Trip report (Glacier-Canadian Rockies)

Question

This trip started as JUST a Glacier National Park trip, but after some research, I added in Canada & made most of the trip there. I had the BEST help from TA, but mainly a very special expert on here; that one kind soul helped me so much & for that I appreciate SO very much!! --I will do my best to give a summary of our trip.

We landed in Spokane, WA airport late on Aug.23rd. I had a reservation at Sleep Inn, Spokane Airport & since our flight was so late, they sent an Uber to pick us up..he was prompt & no charge to us. This was a good, clean hotel with a reasonable rate. The next morning we had breakfast there at the hotel & our rental company brought our rental car to us at the given time of 10 am by High River Rental Company. It was a Toyota Venza, which was excellent on gas; this company was less expensive than the well known rental car companies, btw. --We then headed to Coeur-d'Alene for the day, which was really pretty. Had some lunch there on the street & even a piece of carrot cake to go! Sorry, can't presently remember the name of the restaurant. -We stayed the night at the Holiday Inn Express (Aug.24) on the interstate & it wasn't cheap, but was more up to date than some; very comfy & nice walk in shower, which I do appreciate a nice bathroom with space...yes, women need extra room to "fix up"! --The next morning, we headed towards West Glacier & went thru Kalispell, as I thought about what a neat town this must be with some special people there. (smiles) ..We were suggested to get our groceries at the local grocery store Super One on our way to Glacier, if I recall correctly, we stopped at the one at Columbia Falls. We had dinner also at Columbia Falls before getting to our Inn at West Glacier, the Great Bear Inn. (Aug.25,26) It was the neatest place; felt happy with that choice; very quiet, off the road. We had a double queen room upstairs, which wasn't the easiest to handle big luggage with lots of steps, but the room was really comfy. They provided a good breakfast each morning, which was nice to be included. - The next morning, we did the Red Bus Tour of West Glacer/the Sun Road & it was REALLY cold that day! Boy, did we not have on enough clothes!! -The tour guide girl took the top off the bus (old style truck) & that cold, cold wind was enough to make me ask for one of the blankets they had available! I definitely regretted not wearing my puffy coat that day, but had no idea of how "cool" it would be for the tour, nor that they would take the top off, like a convertible! The scenery truly helped take the mind off the cold; it was soooo beautiful!! That evening we drove out to Bowman Lake, which seemed like took hours, but was mainly because it was partly on a gravel road to get there. We stopped at Polebridge, but didn't get anything..(only because we had NO idea the big deal on the well known bear claws! haha! -that story didn't end there; read on) --Bowman Lake was really beautiful! We drove back to town & ate dinner at a pizza place on the street at Columbia Falls. While there I got the Sun Road tickets for the next morning with no problem, which was thankful for! We drove thru the rest of the Sun Road we had not seen the next morning, visited Lake McDonald Lodge, St. Mary Village, Many Glacier Hotel, etc. --We stayed at Thronson's (Aug.27) that night, which was just fine...clean & simple room at Babb, very close to East Glacier. We ate at Two Sisters, which had a long wait, but very few places to eat in this area. The food & people were very nice and yes, we had to get the huckleberry pie that cost 9.95 a slice to go! I ate the most of it going down the road & yes, it was yummy! -I did a little research that evening and found a bakery about 30 mins. away at Browning that is the same family that runs Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery! It had just opened up in the spring, so I was more than thrilled that we could finally taste the huckleberry bear claws that a few friends had told us is "a must" to have on this trip! This place was called Kyiyo Mercantile & Bakery & YES, it was well worth the extra time we took to go here! It was a lovely drive of farms mainly & a gloomy day, but we got a few bear claws & a few huckleberry danish's also...we really LOVED the danish's even better than the bear claws; they were just YUMMY!! We would love to have more; they need to ship out!!! --We then headed to finally cross the border on this cloudy, rainy day; it seemed like a very secluded drive to enter Alberta, as it was actually a rain/snow mix that day (the ONLY bad weather on our entire trip)..we were excited for our first time out of the U.S.- no problem to enter, btw. --I went in a few shops in the rain & we both went into the Waterton Hotel, which was Sooooo beautiful! --We then drove to Pincher Creek to the Travelodge there for the night (Aug.28); it was fine & very reasonable; they just didn't give me my "top floor room", as I always request, so had to hear loud stomping above us, which wasn't nice to deal with. We also went to the Walmart right in sight of the hotel & got a few more things to have in Canada. The next day was about our favorite drive on the trip...driving TO Canmore! I took the most fabulous pics of big farm ranches/barns/glacier/mountains, etc. --just amazing scenery! We stayed at an Airbnb in Canmore, which was very nice & pretty walkable to town shops/restaurants. It was amazing scenery all around Banff & Canmore. We stayed 3 nights at Canmore (Aug. 29, 30, 31) after the closing of Jasper. We did visit the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel & it was truly so beautiful & amazing outside & inside! All the lovely flowers all around outside, shops inside, wide staircase, etc. -well worth the visit there! We did not do the shops in the town of Banff; way too many people & traffic. The day I had planned a bus tour for Lake Louise & Morraine Lake, our last day of Canmore, we got stood up. Apparently, it was a third party company...I was soooo mad..our day was wasted. The nice girl at the visitors center was good help to line us up with another company for the next day with Fairview Limousine. That guy was very good & very dependable & I'm so glad we did that shuttle bus...absolutely LOVED those 2 lakes; I got the best pictures esp. at Morraine Lake & also at LL!! Truly amazing beauty there!! That evening we drove the Icefields Parkway, which was sooo awesome & beautiful..well worth driving! We didn't go as far as Jasper, as it was getting kinda late, but I again, got many lovely photos on this drive. We then drove to Golden for the night, which seemed like took forever to get to. This town seemed kinda "blah" & our night stay was at the Best Western Mountain Inn there & was quite expensive for a simple place; yes, it was clean, but I felt kinda robbed on that deal. Our drive the next day towards Invermere was very lovely on Sept. 2nd. - we ate a late lunch at a local BBQ joint outside the town of Invermere; it was "okay"; really loved the Copperstone Resort we stayed for the night; it was probably the nicest place we stayed besides the Airbnb. -- I definitely would stay there, again; very comfy, quiet & great condo type room overlooking the golf course there. --Most of the shops in Invermere were closed that Monday bec. of Labor Day , so we went back to get some souvenir shirts the next morning at the Kipp Pharmacy, which was satisfactory for my mission. We had a great breakfast at Huckleberry Kitchen in Invermere that morning; good choice, indeed. --We headed towards the border on the 2nd. afternoon & that crossing wasn't quite as "pleasant" as going into Alberta from Babb area. That officer was not a happy camper or wanted to make us think he wasn't..full of questions, if we had veggies/fruits, etc. , but we moved on & hoped he felt better as the day went on..haha! - We got to Idaho soon enough, had a great dinner at Sweet Lou's Restaurant; I would say the BEST meal of our trip. This was in Ponderay, Idaho...where we stayed the night at the Hotel Ruby Sandpoint/Ponderay; it was fine & clean & comfy there. The next morning, Sept. 4th. we had to get to Spokane airport by 9:30 for our 11:15 flight home. It was cutting it close, as we allowed close to 2 hrs. for that drive not knowing about traffic or construction. If had to do it again, prob. would stay closer to the airport, but it all worked out. The rental company person met us exactly where we needed to be for Southwest, gave her the car/keys & off we went to fly home..Denver layover otw.

We met a wonderful man on our flight to Denver...ate a few burritos at the Denver airport. Because of some storms, our flight was delayed a bit, but not too bad...arrived approx. 45 mins. later back to RDU than scheduled.

We were very ready to get back home, but a truly WONDERFUL trip; gone 2 weeks, but saw sooo much beauty. Sooo grateful for all the help for the planning; could've never done it without TA pple & esp. MaryEllenM27!!! Glacier & Canada ...a fabulous trip, indeed!!

Answer

This trip report provides a detailed and inspiring itinerary for visiting Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies, highlighting accommodations, scenic drives, dining experiences, and local attractions.

The journey began in Spokane, WA, where the traveler stayed overnight at the Sleep Inn near the airport. The next morning, they rented a Toyota Venza from High River Rental Company and headed to Coeur d'Alene for sightseeing and lunch. The overnight stay was at Holiday Inn Express, providing a comfortable and modern room for rest.

Heading to Glacier National Park, the route went through Kalispell, where groceries and dinner were picked up in Columbia Falls. The main Glacier stay was at the Great Bear Inn in West Glacier, a quiet and comfortable lodging with included breakfast. Activities included the Red Bus Tour of West Glacier and the Going-to-the-Sun Road, with stops at Bowman Lake, Lake McDonald Lodge, St. Mary Village, and Many Glacier Hotel. Dining highlights included a pizza place in Columbia Falls and huckleberry pies and bear claws from Kyiyo Mercantile & Bakery, a must-visit for pastry lovers.

Red Bus Tours – exploring Going-to-the-Sun Road, cold but scenic, with blankets available.
Bowman Lake – accessed via partly gravel road, highly scenic and peaceful.
Kyiyo Mercantile & Bakery – exceptional huckleberry pastries, including bear claws and danishes.

Traveling into Canada, the trip included Waterton Hotel, Pincher Creek for a night at the Travelodge, and onward to Canmore with a three-night Airbnb stay. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was visited, providing breathtaking scenery and beautiful architecture. Bus tours to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake were highly recommended for photography and nature appreciation. The Icefields Parkway drive was another highlight, showcasing spectacular mountain and glacier views. Overnight stays included Golden and Invermere, with accommodations such as Copperstone Resort offering comfort and great views.

Fairview Limousine shuttle – reliable service to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.
Icefields Parkway – iconic drive with stunning vistas, ideal for photography.
Copperstone Resort, Invermere – comfortable, quiet, scenic condo-style rooms.

The return to the U.S. included crossing the border, a night at Hotel Ruby in Ponderay, Idaho, and a final flight home from Spokane, WA. Dining highlights included Sweet Lou's Restaurant in Ponderay, considered the best meal of the trip. Overall, the trip balanced scenic drives, national parks, and charming towns, making it an unforgettable experience.

Glacier National Park – must-see natural beauty, lodges, and accessible hiking.
Canadian Rockies – Canmore, Banff, and surrounding areas, combining nature, photography, and relaxation.
Planning tips – book accommodations in advance, allow time for border crossings, and prepare for variable weather including cold and rain/snow mix.

This itinerary demonstrates that a two-week trip covering both Glacier National Park and the Canadian Rockies can provide a rich mix of sightseeing, comfortable lodging, local cuisine, and outdoor adventures, with highlights including Going-to-the-Sun Road, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and the Icefields Parkway.

Trip report (Glacier-Canadian Rockies)

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