Highlights
- Ski cross-country in Glacier National Park
- View wildlife and dramatic peaks with expert guides
- Warm your toes with seven nights of luxurious lodging
Includes
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All lodging
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Breakfasts and lunches provided
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Airport pick-up and drop-off and all transportation
Overview
The Trip
Join the Sierra Club and Glacier Adventure Guides for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the wild and spectacular scenery of Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park, the world's first International Peace Park, is also a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. Glacier offers exceptional scenery, diverse wildlife and plant communities, and unbelievable skiing. Each day we'll ski the trails and backcountry accompanied by Glacier Adventure Guides’ staff who will share their knowledge of the park's history, geology, and natural features. In the evenings, we'll retire to a luxurious lodge, eat delicious meals, and enjoy swimming in the indoor pool, relaxing in the indoor or outdoor hot tub, and visiting with our fellow skiers
The Trip
Join the Sierra Club and Glacier Adventure Guides for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the wild and spectacular scenery of Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park, the world's first International Peace Park, is also a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. Glacier offers exceptional scenery, diverse wildlife and plant communities, and unbelievable skiing. Each day we'll ski the trails and backcountry accompanied by Glacier Adventure Guides’ staff who will share their knowledge of the park's history, geology, and natural features. In the evenings, we'll retire to a luxurious lodge, eat delicious meals, and enjoy swimming in the indoor pool, relaxing in the indoor or outdoor hot tub, and visiting with our fellow skiers.
Glacier National Park's draw is its sheer beauty. The combination of vertical, glacier-scoured banded mountains, pristine lakes and streams, and dense ancient forests help provide Glacier with its majestic reputation. However, what sets Glacier apart and makes the landscape so unique is quite simply the glaciers themselves. Their blue ice and crevasses distinguish them from the snowfields and help remind us of the park's antiquity.
We will be skiing on lands lived on by Native peoples for thousands of years. Numerous Native American tribes utilized the area around and within what is now the park for hunting, fishing, ceremonies, and gathering plants. When the first white explorers began arriving in the region, the Blackfeet controlled the prairies on the east side of Glacier, while the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Kootenai lived in the more forested west side of the park.
Today, the 1.5-million-acre Blackfeet Indian Reservation, which aligns with Glacier’s eastern border, is home to approximately 8,600 members of the Blackfeet Nation, the largest tribe in Montana. The Flathead Indian Reservation includes approximately 1.3 million acres of land mostly along the Flathead River and is home to approximately 7,000 members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at the Glacier Park International/Kalispell (FCA) Airport no later than 3:00 p.m. The Lodge at Whitefish Lake provides a free van shuttle from the airport to the lodge as needed. Please call the lodge at 877.887.4026 or 406.863.4000 ahead of time to schedule a pick-up time. After arriving at the lodge, please check in and get settled. At 4:30 p.m. we will meet near the lobby fireplace in the main lodge for a welcome/orientation meeting. Following the meeting, we will move to the dining room/restaurant and enjoy our first of many delicious dinners together
Day 1: Arrive at the Glacier Park International/Kalispell (FCA) Airport no later than 3:00 p.m. The Lodge at Whitefish Lake provides a free van shuttle from the airport to the lodge as needed. Please call the lodge at 877.887.4026 or 406.863.4000 ahead of time to schedule a pick-up time. After arriving at the lodge, please check in and get settled. At 4:30 p.m. we will meet near the lobby fireplace in the main lodge for a welcome/orientation meeting. Following the meeting, we will move to the dining room/restaurant and enjoy our first of many delicious dinners together.
Day 2: After breakfast, we will make a stop to rent ski equipment if needed. Then we will travel to the Apgar Trailhead and ski through old-growth forests of western red cedar and hemlock or ski up the Camas Creek Road (dependent upon snow conditions) on our way to the Fish Creek Campground and views of Lake McDonald. We will then ski along the Lake McDonald lakeshore to Rocky Point where we will enjoy lunch and fantastic views of the high peaks of Glacier (five miles total). Once back at the lodge, we will have time to rest a bit and then gather for dinner in Whitefish. Following dinner, enjoy the evening relaxing as you would like.
Day 3: After breakfast, we will enjoy the varied scenery as we travel around the park boundary and then through the southeast entrance of Glacier National Park to the Two Medicine trailhead (two hours travel time). From there we will ski along Two Medicine Lake and select a lunch stop that provides a great view of Two Medicine valley itself. If we get clear skies, we will also have fantastic views of the large mountains surrounding Two Medicine Lake. This out-and-back ski trip is approximately six miles in length. Following dinner, the evening will be yours to enjoy a soak in the lodge's hot tub, enjoy the company of your fellow travelers, or take advantage of a good book.
Day 4: We will travel into West Glacier and ski up the Inside North Fork Trail, arriving at McGee Meadow for unparalleled views and lunch. Following lunch, we will enjoy a wonderful long, downhill run that takes us back to the trailhead (eight miles total). Following dinner, you have your choice of ways to relax at the lodge, including a visit to the lodge’s bar to enjoy any local musicians that may be playing at that venue.
Day 5: We will travel to Marias Pass at the south end of Glacier National Park to reach the higher elevations of the Continental Divide (one and a half hours travel time). From there, we will ski around Three Bears Lake and then into the beaver ponds close to the trailhead (five miles total). We will be surrounded by large mountains that provide spectacular views if the sky is clear, including Summit Mountain and Little Dog Mountain, which are located along the Continental Divide! This is an intermediate ski trail that potentially allows us to climb and descend some mild terrain, and practice our downhill technique if we so desire. Back at the lodge, following dinner, spend the evening relaxing as you would like.
Day 6: We will travel up the North Fork of the Flathead River Road (forty-five-minute drive) to the north entry of Glacier National Park and ski the Camas Creek Road. This road will take us twelve miles to Apgar Village in West Glacier. This will be a full day with 800 feet of elevation gain over the first eight miles and a downhill ride for the remaining mileage to Lake McDonald. This tour takes us through the burn areas of 2006 and affords views of the Livingston Range and the Higher Peaks of Glacier National Park. We will meet our shuttle at Apgar Village and then return to the lodge for dinner. Again, following dinner, you'll have the evening free to do as you wish.
Day 7: We will head to the Lake McDonald trailhead and ski the Going to the Sun Road to Dancing Cascades and back. This trail travels through an area of old-growth forests of western red cedar and hemlock. We will also have great views of Lake McDonald. If the Lake McDonald trailhead is inaccessible, we will travel to the Apgar trailhead near the backcountry permit office to ski along McDonald Creek on the Oxbow Trail toward the Quarter Circle Bridge and back. Either outing will offer a fantastic stretch of trail affording incredible views of the river and the forest environment, a grand finish for the Gliding Through Glacier Ski Trip. Following today’s trip, we will return any rental ski equipment to our guides on our way back to the lodge.
Day 8: After breakfast, plan on departing for the Glacier Park International Airport. Please schedule your shuttle van departure time with the front desk a couple days prior to our departure day to coincide with your departing flight.
Note: Daily routes can be adjusted to reflect the ski skill levels of the participants. There may be options to break up the group into slow/fast or beginner/advanced groups, depending on individual abilities. Ski itineraries are subject to change, depending on skiing abilities, interest, snow, and weather conditions.
Logistics
Getting There
Trip participants will be picked up at the Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, MT and shuttled to The Lodge at Whitefish Lake at the start of the trip. Trip participants will be shuttled back to the airport in Kalispell, MT at the conclusion of the trip. Free shuttle services will also be provided throughout the trip for our trips into Whitefish, MT for dinner. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader
Getting There
Trip participants will be picked up at the Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, MT and shuttled to The Lodge at Whitefish Lake at the start of the trip. Trip participants will be shuttled back to the airport in Kalispell, MT at the conclusion of the trip. Free shuttle services will also be provided throughout the trip for our trips into Whitefish, MT for dinner. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.
Accommodations and Food
The trip includes seven nights' lodging and all breakfasts and lunches. We will be staying at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, a beautiful full-service facility located in Whitefish, Montana. The lodge is approximately a 30-minute drive from Glacier National Park and offers a substantial list of services and amenities.
All transportation is provided on the trip: van pick-up from the airport in Kalispell, Montana; all the travel to various ski destinations; and a final van drop-off at the Glacier Park International Airport at trip's end.
Standard arrangements are double-occupancy rooms for all participants. Private rooms are also available, but numbers are limited so reserve yours early. The cost for a private room upgrade for the duration of the trip is $1,120. Please indicate your preference for a private room to the trip leader and he will inform you of options and payment details.
Trip Difficulty
A minimum skiing ability of advanced beginner to intermediate is strongly suggested. Skiers should be able to ski rolling terrain and control speed and direction with at least a basic snowplow. Most of the terrain we will cover is flat to gentle rolling hills, but good balance and a familiarity with varied snow and trail conditions are necessary. Snow conditions can vary from powder to packed powder to slushy and even icy at times, depending upon the specific trail and/or weather conditions. Participants should be in good physical shape. As noted above, the various ski trips will generally average six to eight miles. Participants may also elect to take a non-ski rest day(s) should they desire.
Equipment and Clothing
Rental cross-country ski equipment (including skies, boots and poles) is available for an extra fee near Glacier National Park. Equipment & clothing needs include:
- Day pack -- 30 liter or larger with padded hip belt
- Small piece of closed cell foam to sit on snow
- Water bottle
- Insulated lightweight thermos
- Sunglasses and/or goggles
- Sunscreen/lip protector
- Camera or phone camera
- Binoculars
- Pocket hand & foot warmers
- Insulating underwear
- Down jacket
- Mid-weight insulating layer -- wool or fleece
- Waterproof & windproof outer layer -- jacket & pants
- Pants -- wool or fleece
- Hat -- warm, with or without visor
- Gloves -- waterproof, insulated (2 pair)
- Mittens -- waterproof, insulated (2 pair)
- Neck gaiter
- Socks -- wool (minimum 2 pair)
- Gaiters -- mid-shin height at minimum
- Insulated boots
- Camp/hotel shoes
- National Park Service Annual Pass (if already in possession)
References
Glacier National Park: www.nps.gov/glac/
Glacier National Park Webcams: https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm
Cross-county skiing and snowshoeing: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/crosscountryskiing.htm
Conservation
Glacier National Park is facing a number of conservation issues today. As in so many wild areas, the clash between wilderness preservation and human use is evident in many ways:
- Global warming. Could Glacier National Park be without its namesake if global warming continues?
- Lack of park staff and resources to protect the natural resources within Glacier National Park. Is the park being loved to death?
- The impact of development around the park on wildlife and natural resources within Glacier National Park.
Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.
Staff
Important Notes
- Carbon Offsets
- Carpooling
- Electronic Billing and Forms
- Electronic Devices
- Equipment
- Essential Eligibility Criteria
- How to Apply for a Trip
- Leader Gratuities
- Medical Issues
- Non-discrimination Statement
- Participant Agreement
- Seller of Travel Disclosure
- Single Supplements
- Terms and Conditions
- Travel Insurance
- Trip Feedback
- Trip Price
- Wilderness Manners