Beside the mountain and hiking friendly gears, YOU NEED BEAR SPRAY!!!You heard it right!!!! Most of the park is labeled as “Bear Country”. Possible to encounter Black bear or Grizzly, so better to be . You can purchase or rent a can, at any outdoor store or shop in the area. Bear spray cannot be carried in the flight cabins, but can be placed in checked bags.

Check Out common mistakes while packing for travel.

Get to the park as early as possible. Wake up at dawn!!! With so many people trying to get in for the day, you might want to arrive as early as six in the morning, for the sake of parking space for hiking on some of the more popular trails.

Logan Pass and Avalanche Lake parking lots tend to fill up fast, so the earlier you get there, the better. Using the available shuttles in the park, will drop you off at most popular spots and you will escape some of the hassles and heavy traffic in crowded areas.

Depends on the how much hiking you will do at the park, each side of the park has a lot to offer. Those who like to see the village, Lake McDonald and easier hikes, I recommend the West side. Options to make your stay more enjoyable are more abundant on the west. Glacier International Airport, hotels and accommodations and more restaurants. For those who like longer and more difficult hikes, especially for backpacking, I highly recommend the east side of the park.

Although there are much to do at the park, I will narrow it down to just six most famous and kid friendly activities and places. These six spots along with quick stops to some other fabulous places in between will make a wonderful and memorable 3 day itinerary for your Kid Friendly Glacier National Park Travel Guide.

“Going-to-the-Sun” is Montana’s most famous road for a good reason. You cannot miss this adventure in your Kid Friendly Glacier National Park travel Guide because you will access all of the attractions via this road. Plus this is one of the easiest and most memorable activities in the park. You will enjoy the stunning views of the peaks, glaciers and Valley along the road.

Make sure driving in tight and sometimes congested areas is something you are comfortable with, as it will get congested throughout the day.
Starting your day early for this driving will give you stunning views and less crowded locations along the way. This road connects west and east side of the park.

Lake McDonald is one of the clearest lakes in the country. Lake Mcdonald Lodge offers boat services and paddle boats. I highly recommend to enjoy this beautiful lake which has colorful glacier round rocks. Watch out!!! Test the water first!!! It’s cold! but refreshing.

If you are up to moderate almost 6 miles hike, Avalanche Lake via Trail of Cedars is a must. It’s about 1 mile round trip hike on beautiful trail of cedars and another 4.5 mile roundtrip to go up to Avalanche lake. Oldest and first trail in the park constructed for hike, famous for beautiful nature and stunning view of the steep mountains around it.
Finding parking spot after 9am to 4pm is tricky, so for a guaranteed available spot, be there before 8:30am or after 4:30pm. Make sure to carry you Bear Spray with you along the trail.

The highest elevation point of Going-to-the-Sun, 6,646 feet, is Logan Pass parking lot, where you will enjoy some of the most memorable hikes at the park, The trail to a hidden lake (I was not able to hike to the lake due to high BEAR activity trail closure!!!) and Highline trail.

Make sure you will arrive at the parking lot as early as you can, since the parking lot gets filled by 8am. I recommend you to be there before 7:30am. Also be prepared and wear proper shoes, the trail to hidden lake overlook could be still covered in snow even in July. Your chance to see lots of wildlife in this trail is high.

If you like hiking, this will be the highlight of your Kid Friendly Glacier National Park Travel Guide. While there are so many trails available for hiking at Glacier National park, HighLine Trail hike is unique with moderate hike which offers incredible views of the valley with wild flowers everywhere. The trail is pretty narrow and parts of the trail is just by a cliff! You will be amazed and stunned with what you will observe along the way.

Highline trail can easily compete with other amazing hikes we did around the world, like table mountain hike in South Africa, Lauterbrunnen hike in Switzerland, Lake Louise hike in Banff national park and Amalfi coast in Italy.

This trail is over 14 miles round trip and many hikers camp at the end of the trail which is close to Glaciers before turning back. As a 7-year old kid at the time, I hiked about 8 miles round trip.

This trail is a must, that offers amazing views and was my absolute favorite trail in Glacier National Park.

As you drive toward east on Rising Sun road, there is a beautiful hike through meadow and pine forest toward St. Mary’s Fall, 2.4 miles round trip, and Virginia falls which is another 1.4 miles roundtrip. If you are looking for a place to dip in clear, fresh water, St. Mary Fall is a popular place to do so.

And finally, If you are traveling with kids to the park, make sure to check out the Junior Ranger program that the park offers. It’s a fun educational activity for kids with a little souvenir included. You will meet with park rangers in Apgar village visitor center or Logan Pass visitor center and they will guide your kids through it. It is absolutely fun.