Go to Glacier National Park,,,,just do it.

[Pb2au]

We took our vacation this year to Glacier. Holy smokes, what an awesome place.
For bonus style points, we took the train. We drove up to Chicago, hopped on amtrak, rode for 30 hours and jumped off in West Glacier montana.
I very nearly didn't come home. What a beautiful place.

 

[Rick]

I've seen several of our National Parks and agreed, there is nothing to match Glacier in pure beauty. Scenery there that can take your breath away. Yellow Stone is awesome but doesn't match Glacier.

 

[Pb2au]

Glacier exceeded my expectation, which were pretty high in the first place.
We did Zion last year, and I was blown away by that. But Glacier was simply astounding.
Also, Amtrak was a fun way to get there. Economical too. $480 bucks, round trip for me and the Misses.

 

[fiver]

But, But, Yellowstone is a day trip.
@ 2 hrs to the west or south entrance
but the scenery to and from the park is the same as the inside and don't cost 25 bucks to see.
and if I really wanna see a geyser I can look out my upstairs window.. or drive the 1/2 mile and look at one.

the one place I have seen that's close to Glacier is Yosemite.

 

[smokeywolf]

Mom and Dad had 2-1/2 acres on the north fork of the Flathead river about 18 miles north of Hungry Horse, MT. Glacier National Park was on the other side of the river. They sold the place after the river was declared a "wild river" and they couldn't build what they wanted on the property.

 

[Rick]

I did a full day white water rafting trip down that river in the early 90's, what a day that was. On the same trip to Glacier I bought acreage just outside the western side of Glacier.

 

[smokeywolf]

I camped on the property in the Summer of 1971 while on a motorcycle trip. As I understand it, that was the river used in the movie "River of No Return" with Mitchum and Monroe.

 

[Winelover]

In 1977, I took my bride to Yellowstone Park for our honeymoon. Wife was leery, at first, until we got there. Made me promise to take her back for our 10th Anniversary......and I did. We spent a week, touring the park....and you need it. The four distinct areas are connected by a 280 mile, figure eight loop. It would be impossible to drive that in a day and take in any of the features. Yellowstone is an adult Disneyland. IMO

In 1979, we went to Glacier National, although scenic, we preferred Yellowstone. We made it a point to see our other National Parks, every other year, and covered many of them. When I was in college, I took a one hour "elective" called the Geography of National Parks. It was taught by a retired Park Ranger that worked in many of them........was basically a "slide show" of his years of service in the Park's system..........I was hooked.

 

[KHornet]

Never been to Glacier National, but have seen numerous glaciers in Alaska. They are
magnificent works of God's nature. The blue ice on a sunny day is a sight to behold.

Paul

 

[Rick]

I haven't seen Alaska but I'll bet Denali is something to see.

 

[Pb2au]

Denali is on the hit list. Maybe next year. We will see how work goes.
The glacier fed lakes have the most interesting and beautiful water. Not really blue, not green, kinda turquoise.
The glaciers in Glacier are a bit diminished in size. Talking to one of the rangers, they said that the dust and ash from the streak of recent forest fires play a part. When that stuff settles on the glacier, it lets more sunlight get absorbed, hastening the melting in the summer.
We went to the Hungry Horse Dam. That was pretty amazing too.
Cool area all around in my opinion!

@fiver
Ok smarty pants, rub it in.........

 

[Ben]

I've been to Yellowstone and Glacier.
For me, there is no comparison.
Glacier is the one to see ! !

Ben

 

[KHornet]

I refuse to call the mountain any thing but McKinley. The Denali bit was a PC move.
I should have retired in Alaska. Healthiest climate I have ever lived in.

Paul

 

[RBHarter]

I refuse to call the mountain any thing but McKinley. The Denali bit was a PC move.
I should have retired in Alaska. Healthiest climate I have ever lived in.

Paul

Stole part of my heritage in taking away or rather reverting to Denali . They've given away everything but McKinley's war victory and Hawaii . Nobody even knows his assassins name ....

I flew over part of Yellowstone and Glacier once and drove around part of it but was too tired to really appreciate it . I've made the Yosemite drive many times . I would imagine they surpass it's splender.

The real wonder of Yellowstone is that it hasn't blown up yet . It is home to some of the shallowest volcanic activity on mainland north America . They say that if it lets go as expected ,being a super volcano , we could get a taste of nuclear winter and that fallout heavy ash would be found in Virginia and New York .

 

[fiver]

oh it'll be found there alright.
about 2' deep.
when Yellowstone blows it'll be a world wide event not a local happening.
everything east of here will be covered in ash and smoke and fire and rocks.
it will rival being hit with an asteroid similar to the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

 

[KHornet]

Tend to think that both Fiver and RB are correct, the only thing is who knows when!!!!

Scientists predict this that and the other things like the 500 year floods that happen
in various areas every 75-100 years. I used to work with a large number of weather
folks, who used to tell me just how important their work was. My stock retort always
was "The weather is about as dependent on weather forecasters as the economy is
on economists"!
Paul

 

[RBHarter]

Living in the shadow of Mammoth mountain I expect to wake to to an event every day while knowing full well it will be a surprise when it happens .

 

[JonB]

In the late 80s, I took a few motorcycle trips west of Minnesota. The one BIG trip, was only time I seen (and jumped in the Pacific) near Portland. We also hit Glacier and camped overnight...the "going to the sun" road was most awesome. we also hit Yellowstone, it was OK, we drove into see old faithful, but due to the crowds, I'll never go back there. But honestly, the area I loved the most, was the Big horns as well as the wind river canyon. After the BIG trip, all the following trips were to/thru the Big Horns and to Evanston WY, where my daughter lived for 5 years. One trip to the Big Horns, I drove my Van and hauled a trail Bike...and spent 5 days riding throughout the BLM land...The dry red sand covered area on the west side was awesome, I stayed a couple days at a campground, near an archaeological site.

 

[Maven]

Just returned (this AM) from Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and while we found the scenery in the former to be quite varied and striking, it didn't compare to the Grand Tetons/Jackson Hole. However, the wildlife we saw was incredible: Bull elk at Mammoth Hot Springs, bison both in YS & GT, coyotes, a few black bears* (My wife saw them. I was too busy driving), and a beaver not 5 yd. away in Flat Creek behind our hotel in Jackson. Btw, the elk were no farther than 25 yd. away, but the bison were in the road. One was so close I could have reached out my car window and touched him had I (a) been really stupid and (b) undone my seat belt!


*black bears are often seen here in the Kingston area: with corn fields just 6 mi. from my home, they have a nice food source when the corn is ripe. In fact, one ran in front of my car and then next to it a few weeks ago when I was going to our range.

 

[John]

But, But, Yellowstone is a day trip.
@ 2 hrs to the west or south entrance
but the scenery to and from the park is the same as the inside and don't cost 25 bucks to see.
and if I really wanna see a geyser I can look out my upstairs window.. or drive the 1/2 mile and look at one.

the one place I have seen that's close to Glacier is Yosemite.

They are both day trips here, Glacier is a long day but doable.