Glacier & The Canadian Rockies

Fly into Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, MT. Small, easy to navigate airport with amazing scenery to start the trip off with beautiful views straight off the plane! Pick up a rental car conveniently at the airport for ease of travel and flexibility during this trip. (Go for unlimited miles options because this trip we drove over 1700 miles!) Drive to your hotel. Stay in either Whitefish (a vibrant ski town with boutique shops, cozy restaurants, and lively energy, with a very nice city beach to enjoy the lake in the summer), Columbia Falls (a quiet mountain town just outside the West Glacier park entrance. Makes for a great way to stay close to the park and at a better price than inside the park. Plus it has some very good restaurants/bars), or Flathead Lake Area, which is a tranquil option located near the largest fresh-water lake west of the Mississippi. Great for lake views and relaxing evenings. Depending on your arrival time, consider a walk through Whitefish or a lakeside dinner. We arrived early enough to make it to Apgar village in Glacier National Park, and within two hours of arriving in Montana, we were out on a canoe enjoying the beautiful lake!

Explore the wild heart of the Rockies. Get up early, pack a lunch to go and enjoy a full day exploring the west end of Glacier National Park.

Recommended stops: Lake McDonald (A must-see, this stunning lake with crystal-clear water and colorful rocks is a perfect spot for kayaking, canoeing, or photography). Apgar Village (Great for souvenirs, coffee and ice cream). Trail of the Cedars (A short, accessible loop trail through an old-growth forest.) Avalanche Lake (One of the most popular hikes in the park and the lake at the end is worth the moderate hike).

Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road (Seasonal opening is typically July–September). Stop at Logan Pass Visitor Center (The highest point on the road. Consider taking the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail from here). St Mary and Virginia Falls hike (multiple waterfalls along this hike and is a easy-moderate hike depending on your experience level). Sunrift Gorge & Jackson Glacier Overlook (Perfect for photos). Recommend bringing a lunch with you that is light but nutritious. Dinner in Whitefish (Try Blackstar BrewPub for a celebratory beer after a long day of hiking).

Sleep in and recover from your first few days of adventure (there is plenty more to come!) Get some coffee at Black Rifle Coffee Company (A veteran-owned coffee company). Downtown shops and breweries (Check out Sunrift Beer Company or Bia Brewing for local drafts). Flathead Lake Brewery (A lakeside brewery with excellent views of the lake). Optional spa treatment. Dinner in Kalispell at Brannigan’s Pub or Desoto Grill.

Get up early and remember your passport. You will need it to cross the border in Eureka, MT. The drive is beautiful from start to finish and makes the 4.5 hour drive go by very fast! Stop for lunch at Smokehouse 93, just outside of Invermere. (The BBQ here is amazing!) You can purchase your Canadian National Park Pass online or at one of the visitor centers. (If you buy your pass online, you will need your hotel to print off a physical copy as it is required to be present on your parked vehicle’s windshield). Purchase any level of ticket (based on your activity/adventure) for the Golden Skybridge. This is a must-see, the highest suspension bridge in Canada. There is amazing views and the optional ziplines, cliff swing, rock climbing wall and more. Dinner at The Wolf’s Den (probably one of my top five favorite burgers I’ve had!) in Golden.

Morning drive (1.5 to 2 hour drive). Keep your camera ready and look out for scenic pull-off spots because this drive in AMAZING! Explore Banff Avenue—A charming street lined with boutiques, cafes, and mountain gear shops. Many options for souvenirs and places to eat, such as: Banff Avenue Brewing, Elk and Oarsman, Three Bears Brewery and many more. Bow Falls and Cascade Gardens are close with easy walking and postcard worthy views. Drive back to Golden (I’d recommend driving back while it’s still light if you are not used to mountain driving as it can be very dark and windy roads).

One of the most beautiful drives in the world! Route: Golden to Lake Louise (don’t worry, we will see that tomorrow!) to Jasper, approx. 4–5 hours depending on stops and hikes. Make sure the car is full of gas, as there is only one gas station on the Icefields Parkway once you enter the park before you get to Jasper. Sights to see include Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon, Parker Ridge hike, Columbia Icefield, and Athabasca Glacier. There are plenty of hikes to do where you can see parts of the park that you can’t access from a car. Depending on your hiking level, I would highly recommend the Parker Ridge hike (on the harder side of moderate, but the views at the top are worth it!). Optional to have checked out of your hotel in Golden and have a hotel booked in Jasper to end the day at if you aren’t prepared for that long drive back to Golden.

The lakes are known for their unreal blue color and stunning mountain peaks in the background. Book your tickets welllll in advance! Or you’ll have to get lucky 48 hours before and get last-minute sale tickets, but they sell out within seconds of opening. I’d suggest doing the Park and Ride tickets as you can’t drive to the lakes yourself (Louise, you can if you get there insanely early or you’re staying at the hotel on the lake). The Park and Ride is easy, convenient and allows you to spend as much time at each lake as you’d like. If you’re leaving from Golden (1 hour drive) or Jasper (2 hour & 45 minute drive), be prepared to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Once at the lakes, take as much time as you want to see the lakes. Tip: To avoid the crowds of tourists don’t stop at the first sight of the lakes. There are plenty of walking paths around both lakes. The further you walk around, the less busy it gets and you still get the amazing views and pictures! To save time and money, pack your own lunch and enjoy at peaceful lakeside clearing.

If you stayed in Golden for the duration of the trip in Canada, I would recommend taking one last scenic drive back to Kalispell for a one-night stay and fly home the next day. If you elected to move your stay to Jasper, you may have to drive 4 hours to Edmonton International Airport for your departure flight home. Another option would be to have your last night stay in Banff after Lake Moraine and Louise, then fly out of Calgary the next day (1.5 hour drive from Banff).