Glacier and The Grand Tetons
I recently completed a week-long roadtrip comping through The Grand Tetons and Glacier National Park—under $500.
It was magical.
I went with a buddy of mine. There are a few airports to choose from: BOZ, BIL, and WYS (if you want to include Yellowstone) are your best options. Sitting in the middle of The Tetons and Glacier, we flew into BOZ, where we also grabbed our car rental. Car choice is crucial for visiting National Parks, especially during winter months. Given the nature of our trip, we saddled up on a Jeep Rubicon, giving us plenty of storage for our gear and food. Plus, removing the roof and door covers were meant to be done at these locations.
Bozeman, one of Montana’s bigger cities, has a plethora of rental stores for outdoor gear. We picked up a solid 4 person tent (for the extra space), bear spray, and lighting all for about $80 for the full week. Thanks to Explore Rentals for making things easy!
We also stopped by REI to scoop a much needed America is Beautiful Pass which saved us a bit upon entry, and will continue to do so for a year.
With everything packed, we drove around 4 hours South to The Tetons. Download all your maps beforehand! On the way, we stopped by Walmart to gather food for out time at the park.
Roadtrip Hack: We bought a cooler to store food and ended up returning it at the end of the trip (Walmart is known to be lenient with returns).
The Journey Begins
Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons are right near each other. In order to maximize our time (I hate feeling rushed), we did a quick run through Yellowstone, leaving the park for another adventure. Taking a quick glance at Ol’ Faithful and some wildlife along the road, we continued on to reach our campsite at the Tetons by nightfall.
The Grand Tetons
Glacier National Park
After 3rd day in The Tetons, we mustered up the strength to drive across the state to Glacier National Park. Our ambition was high and our energy low, so we folded and got a motel for cheap at hour 5. We slept 2 hours then packed to drive another 3 hours to make it to Glacier by 10:30AM. We pushed hard for this because entrance to Glacier has been highly restricted during the summer months. As a result, we had a timed entrance reservation, speciaically to drive through Going-to-Sun road. If this sounds confusing, it is—and is, honestly, poorly executed. For more information visit the NPS website.
Hidden Lake Trail
- Go past the overlook all the way down to the lake for a dip
- Bear and mountain goat sighting along the trail
- Granite Park Chalet
- Grinnell Glacier Overlook (No Shuttle Needed)
- Carry A LOT of water
-
- Easily accessibly form St. Marys campground
If you have access or go during a time where obtaining a Shuttle to the Many Glacier area of the park is easier, then do these:
After a grueling 6 days of high-energy “relaxation and retreat” we packed up and drove around 5 hours back to Bozeman. We flights later in the evening we had plenty of time to return all of our gear and drop of the car. With no physical problems, weather delays, cancellations, or any other significant mishap we were grateful we had the opportunity to see these AMAZING parks together.
Get out there and explore!
Next Episode
Check out the full adventure, tips and tricks, park information, and mild shenanigans in this video while I try to answer:
How can you get the best out of your own travel journey?
