Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [161]
Winter Sports & Activities
All unplowed roads become trails for snowshoers and cross-country skiers, who rave about the vast powdered wonderland here. Guided trips into the backcountry are a great way to experience the park in winter, or you can strap on a pair of snowshoes and explore on your own. Note: Snowmobiles are prohibited in the park.
Snowshoeing & Cross-Country Skiing. Glacier has an abundance of cross-country trails, the most popular of which is the Upper Lake McDonald Trail to the Avalanche picnic area. This 8-mile trail offers a relatively flat route up Going-to-the-Sun Road with views of McDonald Creek and the mountains looming above the McDonald Valley. For the advanced skier, the same area presents a more intense trip that heads northwest in a roundabout fashion to the Apgar Lookout.
The most popular trail on the east side is the Autumn Creek Trail near Marias Pass. Avalanche paths cross this area, so inquire about weather conditions before setting out. Yet another popular spot is in Essex along the southern boundary of the park at the Izaak Walton Inn.
In West Glacier, Glacier Outdoor Center (☎ 800/235-6781) rents snowshoes and cross-country ski packages for $10 and $15 per day, respectively.
Camping
INSIDE THE PARK
Two ways to spend your evenings at the park are inside the hotel lounge looking across a martini at the folks in the campground, and vice versa. For those who prefer the latter, Glacier offers 13 campgrounds, 8 of which are accessible by paved road.
Most campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fish Creek and St. Mary campgrounds may be reserved through the National Park Service Reservation System (☎ 800/365-CAMP [2267] or 301/722-1257; http:// reservations.nps.gov). Most campgrounds have restrooms with flush toilets and cold running water.
Fish Creek is on the west side of Lake McDonald; Many Glacier is in the northeast part of the park; Rising Sun is on the north side of St. Mary Lake; St. Mary is on the east side of the park; and Two Medicine is in the southeast part of the park, near East Glacier. Sprague Creek, near the West Glacier entrance, has a paved road but does not allow towed vehicles or vehicles longer than 21 feet.
Despite its proximity to the center of the hotel and motel activity, the Many Glacier Campground is a well-forested, almost secluded campground that provides as much privacy in a public area as you'll see anywhere. The campground has adequate space for recreational vehicles and truck-camper combinations, but space for vehicles pulling trailers is limited. It is a veritable mecca for tent campers.
Apgar Campground is at the bottom of Lake McDonald, near the West Glacier entrance and the Apgar Visitor Center. The Avalanche Campground may be the nicest of all because it is 4 miles north of Lake McDonald on Going-to-the-Sun Road in a heavily treed area immediately adjacent to the creek. Of its 87 sites, 50 are suitable for RVs.
Bowman Lake Campground is at the end of a primitive dirt road in the northwest section of the park (accessible through the Polebridge entrance). It's not recommended for RVs. The bad news about the Cut Bank Campground road is that it's not paved. The good news is that it's only 5 miles from the pavement of U.S. 89 to the ranger station and campground, which are in the southeast portion of the park between St. Mary and Two Medicine. Still more good news is that the unpaved road deters