Back door into Glacier National Park

[APtrail2005]

If your ever in North Western Montana you have to drive up the North Fork River, easy drive for any type of vehicle. This drive will take you North from Columbia Falls MT along the western side of Glacier National Park without having to pay a service fee. As you travel North you'll pass thru Flathead National Forest, this is where in the summer of 2003 the National Park Service responded to 26 wildfires that scorched roughly 13 percent of the park’s land. Of those, six blazes were larger than 10,000 acres. The Robert fire alone burned 57,570 acres of land in the park and Flathead National Forest and forced multiple evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley and West Glacier. By September, the fires had cost the Park Service more than $68 million.
While driving North you can stop at Pole Bridge (see attached web page: http://www.glacier-national-park-travel-guide.com/polebridge-montana.html). Pole Bridge is completely off the grid and a perfect place to see the Northern Lights. From here you have the option to enter the Park and see Bowman Lake and Glacier's Great Prairie GrassLands ... or you can continue North and you'll run into the Canadian border (note crossing closed). Driving up the North Fork will provide you with lots of places to both camp / fly fish / raft or just watch the wildlife. Oh did mention the views of Northern Rockies ..... if you need more information please feel free to DM me and would be happy to help. Always Tread Lightly and pack in pack pack out.

 

[Ben Cleveland]

This is cool. The camping you mention, is it all on the park land, and is it designated dispersed camping area? I didn't know Glacier allowed for any type of dispersed camping.

 

[APtrail2005]

All the camping listed is on Flathead National Forest and is considered public lands. We have several locations to include a water reservoir (Hungery Horse Dam) and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. All of these surround Glacier National Park and are open all year round.

 

[Slmdoc]

If your ever in North Western Montana you have to drive up the North Fork River, easy drive for any type of vehicle. This drive will take you North from Columbia Falls MT along the western side of Glacier National Park without having to pay a service fee. As you travel North you'll pass thru Flathead National Forest, this is where in the summer of 2003 the National Park Service responded to 26 wildfires that scorched roughly 13 percent of the park’s land. Of those, six blazes were larger than 10,000 acres. The Robert fire alone burned 57,570 acres of land in the park and Flathead National Forest and forced multiple evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley and West Glacier. By September, the fires had cost the Park Service more than $68 million.
While driving North you can stop at Pole Bridge (see attached web page: Polebridge Montana - Glacier National Park's Paradise within Paradise). Pole Bridge is completely off the grid and a perfect place to see the Northern Lights. From here you have the option to enter the Park and see Bowman Lake and Glacier's Great Prairie GrassLands ... or you can continue North and you'll run into the Canadian border (note crossing closed). Driving up the North Fork will provide you with lots of places to both camp / fly fish / raft or just watch the wildlife. Oh did mention the views of Northern Rockies ..... if you need more information please feel free to DM me and would be happy to help. Always Tread Lightly and pack in pack pack out.

 

[Slmdoc]

If your ever in North Western Montana you have to drive up the North Fork River, easy drive for any type of vehicle. This drive will take you North from Columbia Falls MT along the western side of Glacier National Park without having to pay a service fee. As you travel North you'll pass thru Flathead National Forest, this is where in the summer of 2003 the National Park Service responded to 26 wildfires that scorched roughly 13 percent of the park’s land. Of those, six blazes were larger than 10,000 acres. The Robert fire alone burned 57,570 acres of land in the park and Flathead National Forest and forced multiple evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley and West Glacier. By September, the fires had cost the Park Service more than $68 million.
While driving North you can stop at Pole Bridge (see attached web page: Polebridge Montana - Glacier National Park's Paradise within Paradise). Pole Bridge is completely off the grid and a perfect place to see the Northern Lights. From here you have the option to enter the Park and see Bowman Lake and Glacier's Great Prairie GrassLands ... or you can continue North and you'll run into the Canadian border (note crossing closed). Driving up the North Fork will provide you with lots of places to both camp / fly fish / raft or just watch the wildlife. Oh did mention the views of Northern Rockies ..... if you need more information please feel free to DM me and would be happy to help. Always Tread Lightly and pack in pack pack out.

 

[SemperCoasty]

I was doing research on this area and came across this article. Sounds like the area is tourist attraction right now...

Off the Grid and Overrun - Flathead Beacon

It’s not quite 9 a.m. and North Fork District Ranger Jim Dahlstrom has heard the names “Bowman” and “Kintla” lakes mispronounced so many times he’s stopped correcting people, turning his attention instead to the more pressing business of parsing visitors — sizing them up and winnowing the...

flatheadbeacon.com

 

[Kent R]

If your ever in North Western Montana you have to drive up the North Fork River, easy drive for any type of vehicle. This drive will take you North from Columbia Falls MT along the western side of Glacier National Park without having to pay a service fee. As you travel North you'll pass thru Flathead National Forest, this is where in the summer of 2003 the National Park Service responded to 26 wildfires that scorched roughly 13 percent of the park’s land. Of those, six blazes were larger than 10,000 acres. The Robert fire alone burned 57,570 acres of land in the park and Flathead National Forest and forced multiple evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley and West Glacier. By September, the fires had cost the Park Service more than $68 million.
While driving North you can stop at Pole Bridge (see attached web page: Polebridge Montana - Glacier National Park's Paradise within Paradise). Pole Bridge is completely off the grid and a perfect place to see the Northern Lights. From here you have the option to enter the Park and see Bowman Lake and Glacier's Great Prairie GrassLands ... or you can continue North and you'll run into the Canadian border (note crossing closed). Driving up the North Fork will provide you with lots of places to both camp / fly fish / raft or just watch the wildlife. Oh did mention the views of Northern Rockies ..... if you need more information please feel free to DM me and would be happy to help. Always Tread Lightly and pack in pack pack out.

This is great and it verifies my route following the Continental Divide. Our last night on the CD trail is on the North Fork about 5 miles from the border.
Thanks again!

 

[MeliMK]

I was doing research on this area and came across this article. Sounds like the area is tourist attraction right now...

Off the Grid and Overrun - Flathead Beacon

It’s not quite 9 a.m. and North Fork District Ranger Jim Dahlstrom has heard the names “Bowman” and “Kintla” lakes mispronounced so many times he’s stopped correcting people, turning his attention instead to the more pressing business of parsing visitors — sizing them up and winnowing the...

flatheadbeacon.com

I was going to quote the same article. Sounds like everyone unable or unwilling to play the permit game for the road has discovered the North Fork gem. It truly is an amazing area of the park and I do miss the days when it was sparsely visited and more truly wild.

 

[Kent R]

I was going to quote the same article. Sounds like everyone unable or unwilling to play the permit game for the road has discovered the North Fork gem. It truly is an amazing area of the park and I do miss the days when it was sparsely visited and more truly wild.

Great article, thanks! I guess we wont be stoping there for bakery goods next month

 

[MeliMK]

I was going to quote the same article. Sounds like everyone unable or unwilling to play the permit game for the road has discovered the North Fork gem. It truly is an amazing area of the park and I do miss the days when it was sparsely visited and more truly wild.

Great article, thanks! I guess we wont be stoping there for bakery goods next month

We "popped in" back in 2019 mid summer & it was so busy up there. Couldn't snag a bearclaw treat nor get a table at the saloon! It was chaos. Until that moment the area was on our retirement radar. We loved exploring Bowman Lake & being the only ones there. But I guess that was way back in 2010.

 

[SemperCoasty]

A friend of mine that lives in Big Fork has been going up that way the past week to hike. She said its fine to visit during the week right now but chaos on the weekends. Said to plan trips tuesday thru thursday. Also said all the campgrounds have been packed full. She took this picture at Kintla Lake on Sunday...Looks BEAUTIFUL!

 

[Kent R]

A friend of mine that lives in Big Fork has been going up that way the past week to hike. She said its fine to visit during the week right now but chaos on the weekends. Said to plan trips tuesday thru thursday. Also said all the campgrounds have been packed full. She took this picture at Kintla Lake on Sunday...Looks BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks, this is the end of our Continental Divide trip and we will be there on Wednesday July 11

 

[Joedirt96]

Anyone in this area recently? We were thinking of heading that way next week and I came across this post. Now I worry it will be crazy busy and not at all what we are looking for.

 

[slgriner1979]

We are planning a June 2024 trip from Georgia. Any tips?

 

[Ragman]

We camped at Kintla a couple of years ago-one of our top campsites ever for non-dispersed camping. We were on the fall shoulder and the campground was only about 40% full. Here is a video of the lake if anyone wants to check it out. I highly recommend it just be aware that they do shut off the water at some point in the fall so come prepared.

 

[ZombieCat]

We are planning a June 2024 trip from Georgia. Any tips?

1. Read the vehicle reservation requirements on the NPS website. More relaxed than 2023, but still in effect.
2. The GTTSR may not be fully open, depending on the dates of your visit, the amount of spring snow and how quickly that snow and/or the Big Drift is cleared. You can monitor the Snotel data and park website for updates.
3. Be extra attentive when driving at dawn, dusk and at night. There are critters galore! I’ve experienced both grizzlies and moose darting across the road, to include on highway 89.
4. I prefer the east side, but dispersed camping is tricky due to the restrictions of tribal land. Getting a campsite in Glacier is brutal; I made my July reservation a month ago. There are some late release and FCFS sites you may be able to grab. There will also be cancellations - the trick is to get them. Campflare, Campnab and the Rec.gov alerts will help.
5. Have fun, it’s a spectacular park! Bring your camera and binoculars (hint: bighorn sheep and mountain goats visit Logan Pass area in the evening), take a boat tour, maybe visit Waterton Lakes in Canada for a day, hike one of the many amazing trails and get a huckleberry bear claw at Polebridge (yum!).