Glacier with kids: the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Logan Pass & the lakes
We spent a week in Glacier in August — turquoise lakes, waterfalls down every cliff, mountain goats that wouldn't move off the trail, and the great climb of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. These are the notes we'd hand a friend before they went.
This is the practical companion to our Glacier photo diary. If you're planning your own trip, here's everything in plain terms.
The short version
Glacier rewards early mornings and easy expectations. The headline sights — the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Avalanche Lake, and Lake McDonald — are all doable with kids if you start early, keep hikes short, and let the scenery do the work. We based ourselves near the west entrance and did the park as a series of day trips. If you take one thing from this page: drive the Sun Road at dawn, before the crowds and before the parking lots fill.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road
The road is the trip. It climbs fifty miles across the park, from the cedar forests by Lake McDonald up over Logan Pass at the continental divide and down to St. Mary in the east, hanging off cliffs the whole way. In summer the park runs a timed-entry vehicle reservation system for the road, in addition to the park pass — check the current year's rules on the NPS site and book your slot the moment they open, because they go fast. Our trick was to enter before the reservation window even started in the morning: we were on the road by sunrise, had Logan Pass largely to ourselves, and were coming back down as everyone else was driving up. Parking at Logan Pass fills by mid-morning and stays full; dawn solves it.
Logan Pass & Hidden Lake
At the top of the pass, the boardwalk to the Hidden Lake Overlook is the best bang-for-effort hike in the park — a steady climb through alpine meadows full of wildflowers, with mountain goats and marmots that act like they own the place (they do). The overlook drops away to Hidden Lake in an unreal glacial turquoise, with Bearhat Mountain standing over it. It's about three miles round trip to the overlook; turning around there is completely fine with kids. Bring layers — it can be sunny and cold at the same time up there.
Avalanche Lake & the Trail of the Cedars
If you do one forest hike, do this one. The Trail of the Cedars is a flat boardwalk loop through old-growth giants — easy enough for the smallest legs — and it connects to the Avalanche Lake trail, which follows a gorge of impossibly blue water up to a lake ringed by cliffs and waterfalls. It's the hike our kids still talk about. Go early; the small parking area fills before nine.
Lake McDonald
The biggest lake in the park, and the easiest day. The water is so clear you can count the famous colored pebbles on the bottom. We rented paddleboards and a kayak at Apgar, skipped stones, and took the historic wooden boat tour one evening. It's the right place for a slow afternoon when everyone's hiked out.
The east side: St. Mary & beyond
The east side of the park is drier, windier, and arguably even more dramatic. St. Mary Lake with Wild Goose Island is the classic view, and the waterfalls along the St. Mary valley — St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls — make a lovely, mostly-flat walk. If we'd had another two days we'd have added Many Glacier, which everyone who's been tells us is the best corner of the park.
Wildlife & bear safety
This is grizzly country, and you should treat it like it. Carry bear spray, know how to use it, make noise on the trail, and never get between a goat and where it wants to go. We saw goats, bighorn sheep, marmots, and deer, all at a respectful distance, and that's exactly how you want it. Talk to the kids about it before you go so it's matter-of-fact, not scary.
A detour worth taking: Polebridge
Up a long dirt road in the park's remote northwest corner sits the Polebridge Mercantile, an off-grid general store and bakery famous for its huckleberry bear claws. It's a half-day round trip on washboard gravel and completely worth it — equal parts pastry and pilgrimage.
Getting there & where we stayed
The closest airport is Glacier Park International (FCA) near Kalispell, about a half hour from the west entrance. We stayed on the west side, near Apgar and West Glacier, which put us closest to Lake McDonald, the Sun Road, and Avalanche — the things we did most. Book lodging early; in-park and gateway rooms sell out months ahead for summer.
What we'd do differently
We'd give the east side and Many Glacier two full days instead of one. We'd build in a true rest day — the altitude, sun, and big mountain days add up faster than you expect. And we'd carry more water and snacks than felt reasonable; there's very little to buy once you're on the road.
Rough costs
Glacier itself is cheap to enter — a weeklong park pass, plus the small timed-entry reservation fee. The real costs are lodging and the flight; in-park meals are limited and pricey, so we packed lunches most days. Renting paddleboards and taking the boat tour were the only paid "attractions," and both were worth it.
Planning your own version and want specifics we didn't include — which trailheads, exact timing, where we ate? Send us a note and we'll share what we can. And if you just want the pictures, the full trip lives in our Glacier photo diary.