Which campground inside Glacier Natl Park

[CaptainJerry]

I will be going to Glacier National Park in late August this year and want to camp the max. 7 days at one of the campgrounds inside the park - which means smaller sites and no hookups.
I am set up for that with my 22' travel trailer. I really prefer the experience of staying within the national parks.

I want to reserve a spot in advance, and there are only two campgrounds inside the park that do that - St. Mary on the east side and Fish Creek on the west side. I really don't want to take my chances with the other campgrounds which are only first come, first served. I will be there at one of the busiest times of the short season and don't want to just take what I can find.

I will be approaching the park from the South and East, so that would be a natural stopping point to camp at St. Mary and then either drive my truck or ride the shuttles to get around inside the park. Since I can't take my rig through the park, I guess I would have to go around it to the south on hwy. 2 to continue on West to points in ID and WA.

From looking at drive-through You Tube videos, Fish Creek looks nicer with more trees.

For those of you who have stayed there, which is the better option - stay on the East side at St. Mary or on the West side at Fish Creek?

I am there for the nature, so I don't care about what shopping or restaurants, etc. may be nearby either in or out of the park.

From the research I have done, it appears there may be more hikes and scenery on the East side.

I know there is a wealth of camping experience in the readers/contributors to this site, so I would really appreciate your thoughts.

[CaptainJerry]

Anyone, anyone? Bueller?


After more research, I think I will stay a few days on each side.


But I would still love to hear comments about St. Mary and Fish Creek.

[twogypsies]

I think Fish Creek area had a fire recently.... might not be too pretty. We've stayed at Apgar in the park on the west side. Even with our 40' motorhome we got a site without reservations. Get there early morning. It's a big campground and you have a small RV so will fit in just about any site. Ride the free shuttle up Going to the Sun Rd. and get off and hike then catch the next bus.

[4ina4x4]

Jerry, Ladona Stork over at walkingtheparks.com just published a post about camping in Glacier which included a guide to the campgrounds in the Park that could be helpful to you. It has been a while since we've been there and we stayed outside the Park, so I can't pass along any personal recommendations but we do love Glacier. Enjoy your trip!

Mary

[CaptainJerry]

Thanks for the info!


I did a search on fire in Fish Creek and it was evacuated around Aug. 19 last year due to threat from a forest fire, but I don't see anything about damage to the campground itself. Maybe just some of the surrounding territory burned.


Thank you very much for the direction to walkingtheparks.com. She publishes some good stuff. That's what I love about irv2!

[Rolling Ragu]

Hello Jerry!

You can't go wrong, but we particularly appreciate being out of the crowds. We stayed on both sides and enjoyed St. Mary's the most. We like to hike and spend quiet time enjoying vistas. There is just more opportunity for that on the east side.

The drive on 2 around the southern side is your only option for getting the trailer to the west side. We did it, and it was a longer drive than we anticipated. Just be aware.

Look at my YouTube channel and you will find two episodes on our stay in Glacier. It might give you a feel.

One of our favorite parks! You will have a wonderful time!

[MiddKid]

Many Glacier is great for hiking options, but pot luck on getting a site. Get there very early and talk to the campground host for an idea of where a site may open up if you decide to try it. Enjoy the park!

[UTTransplant]

We made reservations at Fish Creek a few years ago for the same reasons you noted. We had a 17’ Casita TT so we fit about anywhere. I found FC very nice - tree, nice site separation. Make sure you note which loops are no-generator ones if generator use is important to you.

We have also stayed at Apgar late in the season when we knew they would have sites available. Very roomy and closer to “stuff”. I know many people like the St. Mary’s area, but it wasn’t our favorite place. The campground is t as pretty as FC IMHO, but there are lovely vistas.

[LPVagabonds]

Jerry,

I haven't stayed in Glacier in an RV, but have tent camped at both Fish Creek and St Mary. St Mary is pretty open, with a lot of bushes around. It can get pretty windy at times. It's a nice base camp though for getting to Many Glacier. Fish creek is in the trees, nice and cool in the summer. Trails lead to Lake McDonald with a nice beach to swim at. The fires last year did not hit the campground, they were on the northwest side of the lake. Both spots are just inside the park, and are within a few minutes drive time to gas/convenience stores/restaurants.

[barmcd]

Its been a long time, but Bowman Lake was terrific. It's in the park, but you can't get to it from the main entrance, you have to enter from Pole Bridge on the west side.

[Betr2Trvl]

Originally Posted by barmcd

Its been a long time, but Bowman Lake was terrific. It's in the park, but you can't get to it from the main entrance, you have to enter from Pole Bridge on the west side.

We drove up to Lake Bowman a couple years ago..... to say the road in from the Pole Bridge entrance is “unimproved” is a bit of an understatement. I would not take any sort of RV up the road to the campground at Bowman unless is was a (small) rig made for “off road” adventures (I’ve seen some teardrops that are made for this type of use).

Yes, folks were driving mini vans etc. on the road, but it was sure a lot easier in our Cherokee Trailhawk (even a Subaru, or any sort of pick up would be fine) but I wouldn’t want to take my sedan, etc. and sure wouldn’t want to take any Motorhome or 5er, or even small TT of mine that wasn’t suitable for large ruts, bumps, dips, etc. on it.

YMMV

[jm7]

We stayed at Two Medicine last year and truly enjoyed it. It is first come first serve, but we had numerous sites to choose from and loved the location. There were numerous hikes right from the campground, and it had lake and creek access as well.

Glacier was on our bucket list to visit, and I thought it would be a one time thing but we had such a great time that we know we will be back.

[pattypom]

JM7 you don't say what time of year you stayed at Two Medicine. I imagine there's a difference.

[Twomed]

Two Medicine has been our choice since volunteering there in '95...and many visits since.