Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is pretty frickin beautiful! 🙌 My original extended weekend plans here ended up falling through due to my work schedule and other unforeseen obligations, but I was still able to spend a day meandering through as I traverse Montana. I have to say though this is definitely the most competitive National Park I've been to so far in terms of population control. Trying to book advance camping reservations or backpacking permits is akin to trying to score tickets for a high profile concert (selling out within seconds), and you can't even think about ENTERING the park without also booking an advance vehicle entry reservation. Then, if you tick both those boxes, you still have to arrive extra EXTRA early, as parking for most trailheads I encountered was full by 6:30 AM on a Friday. Obviously I totally get it, we absolutely want to preserve places like this and avoid overrunning them, but yeah the unfortunate and frustrating reality of what that means for your visit was more evident here than most other places (aside from maybe Rocky Mountain NP which seemed to have a similar vibe, in my very limited time there last year). You really gotta play the lottery if you want to get the most out of it! I'll come back again soon and try again with the knowledge I have now.
P.S. Going To The Sun Road is definitely a top 5 worthy drive as far as dramatic scenery goes. Also, the burble of the car's DCOE carburetors echoing off those rock faces is incredible. Felt like I was driving the Monte Carlo Rally there for a moment 🤩
