Travel Diary: One Week Itinerary in Glacier National Park and Badlands National Park

In July 2024, my husband and I road-tripped to Montana to visit Glacier National Park, one of America's national parks. It immediately became one of our favorite parks for both of us. (If you keep reading, I share the top 3 parks for each of us below!)

Like the previous year, we wanted to celebrate Independence Day with a cross-country road trip and national park visits.

Since we hadn't had enough time in 2023 to visit Glacier National Park, we decided to make that our destination this time, with another stop at Badlands National Park on our drive home.

We saw stunning glacier lakes, magnificent mountains, and at least one bear every day!

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here's what to know

Practice the 7 Leave No Trace principles.
Cell phone service will be sporadic. Download National Park Service maps in advance, and grab paper maps at either the entrance to the park or the visitor centers.
If you text GNPROADS, GNPTRAILS, or GNPCGS to 333111, you'll receive live updates via text on the status of roads, trails, and campgrounds.
Carry bear spray: It's estimated that there are nearly 1,000 bears in Glacier (with black bears outnumbering grizzly bears)!

We still had our bear spray from our trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, so we immediately stopped at one of Glacier's visitor centers to refresh our memory on how to deploy it, since the rangers will do a demonstration and, in some places, let you practice with an empty can. (You want to aim slightly downward of the bear and spray in short 1-3 second bursts when the bear is approximately 20-30 feet away from you.)
One cannister of bear spray is approximately $55-$60 — which is pricey, but not as costly as it would be to meet a bear in the wild without any.
Each person should have their own cannister (in case someone is lagging behind or the bear approaches at an angle that separates the group), and it needs to be easily accessible.
Please note that you can't fly with bear spray — we were able to bring our existing cannisters because we drove.
Check out the Be Bear Aware Campaign and National Park Service for more information on bear safety.
Lastly, practice safe food storage.

Do not approach wild animals. It's not safe for you and it's not safe for the animal... animals who have interacted with humans sometimes end up being put down. Keep a safe distance!
All this being said... we found that the best way to spot animals was to pay attention to crowds of people or people pulling over to the side of the road.

If you do pull your car over, make sure that all 4 wheels are off the road (aka fully to the right of the white line, not on it).
While our experience in Grand Teton and Yellowstone was that people were allowed to pull over, there were several times in Glacier that people created traffic jams by just stopping in the middle of the road, so rangers drove through ordering people over a loudspeaker not to stop.

We drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road every day, and we saw at least one bear from the car every day between the St. Mary entrance to the park and Jackson Glacier Overlook.
An America the Beautiful pass is $80 for the year, rather than paying individual park fees (usually $35 per vehicle). If you're planning to visit multiple parks in one year, it might make more sense to purchase the pass!

The National Park Service also offers an Access Pass, which is a "free, lifetime pass, available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States that have been medically determined to have a permanent disability."

Glacier National Park has 7 entrances; we used 4 of them: West Glacier on the western boundary of the park, and St. Mary, Many Glacier, and Two Medicine on the eastern boundary of the park.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road cuts across the park from the West Entrance to the St. Mary entrance and takes approximately 2 hours to drive without stopping.
You can also drive along the southern boundary of the park, which is a longer distance but takes a comparable amount of time, since the speed limit is higher and the road is less precarious.
It's a lot of driving around/inside the park, but at least the views are pretty!!

During peak season, several entrances to Glacier National Park require vehicle reservations in addition to paying the entrance fee.

The west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Many Glacier, and North Fork require vehicle reservations in addition to to paying the entrance fee. Note: If you have an activity or lodging reservation for that day, you will not need a reservation.
Reservations are available for a nominal fee on a rolling basis 120 days in advance starting at 8am MT and they sell out quickly (typically within 30 minutes or fewer).
If you don’t get a reservation in advance, you also have an opportunity to get a vehicle reservation at 7pm MT the day before. This is how we managed to get a Many Glacier reservation the night before our hike!

where we stayed

Glacier National Park

We stayed in the lodge at the Great Northern Resort, which we booked through Hotels.com.

We felt as though it was a convenient location, with the West Glacier entrance to Glacier National Park just one mile away and Whitefish approximately 30 minutes by car.
The room was spacious, with access to the building's wraparound porch, and they set out a free brown bag with breakfast snacks every morning for every room! There was also a cabinet of games and books at the entrance.
Next time, I'd love to stay closer to Many Glacier on the east side. We tried to get a room at Many Glacier Hotel, but we were too late — it's reserved at least one year in advance!

Learn more about Great Northern Resort.

The "lobby" of the lodge.

View of our room.

Badlands National Park

We stayed at the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone, South Dakota, which we booked through Hotels.com.

We loved this hotel. It was surrounded by nature and had a great view, with a deck off the lobby.
We chose to stay here because I wanted to see more of Keystone after briefly driving through it in 2023. However, it probably didn't make the most sense for us to stay here, since it was west of the Badlands and thus added on time to our drives. But we really liked it and wished we'd had more time to just relax and watch the sunset!

Learn more about the K Bar S Lodge.

The hotel lobby.

I would have loved to sit out there with a drink and a book if we'd had more time!

what we did

Day 1 (Sunday): Arrived in Glacier National Park!

We checked in at the Great Northern Resort, after 2 (long) days of driving from our home in Virginia.

Day 2 (Monday): 1st full day in Glacier National Park, which we spent in Avalanche Creek.

We started our morning late so we could sleep in after all the travel! We stopped for breakfast at West Glacier Café, just before the West Entrance to the park.
We entered the West Entrance to hike Avalanche Creek (~6 miles, out-and-back).
Afterward, we kept driving along east the Going-to-the-Sun Road to the St. Mary entrance and then drove the southern boundary back to our lodge.
We ended the night with dinner at Gunsight Saloon. There was outdoor patio space and live music, and although it doesn't take reservations, we found seats quickly.

Entering the park!

Vest: Gap Factory

Made it to the lake that was the halfway point! Since this was an out-and-back trail, we returned to our car using the same route.

The first bear we saw! After our hike, we decided to drive the rest of the Going-to-the-Sun Road and stopped at an overlook, and there he was, just ~15 yards away!

Continuing east along the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Another bear off of the Going-to-the-Sun Road! We saw a crowd of people all aiming their phones in one direction, so we knew it was an animal sighting and pulled over.

Dinner at the Gunsight Saloon

Jacket: Old Navy, similar here | Dress: Abercrombie

Day 3 (Tuesday): 2nd full day in Glacier National Park, which we spent in Two Medicine.

We drove the southern boundary to the Two Medicine entrance to hike Upper Two Medicine Lake (~11.3 miles, out-and-back).
Afterward, we drove the Going-to-the-Sun road back to West Glacier (so we could drive it in the opposite direction as the day before); we stopped at the Logan Pass Visitor Center and checked out Hidden Lake Trail before heading back to the lodge.
We had dinner at Paul Bunyan Bar & Grill.

I took this without seeing the animal on the left, so it became a joke that any time I took a photo, there was probably an animal in it (since I'd also missed seeing the bear when I took videos the day before).

This was my favorite view from the hike!

This was another out-and-back trail.

Back on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and stopping to take in the views.

I really wanted to hike this trail in the snow, but we'd already taken off our hiking boots for the drive and just did nottt feel like putting them back on!

View from the Going-to-the-Sun Road, we stopped to take in the view and take more photos.

Bird Woman Falls

Another bear, right off of the Going-to-the-Sun Road!

Seeing bears from the car is my preferred way of seeing them :)

On our way to dinner! We had to go somewhere with good Wifi because we were waiting for Many Glacier reservations to open up at 7pm MT!

Jacket: Automet

After dinner, we were sitting in the car back at the Great Northern Resort looking through our photos from the day when we spotted a rainbow!

And then it became a double rainbow!

View from our lodge

Day 4 (Wednesday): 3rd and final day in Glacier National Park, which we spent in Many Glacier.

We drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road to the Many Glacier entrance to hike Grinnell Glacier Trail (~10 miles, out-and-back). Unfortunately, the last 1.5 miles of the hike was closed due to snow, but what we got to see was incredible!
Afterward, we stopped at Many Glacier Hotel for post-hike snacks and drinks at the Swiss Lounge.
We ate dinner at Glacier Highland.

I took this on our drive into Many Glacier, and I think this was my favorite view of the whole trip.

I love this photo, just gives a good sense of how stunning the views are as you hike.

Stopped on the trail because of a bighorn sheep... (I scrambled up off of the path to get away!)

Selfie with the reason for the trail traffic jam, in the left side of the photo.

And then he started posing!

Because there was still snow on the last 1.5 miles of the trail, we couldn't fully complete the hike... but I guess that gives us a reason to come back!

On our way back, it started to sprinkle, so I was glad I had my raincoat!

Raincoat: L.L. Bean

We heard that there'd been a bear on the trail earlier in the day, and on our way back we heard someone yelling about a bear as it ran off, but we didn't see one either time.

The lake peeking through the trees

THE BEST DAY!! After we finished our hike, we drove the Going-to-the-Sun Road (like we did every day, haha!) and we saw a mama bear with THREE cubs!

Look at those babies!

And then we saw another one!

Day 5 (Thursday): Independence Day! We departed Glacier National Park to drive to Keystone, South Dakota.

We drove ~12.5 hours to Keystone, South Dakota, and checked in at the K Bar S Lodge.
We then had dinner in Keystone at the Ruby House Restaurant.
We finished the night with ice cream from Benky's Cream & Sugar!

Dressed for Independence Day!

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Shirt: Amazon | Shorts: Abercrombie | Shoes: Converse | Sweatshirt: Etsy

Alexa, play "So Long, London," by Taylor Swift ;)

I ordered the trout with a potato and broccoli... one of my favorite meals!

This ice cream was delicious! I ordered chocolate peanut butter and mint chocolate chip... and my double scoop was enormous, it was more like a quadruple scoop!

Day 6 (Friday): My 36th birthday! 1st and only full day in Badlands National Park.

We visited Wall Drug first thing in the morning.
Then we drove to Badlands National Park to drive the loop road and hike 4 trails (Cliff Shelf, Notch, Window, and Door).
Our last meal of the official trip was at Powder House Restaurant in Keystone.
Unless you count Benky's... because we had to get ice cream again :)

Wall Drug had restaurants, souvenir shops, and a little play center for kids.

In Badlands National Park! We drove the loop road and stopped at some overlooks.

A prairie dog! There were mounds everywhere. We were afraid to get too close because of signs saying that plague had been identified at the park and prairie dogs, chipmunks squirrels, and other wild rodents could be infected, but they were very cute... and LOUD!

Finishing up on the loop road and heading to some of the trailheads for a few hikes within the park.

This is on the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, a 0.5 mile loop trail of boardwalks that takes about ~15 mins to walk.

I took this on the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail, you can see people on the Notch Trail toward the top of the photo!

And I took this when we were on the Notch Trail, looking down at people on the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail! (In the previous photo, I'd been standing on the boardwalk where the 2 people are.)

You can see the boardwalks for the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail.

The Notch Trail is a 1.5 mile out-and-back hike, and parts of it are a little tricky! There's a ladder you have to climb (or else scramble up the rock), and some of the path was a little narrow and rocky.

Here's (an easy) part of the Notch Trail... it looked like another world! It made me think of Calvin & Hobbes and Spaceman Spiff's adventures :)

I took this from the Notch Trail. You can see the parking lot for the trails in the center right of the photo and the ladder in the center left.

A zoomed in view, with the ladder and parking lot more visible!

I took this on either the Window Trail (a 0.3 mile out-and-back hike on boardwalks) or the Door Trail (a 1-mile out-and-back hike over the rocks).

At the end of the Door Trail!

Spotted this guy on our way out!

Dinner (prime rib and mashed potatoes) and then ice cream (same order as the night before)!

Earrings: Red Dress, similar here | Jacket: Gap, similar here | Romper: Old Navy

Day 7 (Saturday): We woke up early to begin our (long)s 2-day drive home to Virginia.

what i recommend

There really isn't anything we did in Glacier and Badlands National Parks that I wouldn't recommend! But here are some things to make sure you don't miss:

Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road both ways.

Check in advance whether the road is open; while snow can cause it to be closed, the road is usually fully open by early July.
If you weren't able to get a reservation, you can drive after 3pm without reservations.
Double-check this for your trip, but for 2024, the NPS website said this: "Visitors will be able to access the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the east side at St. Mary and Two Medicine without a vehicle reservation."

Enter through a different area of the park every day, to see different parts of the hike!
Visit Many Glacier!!! This was my favorite thing we did all trip, even just driving through the entrance. And Many Glacier Hotel is a lovely place to grab some snacks and drinks and relax in a rocking chair overlooking the water and mountains or listening to live piano. (Though I do feel as though it's probably due for some renovations inside.)

Many Glacier Hotel

Stop at the overlooks. Recommended: The Loop, Jackson Glacier Overlook, and Wild Goose Island.

On our first day, we stopped at an overlook to take photos and videos, and after a few minutes, my husband casually says, "Oh, there's a bear right there." It was only 10-15 feet away! I immediately jumped back into the car to start taking photos there, but the bear was very disinterested in us. I think it was Packer's Roost Overlook because it was just before the Loop Overlook. (And when we watched my videos later, you could see him moving through the brush!)

I was standing in the door of the passenger seat of the car, taking photos.

Go hiking! I would recommend any of the trails we did, especially in Many Glacier. Since we didn't get to fully complete Grinnell Glacier, I hope we can come back some day to make it all the way! Also, I liked the hikes we did because all of them were in different areas of the park.

Visit West Glacier Village for restaurants, shopping, and activities. This is where we had breakfast our first morning!

View from West Glacier Café in the West Glacier Village.

If you can swing it, make time to drive the loop road in the Badlands National Park or for Grand Teton National Park or Yellowstone National Park! The Notch Trail was my favorite trail in Badlands, but all 4 of the hikes we did were so short that you could easily do them all in one afternoon.

what else was on my list

Here are the things we didn't get to that I would have liked to do!

Hike the Hidden Lake Trail and the Highline Trail, both near Logan Pass Visitor Center.
Spend time at Lake McDonald.
Lunch or dinner at Many Glacier Hotel.

Jacket: L.L. Bean 3-in-1 jacket | Biker shorts: Old Navy | Socks: Darn Tough, also available here | Shoes: Birkenstocks

where to eat and drink

Here are the restaurants we ate at:

Gunsight Saloon
Paul Bunyan Bar & Grill
Glacier Highland
Swiss Lounge at the Many Glacier Hotel

And here's what else was on my list that we didn't get to:

Rising Sun Pizza, near the St. Mary entrance
Two Dog Flats Grill, off the Going-to-the-Sun Road near the east entrances
Bonsai Brewing Project, a micro-brewery in Whitefish
Abruzzo Italian Kitchen, in Whitefish
Jalisco Cantina, Mexican cuisine in Whitefish
Backslope Brewing, a brewery in Columbia Falls
The Ptarmigan Dining Room at Many Glacier Hotel.

I'd read great things about this restaurant and was so sad we weren't there at the right time for lunch (11:30 am to 2:30 pm) or dinner (5pm to 9pm)! It's first come, first served, and does not take reservations.

what i packed

I have been loving Old Navy's athletic clothing lately, in case you couldn't tell... I feel like all my shorts, leggings, and even sports bras are from Old Navy!

And I've been stocking up on these tank tops from Amazon with large arm holes because I hate sleeves of any kind and get hot so easily.

links i used

One of my favorite parts of planning a trip is reading about other people's travels when I'm planning my own — it's why I started this collection of travel diaries.

For this trip, here are the links I found helpful:

Earth Trekkers: "Glacier National Park"
The Blonde Abroad: "A Local's Guide to Glacier National Park"
The Traveling Teacher: "Two-Day Itinerary for Glacier National Park"
We Are in the Rockies: "Things to Do in Keystone"
Black Hills Badlands: "Scenic Drives"

So I said above that Glacier National Park immediately entered top 3 national parks for both my husband and me.

Here's my updated list of favorite national parks (in no particular order):

Glacier Bay in Alaska
Yellowstone in Wyoming, and
Glacier National Park in Montana

With an honorable mention to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and Grand Teton in Wyoming because I love the nearby towns of Gatlinburg and Jackson, respectively.

My husband's top 3 parks are nearly the same as mine, with Glacier Bay and Glacier National, but he'd swap out Yellowstone for Yosemite in California.

And we were thrilled by the number of bears we saw! Close enough to get good photos but not so close we ever felt we (or the bear!) were in danger.

I feel like places in Europe like Switzerland get a lot of credit for their beauty, but there's nothing like America's natural beauty!

Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions!

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Travel Diary: One Week Itinerary in Glacier National Park and Badlands National Park

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