Tucked at the foot of Lake McDonald, Apgar Campground gives campers a forested setting in a place where activities are endless. A paved biking path tours the woods, and rental boats let you paddle the lake. For relaxing, wading in the lake’s clear water soothes like nothing else. Apgar is the largest campground in Glacier National Park. It has more than 190 campsites, all...

Backpackers revel in the Belly River. In this corner of Glacier National Park, deep lake-filled valleys divide immense red mountains. Waterfalls plunge down cliffs, and wildflowers bloom along paths. For anglers, lakes harbor hungry arctic grayling and wild trout. Only trails wander through these mountains. No roads. Most who explore the Belly backpack for several days. But the routes are favored by local horseback riders, too....

Three trails meet at Elizabeth Lake. North of Many Glacier in Glacier National Park, the narrow blue lake stretches between red mountains. It lures hikers, anglers and those seeking to tent where stars thicken in the night sky. Backcountry campsites cluster at the head and the foot of Elizabeth Lake. From the in-demand, larger Elizabeth Foot Campground, a long beach allows campers to spread...

On the west side of Glacier National Park, the forested Fish Creek Campground sits off the beaten path. Across the lake from the busy Going-to-the-Sun Road, the campground borders the northwest shore of Lake McDonald. Opening June through early September, Fish Creek Campground has more than 170 campsites. For RVs, no hookups are available. For campers planning ahead, it is one of only three campgrounds in the park that permits...

Helen Lake guarantees solitude. The distance from trailheads and limited campsites preclude many hikers from getting there. Below Ahern Peak in Glacier National Park, a cirque cradles the lake while steep cliffs rise on three sides. Under sunlight, the lake shimmers blue with a rim of turquoise in the shallows. Wildflower meadows splay around the foot of Helen Lake, where the backcountry campsites sit. With only two campsites,...

Many Glacier has no rival in intimate beauty, wildlife and hiking. In Glacier National Park, the tiny enclave of visitor services tucks like a hub at the base of five valleys. It’s a hiker’s paradise. Even for non-hikers, the views are superb. Below a string of small glaciers along the Continental Divide, Many Glacier centers around Swiftcurrent Lake. A National Historic Landmark hotel perches on...

Below Grinnell Point, Many Glacier Campground packs out fast due to its coveted location in Glacier National Park. Competition is keen for campsites because you can park the car and hike for days in this wildlife-rich valley. With more than 100 campsites, Many Glacier Campground packs out late May through October. Campers can make advance reservations for a portion of the campsites for June through...

Is the rock really red? You bet. At Red Gap Pass, ancient seabed layers reveal maroon hues in the rocks. This vibrant color, a trademark of Glacier National Park, contrasts with green forests and blue lakes below. Frequently in this high realm, mountain goats and bighorn sheep cross the pass. Unlike hikers, they rarely pause to look at Old Sun Glacier. Perching on rugged 10,0003-foot Mt. Merritt, Old Sun is one of the few remaining glaciers in the park. Driving cannot...

As its name implies, Rising Sun faces the morning rays. But due to its location tucked under Goat Mountain, shadows drop early in the evening and twilight lingers a long time. In Glacier National Park, Rising Sun shrinks when compared to the immense peaks that tower above it. Sitting on the north shore of St. Mary Lake, it is a small summer-only outpost on Going-to-the-Sun...

In Glacier National Park, Rising Sun Campground fills up fast. Due to its location, it is the closest campground to Logan Pass. Campers can quickly hop a shuttle or drive to the pass to hop on trails before the crowds arrive. Located on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road, the campground spreads around a hillside perch. It has more than 80 first come, first served campsites that open...

On the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road, Sprague Creek Campground is a small, coveted camping spot in Glacier National Park. Due to the Lake McDonald location, paddlers favor the campground for touring the shoreline. Every year, Sprague Creek Campground opens its 25 campsites early May through mid-September. Early each morning, new arrivals snap up the vacant first come, first served campsites. Usually, tenters claim most of the campsites as the...

The tiny community of St. Mary, Montana hops into action for three months every summer. Motels, cabins and campgrounds serve as springboards to explore Glacier National Park, and the town anchors the eastern entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road. Located at the junction of U.S. 89 and Going-to-the-Sun Road, the bulk of the town sits just outside the park on the Blackfeet Reservation. It contains family-owned restaurants, small stores, gas...

Sunny St. Mary Campground in Glacier National Park garners big views of Divide and Red Eagle Mountains. From this locale, it anchors the east entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road. St. Mary Campground, with more than 140 campsites, opens year round, but goes to primitive status without running water late September to early April. No hookups are available for RVs. It is one of three campgrounds in the...

Hidden in the southeast corner of Glacier National Park, Two Medicine Campground commands a scenic location on Pray Lake, a small outlet attached to Two Medicine Lake. Multiple grassy campsites provide million-dollar scenery, especially of Rising Wolf Mountain, which looms above the campground. Several campsites afford places to prop up a chair and scan the slopes of Rising Wolf with binoculars. With luck,...