Questions regarding places to stay

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StandingBear
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Questions regarding places to stay

Post by StandingBear »

Hello!

We are backpacking Glacier in August. We have our itinerary and flights booked! We just need to book some places to stay for three nights when we are off the trail.

We are flying into Great Falls and driving to a a tipi village to stay our first night before hitting the backcountry. I believe the place is called Blackfeet Culture Camp and Tipi Village. Not sure if this a a great to spend the night or not, but we booked it for one night.

We will be in the backcountry for 5 days. We will need to stay somewhere the last two nights we are in Glacier. All of the campgrounds seem to be booked. There are 1st come 1st serve sites and this would be our first option. Do these sites fill up quickly?

There is a KOA right outside of the park near Many Glacier. Should we book sites here and just hope to get the 1st served sites at Many Glacier?

Not sure about how to go about this.

Thanks for any help.
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Re: Questions regarding places to stay

Post by Ear Mountain »

The first come/first served sites in the Many Glacier campground usually fill very early in the day in August.
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Re: Questions regarding places to stay

Post by MarxMN »

The KOA is at St. Mary - a bit of a drive from Many Glacier but close in MT terms. There is also Johnson's Campground at St. Mary. Neither are national park campgrounds but they are close to the Park and close to the Going to the sun Road.
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Re: Questions regarding places to stay

Post by PeteE »

StandingBear wrote:Hello!

We are backpacking Glacier in August. We have our itinerary and flights booked! We just need to book some places to stay for three nights when we are off the trail.

We are flying into Great Falls and driving to a a tipi village to stay our first night before hitting the backcountry. I believe the place is called Blackfeet Culture Camp and Tipi Village. Not sure if this a a great to spend the night or not, but we booked it for one night.

I don't know anything about that Tipi Village even though I've driven past it dozens of times.
I had to laugh at their website.
Of what possible value is it knowing the "straight line" distances to "points of interest"?
Do they think tourists are traveling by "jet pack" and flying to their next destination?
Please!

Points Of Interest
Lodgepole Gallery and Tipi Village - 0 miles
Museum of the Plains Indian - 2.3 miles
Glacier Peaks Casino - 2.3 miles
Glacier Gateway Outfitters - 10.1 miles
Glacier Park Lodge Golf Course - 10.3 miles
St. Mary Visitor Center - 21.3 miles
St. Mary Lake - 21.5 miles
Virginia Falls - 25.6 miles
St. Mary Falls - 25.7 miles
Garden Wall - 27.7 miles

Location Highlights In rural location

Area:
The preferred airport for Lodgepole Gallery & Tipi Village - Campground is Kalispell, MT (FCA-Glacier Park Intl.) - 91.1 km / 56.6 mi.

Distances are calculated in a straight line from the property's location to the point of interest or airport and may not reflect actual travel distance.
(emphasis is mine)
Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 km and mile.


"...and may not reflect actual travel distance."

No duh!
Smacks of a "bait and switch" tactic by misleading unwary tourists about how far away the "points of interest" are from their establishment.
Browning is in the "middle of nowhere" may be the reason why. I dunno.

Browning is about 125 road miles from Great Falls and 100 road miles from Kalispell--not 56.
Frankly, I don't like the looks of this Tipi Village, and I'd be looking for somewhere else to stay that first night.
Between now and August, you'll be able to find something better. But keep the reservation for now. Better than nothing.


We will be in the backcountry for 5 days. We will need to stay somewhere the last two nights we are in Glacier. All of the campgrounds seem to be booked. There are 1st come 1st serve sites and this would be our first option. Do these sites fill up quickly?

As noted above....it'll be very hard to find a spot in any of the GNP campgrounds in August.

There is a KOA right outside of the park near Many Glacier. Should we book sites here and just hope to get the 1st served sites at Many Glacier?

KOA is in St. Mary and is about 30-40 minutes from Swiftcurrent/Many Glacier. The drive is not bad and always a good chance of seeing bears on the drive in from US89 in Babb. Johnson's campground and motel are across the highway from KOA. Good food there too. Personally, I prefer Johnson's over KOA.

I would book all your nights in St Mary now.
Then between now and August spend time perusing the GNP campground websites for a cancellation.
Cancellations happen all the time. Pain in the neck to do that, but it works. Other chatters do it routinely.


Not sure about how to go about this.
Not to worry. You're not alone. You have us to help you out. :mrgreen:

Thanks for any help.
You're welcome. Have a great trip!

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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