's own blog day.

We decided to go to Glacier National Park today. Peak season ended after Labor Day, which means you don't need to reserve your ticket in advance. The park usually closes in October due to weather, so we made it just in time!

PRO TIP: If you get to the park before 6 am, you can get right in (for free- before park rangers begin their shift) and watch the sunrise from Logan's Pass and beat the crowds. So, we did. And so did several others. Some of these pictures don't even look real- like I cut and pasted the mountains on there.

We wanted to do the Going-to-the-Sun-Road scenic drive. This is a 51 mile drive with several beautiful stops along the way, and several pretty frightening sections as well. Because of these windy, narrow turns right on the mountains, there are vehicle height and length restrictions. Our RV was too big so we rented a car at the nearby Kalispell Airport.

The rental car was in my name so I did the driving today. I'm kind of glad it was pitch black driving up the mountain because you're literally on the edge. Plus, because it was before sunrise, no one was coming down the other side so I could hug (ok, be on) the yellow center lines. Don't believe me? Watch the opening scene of The Shining. It was shot at Glacier National Park. https://youtu.be/_Jq0SLgE9wI

Being at the park before the rangers meant we wouldn't get a map. We used THIS WEBSITE to help us plan, and it was amazing. In addition, Glacier National Park did a great job labeling points of interest and providing parking to stop and see everything. As the day grew later (after 8 or 9 am), parking got more difficult at the high interest spots, and this is the off season. So I am really glad we went to see the sunrise and beat the crowds.

We ended up seeing about 19 of the stops along the way. Pictures don't do it justice. It's larger than life, and more beautiful than an iPhone can capture, but I sure did try! "Here's Johnny" and Lucy and me :)

Lodging: There are several first come first serve camping sites inside the park, but that gives me anxiety. I have seen people fight for a seat on Megabus and no thank you. Not that that is what would necessarily happen... just not a risk we felt like taking. We opted for Moose Creek RV Resort and Bed and Breakfast. It's the first time we've plugged in since we started our journey over a month ago!

Pros:

• 5 minute drive to Glacier National Park

• Electric

• Water

• Laundry

• Dump

• Dog park

• Community fire each night at 7 pm

• I'm sure there's more too...

Cons:

• It's older (but it seemed fine to me)

• It's a 2 day minimum (but we needed that amount of time to do everything we wanted to do)