Montana: Glacier Family Multisport

Day 1

Meet your Backroads Trip Leaders (the folks wearing Backroads T-shirts) at 10:30 a.m. at the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Montana. Please arrive dressed in your biking clothes with a daypack containing your rain gear, sunglasses, camera, etc.

Shuttle to Apgar 1 Hour
Camas Creek Biking Route 21 Miles (1,300-foot elevation gain)
Kids Option: Fish Creek 8 Miles with Shuttle (500-foot elevation gain)
Family Option: McGee Meadow 14 Miles (750-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: West Glacier 27 Miles (1,400-foot elevation gain)

After meeting in Whitefish we shuttle to Apgar picnic area, at the south end of Lake McDonald and get acquainted over lunch. Afterward your Backroads Trip Leaders fit your bike and give a brief talk on biking techniques and safety. Ready to hit the road? Follow the route through Apgar Village and on to McGee Meadow Overlook—the perfect spot to take in views of the surrounding valley. If you need to cool off, feel free to park your bike and take a dip in Lake McDonald.

Reenergized, pedal to the end of Camas Creek Road, where the azure waters of the Flathead River form Glacier National Park’s northwestern boundary. On your return, stop in Apgar Village and check out regionally made crafts in the shops and galleries, or drop by the visitor center to learn about the park’s flora and fauna. If you’re in the mood for a treat, try some delicious huckleberry ice cream. You can then continue directly to our campground or follow the bike path to West Glacier for a few extra miles and wonderful views of the Flathead River from the bridge. At camp this evening, we dig into a fantastic feast and look forward to a wonderful week ahead.

Campground: Apgar Campground

Day 2

Shuttle to St. Mary Valley 1½ Hours
Sun Point Hike 5.9 Miles (500-foot elevation gain)
Family Option: Sun Rift Gorge 3.7 Miles with Shuttle (200-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Virginia Falls 7.1 Miles (700-foot elevation gain)

Prepare to be awestruck this morning as we shuttle over the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road, said to be the most beautiful 50 miles in the world. Cut into the Garden Wall escarpment, this narrow stretch of highway is the only road connecting the park’s east and west entrances. It crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass (6,646 feet) and offers stunning views of the park’s diverse scenery, from forests and glacial lakes to broad alpine prairies. Our destination is the St. Mary Valley, where we begin our hike from Jackson Glacier Overlook to the valley floor. Following the St. Mary River as it flows from Logan Pass, we visit St. Mary Falls, Virginia Falls and Baring Falls en route to Sun Point on St. Mary Lake. From here, we shuttle about 20 minutes out of the park to the town of St. Mary and our campground, set in an aspen-filled meadow.

Campground: Johnson’s of St. Mary Campground

Day 3

Waterton Lakes National Park Biking Route (Adults) 49 Miles (2,300-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Options: Chief Mountain Overlook 18 Miles with Shuttle (900-foot elevation gain) or Belly River 29 Miles with Shuttle (1,200-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Nelson Ranch (Kids) 1½ Hours
Cookout & Horseback Ride (Kids) 4 Hours

While the youngsters prepare for a day of horseback riding and a cookout at Nelson Ranch, adults gear up for a day of biking. (Please note that the minimum age for horseback riding is 5 years.) Set your sights north to the Canadian border as you spin on rolling hills through ranchland interspersed with stands of aspen. A five-mile climb leads to an overlook, where you’re rewarded with incredible views of Chief Mountain. As legend has it, a Flathead Indian climbed the 9,056-foot mountain on a vision quest, leaving behind a bison skull he ostensibly used as a pillow. The story’s authenticity was buoyed in 1892 when Henry L. Stimson (future Secretary of State) and his climbing party found a decomposed bison skull on the summit.

Leaving the lookout, you’ll encounter more hills and cross several small rivers before tackling a two-mile ascent to Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park. The park, along with Glacier National Park, makes up the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, in commemoration of the long history of friendship between the United States and Canada. Our campground, where adults and kids reunite, rests at the edge of Upper Waterton Lake amid the park’s jagged peaks.

Campground: Waterton Townsite Campground

Day 4

Optional Activities in Waterton Lakes National Park

The day is yours to do as you please—even if that is simply relaxing. Hike, bike or go horseback riding. Or perhaps you’d like to fish or kayak, or take a cruise on Waterton Lake. (Please note that horseback riding, fishing, kayaking and the cruise are not included in the trip price.) Consider hopping on the boat to Goat Haunt, the northern gateway to Glacier National Park, and then hiking to Rainbow Falls or Kootenai Lake—you might even see a moose or two! Or walk up to Goat Haunt Overlook for spectacular views of Waterton Lake. Keep an eye out for lakeside birds, including kingfishers, spotted sandpipers, red-naped sapsuckers and white-crowned sparrows. If you’re in the mood to shop, head into Waterton Townsite and scout for souvenirs. Whatever you and your family choose to do, you’ll be surrounded by a spellbinding tableau of peaks, broad lakes and rugged glacial valleys.

This evening kids are treated to a night of pizza and fun in Waterton Townsite, while adults enjoy a relaxed dinner back at camp.

Campground: Waterton Townsite Campground

Day 5

Shuttle to St. Mary 1 Hour
Two Medicine Valley Biking Route 35 Miles (3,300-foot elevation gain)
Kids Option: Two Medicine Lake 8 Miles with Shuttle (400-foot elevation gain)
Family Option: Two Medicine Valley Express 15 Miles with Shuttle (1,200-foot elevation gain)
Optional Scenic Boat Ride 1 Hour

This morning we shuttle south to the town of St. Mary, amid meadows and forests of willow, aspen, cottonwood and maple. Adults bike along the eastern border of Glacier, which rests in the rain shadow of the Continental Divide and is characterized by broad areas of prairie. Along the route, you’ll be treated to excellent vistas of the vast Montana plains and the long sweep of mountains in the west. Kids begin riding from the entrance to Two Medicine Valley accompanied by views of uniquely named peaks such as Lone Walker, Painted Tepee, Rising Wolf and Almost-a-Dog. Two Medicine Lake is an ideal spot to take in the mountain vistas, take a dip in refreshingly cool waters, or if time allows, enjoy a scenic boat ride. Kids will love tonight’s campground, an authentic tipi village set upon the prairie grasses bordering Glacier National Park. The warm and comfortable tipis allow kids to experience what it was like to be a Blackfoot Indian living on the windswept Great Plains.

Campground: Lodgepole Gallery & Tipi Village

Day 6

Shuttle to Moccasin Creek 1½ Hours
White-Water Rafting 3 Hours
Shuttle to Glacier Park International Airport & Whitefish 1 Hour

What better way to cap off the trip than with an exciting white-water rafting adventure? Don’t worry if you’re new to rafting; our experienced guides will get you geared up and teach you the basic skills for a safe and fun family outing. (Please note that the minimum age for rafting is 5 years old, though our local guides may raise the age restriction if conditions warrant.) Paddle through calm flat water and Class II and III rapids, enjoying splashes of chilly mountain water and the gorgeous alpine scenery. Watch for eagles and ospreys overhead, or an elk sipping from the river’s edge. A delicious picnic lunch awaits at our West Glacier landing spot—hearty enough to satisfy the appetites of paddlers of all ages. Afterward we shuttle to Glacier International Airport and Whitefish hotels.