Let's Get Airborne, Travel Series | Glacier National Park
- Jackie White
- Aug 3
- 4 min read
We recently just got back from a trip to Glacier National Park which is located in Montana, but be careful does have a portion that is located in Canada. Glacier has many hikes and its landscape ranges from dry/rocky to grassy green meadows. Flat terrain or steep uphills. The versatility makes this park/region a great place to visit for avid hikers or even those who want to take it a little more on the easy side.
We went at the end of May/beginning of June and much of the Going-to-the-Sun road was still closed secondary to snow at the higher elevations so many of the more difficult hikes were non-accessible and you could not travel directly through the park. So, in order to get from the West side to the East side it would take roughly 2 hours, making some of the hikes 4 hrs of driving one way.
Stats of Glacier:1,013,322 acres with 740+ miles of trails, 175 trails
Our trip started with a flight into Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), not to be confused with the private airport of Kalispell. Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls are all fairly close on the West side of town and roughly 20-25 minutes from the airport with easy access to Glacier National Park. Whitefish was definitely the more lively of the towns at any time of day.
Hiking Adventures
Day 1 [West Glacier]
Trip to Polebridge to stop at the local mercantile & Saloon for lunch.
Plan your stop at the mercantile and snag a huckleberry bear claw. Click Here
Plan your stop at the Northern Lights Saloon where I am sure that you cannot go wrong with any of the food on the menu. Click Here
Day 2 [East Glacier]
Goose Island pairs well with St. Mary's
Scenic Point Trail with view of Appistoki Falls
Nice trail with an elevation challenge for non-experienced hikers. I recommend that if you have a fear of heights to take that into account. Some of the switch backs can play some mind games with you as you increase in elevation.
There are a few other trails that are nearby. I recommend stopping in at the mercantile after the hike and snag some provisions or take a pause at the lake there and eat some lunch on the water. If you're like us we couldn't pass up the Bison or Elk snacks that were available.
Day 3
Horse Back Riding with Montana Mountain Horse Works. Absolutely fabulous time and the staff is so friendly. Click Here
Town Exploration: Big Fork and Kalispell
Big Fork is super cute and has several cute and upscale shops to check-out in town. If shopping isn't your thing and the weather is good, rent out some kayaks and canoes.
Kalispell also has some cute shops. Stopping at Montana Coffee Traders is a MUST.
Day 4 [East Glacier]
The weather turned south so we couldn't continue on many of the trails here, but this was an awesome hike! Definitely pack bear spray as we were fortunate enough to see 5 Grizzly bears this day, 4 on the hike, but they were a nice safe distance away.
Want a pintable itinerary? Click Here for your copy.
Preparing for Glacier National Park
When going on hikes it is important to make sure that you are training to do these especially from a safety perspective. You are going into places with limited cell phone service and teeming with wildlife (we didn't have service for nearly the entire time we were in the park). In fact, the only hike that we had remotely any cell phone service was at the top of scenic point (best service we had the entire time we were there).
Packing should include:
Rain Coat
Sweatshirt
Plenty of socks that are water wicking
Hiking boots (waterproof is an excellent addition)
Athletic wear that is sweat wicking
Layers
Fitness
Training for this type of hiking will make your trip more enjoyable. If you live in an area where the elevation is significantly lower, it will be more difficult for your body to efficiently utilize oxygen, because remember the higher you go the less O2 saturation there is. Your body must adapt. I also recommend doing an easier hike based on your fitness level for the first hike. Allow your body to get used to the elevation.
Training Principles
Specificity
Overload
Progression
Reversibility
Variety
Aerobic Activity
I recommend doing activities that you can train yourself with varying levels of difficulty. Personal favorites include:
Stair Climber (to help with elevation changes)
Airdyne (Utilizes both upper and lower body)
Treadmill with varying inclines and speeds.
Weighted Rucks
Always remember to challenge yourself, by pushing yourself to new levels. Make yourself work up a sweat. Feel that "burn so good" feeling. Begin with 15-20 minutes at a time and work yourself up for however long your hike may take you. This will begin to maximize your cardiovascular fitness too.
Strength Training
Variety of strength training is important for the variety of hikes/landscape that Glacier has to offer.
Just some of the exercises that we LOVE for making sure that our lower body is equipped and ready to take this on is.
Long Sit Straight Leg Raise
Please be advised there is no one-size fits all training program here. Each person is going to be at various stages of the game as far as what they are capable of and where they need to begin.
Training programming needs to be diversified
More Tips and Tricks? Or want a customized training program? Reach out and lets chat or you can apply to our program here and have customized programming by a Doctor of Physical Therapy to get you ready for your next big adventure.
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