Hammocks????

[Kanguru]

My wife and I are hammock campers (hangers). Planning a trip in late August/early September. Are there any hangers here and what are the logistics at the backcountry sites in general regarding suitable trees? Are we any more likely to be eaten by a bear in burrito mode? We have the needed stuff to go to ground and perhaps that is the best way to go. Also...and this may be a real taboo...we often stealth camp here in the east. Away from the normal sites.

[Hockey Ref]

I'll address the stealth camping issue first. Stealth camping in Glacier's backcountry is strictly forbidden and will earn you a substantial fine if you are caught doing it. The ONLY places you can camp in the backcountry are designated campsites and with a proper permit indicating the specific campground and the specific date. I believe the only exception to that rule is if you have permission from the rangers for an off-trail route that isn't covered by an established backcountry camp site. But to just wander out there and camp anywhere you please is a definite no-no. This rule is partly to protect the sensitive areas of the park, but also for your own safety. The backcountry permit system insures that the rangers know how many people are in the backcountry and where they are, in general. You should know that at least two solo hikers on off-trail treks disappeared in the park over the last few years. One has never been found, the other died after apparently falling off a cliff.

I've never heard of or seen any hangers for hammocks at a backcountry site. When you are at a backcountry site, you are required to use one of the designated pads set aside for pitching a tent. This is partly to make sure that the actual campsites are well away from the food prep area, and also to protect the areas around the campground as a whole. You can't just pick a place in the general area and pitch a tent, so I would assume that applies to hammocks as well. Whether or not there are trees in those areas that could accommodate a hammock would depend on the individual site. And I also would assume that any hanging of a hammock that damages a tree would be prohibited.

As for bears, a tent offers no protection from a bear that is determined to get into it, so I suppose the risk of using a hammock isn't any greater. But again, I'm not sure you'd be legally or physically able to hang a hammock in a Glacier backcountry site to begin with.

[isleroyaleguy]

I also like using hammocks to for sleeping in the BWCA during the summer. And last year was my first time at GNP but at all the backcountry sites we were at. They were not really suitable for hanging a hammock. the tent pads were good size, meant for two tents so the trees were far apart.
Also getting pretty cool at night there if your talking Sept.

IRG

[Selkie]

The mention of stealth camping back East: in some (most, all?) Wilderness areas, stealth camping is fine if you observe the requirements of distance from water source, etc. Glacier National Park is managed differently, as a park. I have not seen trees suitable for hanging a hammock in the designated tenting sites.

If you like the Inland Northwest area, there is simply untrammeled opportunity outside the park to set off on your own: in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, for example. The Bitterroot Wilderness. Maybe the Winds. Ear Mountain's photography site has some fabulous narratives of backpacking in the Bob, and several other Chatters also hike around. So, enjoy Glacier for what it is, and spread the wings in neighboring jurisdictions.

(Also, 10-mile lakes for swimming! )

[idapaul]

my wife and i used to be ground dwellers but not anymore. the higher the elevation the more stunted the trees. i use 15 foot ratchet straps that gives me about 40 between trees. stealth camping would be a definate no no there. red meadow in the national forest had some nice campsites for a hang. this is on the west side up near polebridge.we stayed at st mary's i believe the first time and could not find a tree big enough.we use clark na's