Fish Creek or Many Glacier or ?

[offline246]

Hi. I'm in the process of planning a trip to Glacier during August of this year. 2 adults and 5 children between 5 & 10. Was wondering if anyone had some good pro's and con's between staying at Fish Creek or Many Glacier as a starting point (because they permit reservations). Also thinking about staying at Bowman Lake, Kintla Lake and maybe the Canadian side. We're towing a pop-up trailer behind a mini van. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome.

thx

[Kathy]

Welcome to the Page!!!!

Just so you are aware.....Many Glacier campground does not take reservations. The two (2) campgrounds that do are Fish Creek and St. Mary.

But, Many Glacier is a GREAT place to camp, IMO! There are several beautiful trails that start right in the Many Glacier area!

[offline246]

Kathy - Thanks for setting me straight and for this great site. Ok, now to choose between Fish Creek and St. Mary's as the starting point. .

[Kathy]

Ok then....let's see....St. Mary is on the east side....Fish Creek is on the west side.

IMO, I'd choose St. Mary, simply because I, personally, like more of the hikes on that side. But, if you're not into hiking all that much, and given the ages of your kids, to be at Fish Creek and right on Lake McDonald, that would offer easy access to playin' on the shore and in the water.

St. Mary's is mostly open with little to no trees or shade, and that could get hot in August; while Fish Creek is very treed and would offer much shade.

[Todd]

I can't tell you anything about St. Mary, but we stayed at Fish Creek 2 years ago. We had 2 tents, and a small pull along trailer, so the sites are roomy. We could hear Fish Creek from our sleeping bags, so it was peaceful and nice. I believe Fish Creek is one of the larger camp groups, but it is broken up in sections, so walks after dinner are nice. Lake McDonald is near by, Apgar Village is close for boat rental, shops, and restaurant eats. They also have ranger talks each night at an ampitheature. The main reason we stayed there was due to the fact they take reservations.

Also, alot of trees and shade at Fish Creek.

[Ear Mountain]

You can get a campsite at any of Glacier's busy campgrounds if you arrive early enough. Perhaps this is what you plan Many folks make a reservation at either Fish Creek or St. Mary so that they can be in position to move to a more desirable site early the following morning.

If you are interested in camping at Many Glacier, make a reservation at St. Mary or stay at the KOA in St. Mary. Then move up to Many Glacier in the morning. If tried this same thing from a camp at Fish Creek you will have to leave so early in the morning that it would definitely detract from a vacation. Remember you cannot pull that popup camper over Going-to-the-Sun Road and would have to drive around the south of Glacier on US 2.

Fish Creek would be a good start for moving to Bowman or Kintla Lake. Bowman is a good sized campground considering the difficulty of getting there and it rarely fills. Kintla only has 13 sites but it is even more difficult to reach. If you arrive in the park early enough in the day to allow reaching Bowman before say 6 PM you should be able to get there and not need the stay at Fish Creek. When passing through the entrance station at Pole Bridge you can learn about availability of sites at Kintla Lake. Remember though driving to either Bowman Lake or Kintla Lake involves driving long stretches of dusty (or muddy) narrow, rough gravel roads.

[Montana09]

Hi. I'm in the process of planning a trip to Glacier during August of this year. 2 adults and 5 children between 5 & 10. Was wondering if anyone had some good pro's and con's between staying at Fish Creek or Many Glacier as a starting point (because they permit reservations). Also thinking about staying at Bowman Lake, Kintla Lake and maybe the Canadian side. We're towing a pop-up trailer behind a mini van. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome.

thx

I'd skip Bowman and Kintla due to the pop up trailer unless you are familiar with driving the roads and unless the pop up trailer is pretty small. First, you can see the campgrounds yourself here, along with how far away gas is, elevation and how tough they are to get to:

Clickable Glacier camping map


It really comes down to what kind of scenery your prefer. Both Many Glacier Campground and Fish Creek campground are great. First, Fish Creek has a far more dense forest, and a wider variety of trees(also taller). Fish Creek is right on a lake with a nice swimming beach and a good bit of shallow water before it drops off. The mountains are lower and heavily forested, giving a lush, inviting atmosphere(same for the trails). The North Fork river is nearby, which the east side does not have an equivalent to. Fish Creek is a good lcoation if you like driving gravel roads in forests looking for adventure. The Flathead national forest is nearby, as is the noth fork inside road.

Many Glacier is more rugged. The campground is busier, and lots of people use the Swift Current parking lot which borders the campground. Many Glacier has outrageous scenery.There are lakes, but they are colder. You can scope the open slopes all around you for bears. Bighorn sheep and mountain goat are also easily seen. It's much easier to see wildlife than Fish Creek. The trails are also wonderful and world famous.

If your goal is crazy scenery, wildlife and trails, go Many Glacier. If your goal is a more relaxed camping trip in a thick green forest with a nice swimming beach on an amazing lake and getting some ice cream over at Apgar, go for Fish Creek. If fishing is a goal, the noth fork of the Flathead is nearby. It's fantastic and the east side has nothing similar.

Both are great, just have to decide what your goals are. You really can't go wrong with any of the campgrounds. But for your application I would stick with something next to a lake with some swimming(Apgar, Fish Creek, Bowman, Kintla, Two Medicine(my personal favorite all arounder).