Glacier National Park in May - Help Needed

[bigred1]

I'll be visiting my father-in-law in May with my wife and daughter, and we were thinking about heading up to GNP for a couple days. The dates we were thinking about are May 20-22. I know the majority of Going-to-the-Sun road is closed, but is it still worth making the 2.5 hour drive from Missoula to hike around the Lake McDonald area? Are the trails generally decent at that time of year? Any other family-friendly activities worth checking out in the Kalispell area?

Also, any decent bars/breweries in that area?

Thanks!

 

[sacrelicio]

I'll be visiting my father-in-law in May with my wife and daughter, and we were thinking about heading up to GNP for a couple days. The dates we were thinking about are May 20-22. I know the majority of Going-to-the-Sun road is closed, but is it still worth making the 2.5 hour drive from Missoula to hike around the Lake McDonald area? Are the trails generally decent at that time of year? Any other family-friendly activities worth checking out in the Kalispell area?

Also, any decent bars/breweries in that area?

Thanks!

I wouldn't do GNP in May. Going-to-the-Sun road is one of the main attractions in that park (if not the main attraction, especially for first timers). Lake McDonald is nice and all, but you don't get the real experience of the park around there at all. The trails around Lake McDonald will probably be about as good as anything around Missoula, mostly snowy, and anything further in will probably be impassable. You might be able to do a little hiking, but I was there for the entire month of July and lots of trails were still snowy even then.

And the beer scene up there isn't great. Great Northern Brewpub in Whitefish is mediocre at best.

 

[quirkzoo1]

Not 100% sure but I think SeaWatchman might be able to help.

 

[SeaWatchman]

Oh heyz... not sure how I missed this thread. Short answer: yesnomaybe in terms of GNP. You're right GTTSR will be mostly closed at that point, but it's still a great time to visit. You can always check the status of the road here: http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm, they update it fairly often and they've started the process of plowing here on the west side, but it was a pretty heavy winter for once. As far as what you can at GNP during that time of the year... there's still a lot. Tons of trails, but one of the most accessible trails is the hike to Avalanche Lake. Great views from the lower elevation for sure and not too bad of a hike for anyone. I really like Glacier in the Spring and Fall when it's not warmed by RVs and tourists from all over the world. Much more peaceful.

As far as bars/breweries, there are plenty up here and the new brewery in Kalispell may or may not be open by then (likely not, though.) I can recommend tons of stuff between Kalispell and Whitefish and the drive from Missoula to Kalispell is worth it alone just to get to see Flathead Lake. There are some truly great restaurants up here. I lived in Missoula too so if you're looking for stuff in that area or in the Bitterroot let me know. When you end up out here shoot me a message, I'd be happy to show you around or give you a heads up.

 

[bigred1]

Thanks all for the help. We did decide to give it a try and booked a hotel last week, so SeaWatchman your words are encouraging. I'll give you a shout out when the time gets nearer, maybe we can grab a drink.

 

[SeaWatchman]

In Kalispell or closer to the park?

 

[bigred1]

We'll be staying in Columbia Falls, but I definitely want to spend some time in Kalispell.