Missoula Early October, Glacier LATE October?
dpe...@juno_nospam.com
I'm going to be in Missoula in training class for two weeks starting on 10/3.
Can anyone recommend a campground close to downtown that'll still be open, has
water as well as electricity, and IF POSSIBLE, an Internet connection AT THE
SITE?
Then, on 10/15 I run up to West Glacier to pick up the wife and start a couple
weeks of vacation... Are the campgrounds IN Glacier still functional at that
time? And are we oging to find water as well as electricity? How about right
outside the park in West Glacier?
Will they ACTUALLY CLOSE Going-to-the-Sun Road on 10/18?
Depending on accomodations we'll head down to Yellowstone either right away (if
things suck in Glacier) or a bit later if things are decent. How about
campgrounds in Yellowstone? We'll be in the little 5th wheel so we're a
"hard-sided" unit. Electricity? Water?
From what I understand we're likely to be a week or so late for the peak of
colors in Glacier. Is this right or are we SO late that everything is going to
be dead for the winter? As a photographer I'm looking to shoot as much color
and wildlife as possible.
How about Yellowstone? Color peak? Wildlife? From what I've read October is
supposed to be a great month for wildlife in Yellowstone. True? False?
Or, are we so far north that to get ANY decent color and/ wildlife we need to
run south as fast as possible to somewhere like Zion/Bryce/Arches? I'm hoping
not 'cause we're such pokey travelers that having to go that many miles in just
2 weeks would leave much less time to enjoy the parks than I'd like...
Laura
<dperez@juno_nospam.com> wrote in message > Then, on 10/15 I run up to West
Glacier to pick up the wife and start a couple
> weeks of vacation... Are the campgrounds IN Glacier still functional at
that
> time? And are we oging to find water as well as electricity? How about
right
> outside the park in West Glacier?
>
> Will they ACTUALLY CLOSE Going-to-the-Sun Road on 10/18?
I spent some time at Glacier and you can't pick a more dramatic vista. I
was traveling on a bus tour, you know if it's Tuesday it must be Belgium
type deal. but the Glacier website answers some of your questions.
"Glacier National Park has 13 campgrounds, which provide just over 1000
campsites. Most of the campgrounds are operated on a "first come, first
serve" basis. Fish Creek and St. Mary Campgrounds may be reserved, five
months in advance, through the National Park Service Reservations System by
calling (800)365-CAMP. Click here for more detailed information on camping.
Winter primitive camping is available in the Apgar Picnic Area and in the
St. Mary Campground."
"Traditionally, the Going-to-the-Sun Road opens sometime during the first
two weeks in June. The earliest opening date is May 16 and the latest
opening date is June 23. The Going-to-the-Sun Road closes to traffic on the
Monday following the third Sunday in October, unless closed earlier due to
snow."
They are currently doing road reconstuction on the Going to the Sun road and
that will slow your ascent to Logan's Pass, but the traffic does flow,
eventually. My recommendation is to take the Sun Tours mini bus up to the
pass. It's manned by members of the Blackfoot tribe and they give an
interesting perspective to the history of the park. If you get Sterling,
the guide we had, you'll even learn some of the Blackfoot language.
Have a great time,
Laura
Ralph E Lindberg
dperez@juno_nospam.com wrote:
> Our vacation is going to be somewhat late this year...
>
> I'm going to be in Missoula in training class for two weeks starting on 10/3.
> Can anyone recommend a campground close to downtown that'll still be open,
> has
> water as well as electricity, and IF POSSIBLE, an Internet connection AT THE
> SITE?
>
There is the KOA, the Yogi's JellyStone and John and Mary's (?) all
are on US93. They all should still be open at that time of year. We
stayed at the Yogi's last week, not bad.
> Then, on 10/15 I run up to West Glacier to pick up the wife and start a
> couple
> weeks of vacation... Are the campgrounds IN Glacier still functional at that
> time? And are we oging to find water as well as electricity? How about
> right
> outside the park in West Glacier?
>
Probably not. It's almost winter. Almost every campground closes right
after the Columbus day weekend. If not before, the one were we in two
days ago closes 15 Sept.
> Will they ACTUALLY CLOSE Going-to-the-Sun Road on 10/18?
>
Yes, see SNOW. Plus the tour-buses all (I think) stop running before
then. So unless you have a small (under 21 ft) RV, or a small enough
vehicle, you can't go into the park anyway.
If you drive, unless you are very comfortable with mountain driving I
do NOT recommend traving west to east. This is because you are driving
along a cliff almost the entire trip. Almost every day the Park Service
has to rescue some driver that has freaked out on this trip. The drive
east to west is mostly on the "up" cliff side and less nerve racking.
> Depending on accomodations we'll head down to Yellowstone either right away
> (if
> things suck in Glacier) or a bit later if things are decent. How about
> campgrounds in Yellowstone? We'll be in the little 5th wheel so we're a
> "hard-sided" unit. Electricity? Water?
>
See above (ie WINTER), it's way too late.
> From what I understand we're likely to be a week or so late for the peak of
> colors in Glacier. Is this right or are we SO late that everything is going
> to
> be dead for the winter? As a photographer I'm looking to shoot as much color
> and wildlife as possible.
>
> How about Yellowstone? Color peak? Wildlife? From what I've read October
> is
> supposed to be a great month for wildlife in Yellowstone. True? False?
>
Nope, Spring is the best, the game is still down in the vallys
> Or, are we so far north that to get ANY decent color and/ wildlife we need to
> run south as fast as possible to somewhere like Zion/Bryce/Arches? I'm
> hoping not 'cause we're such pokey travelers that having to go that many miles in
> just 2 weeks would leave much less time to enjoy the parks than I'd like...
That could be a better plan. Go there and skip Glacier and Yellowstone.
Low-landers and people from warm climates have no idea how early
winter does come to the high country. Much of Yellowstone park is above
7000 ft
--
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dpe...@juno_nospam.com
late in the season - usually around the 3rd week of September. Then we've
always headed north into Alberta and have often beein up in Jasper in
Mid-October... And it may have been dumb luck but we've always had beautiful
weather even that far north - a little frost in the morning but warm and sunny
during the day... So, I just figured if it was still fall up there it'd
hopefully still be nice in Glacier...
I checked the Glacier site and got the info on campgrounds and such but I think
I'm going to have to call to see just how limited things are going to be...
Cool weather isn't a problem, and we'll be leaving the 5th wheel in West Glacier
so I can take the truck over the road, but SNOW would definitely cause a run to
the south......
Ralph, I've done some rummaging around about Yellowstone and I'm getting both
good and poor reports on wildlife... I've read some that say October is a GREAT
month there and others that say its not so good.....
I'll probably call out there to the park to see what info they can give me...
I just hate to go down to Zion and Bryce with only 2 weeks 'cause I KNOW I'm
goign to want plenty of time to explore both...
Wade
<dperez@juno_nospam.com> wrote in message
news:3dlvh05inv9eh1uam...@4ax.com...
> We've been to Glacier a half dozen times over the last 15 years, but never
this
> late in the season - usually around the 3rd week of September. Then we've
> always headed north into Alberta and have often beein up in Jasper in
> Mid-October... And it may have been dumb luck but we've always had
beautiful
> weather even that far north - a little frost in the morning but warm and
sunny
> during the day... So, I just figured if it was still fall up there it'd
> hopefully still be nice in Glacier...
>
What you have to be mind full is that in high alpine country the weather can
change very quickly, we where once at the Columbia ice fields when it
started snowing in July, and the same applies to Glacier as it has the
almost identical ecosystem.
Wade
dpe...@juno_nospam.com
and registered for the two weeks of training classes... So, unless something
DRASTIC happens I'm going to be in Missoula for the first 2 weeks of October. I
talked to the KOA and to Jim & Mary's RV Park... No question, it was Jim &
Mary's hands down! MUCH more cooperative, AND they're putting in a wifi hotspot
so I can even work if I need to...
Talked to a ranger at Glacier. He admitted that it MIGHT snow, might not.
Temps MIGHT be cool, MIGHT NOT... BUT, he says mid-to-late October is a GREAT
time to be in Glacier. They'll keep Going-to-the-Sun Road open as long as they
can, and there should be a lot of wildlife around getting their last-minute
gorging in in prep for winter...
Also talked to a Ranger at Yellowstone. Got the same report... So, if the snow
drives us south, we'll head south. Otherwise I'm looking forward to some
spectacular photographic opportunities in the parks...
Don Bradner
> No question, it was Jim &
>Mary's hands down! MUCH more cooperative, AND they're putting in a wifi hotspot
>so I can even work if I need to...
I stayed at Jim & Mary's in late June and would certainly give them a
positive review. Visited friends staying at Jellystone, and it was, to
me, not as nice for a higher price (they are practically across the
road from one another).
OTOH they told me then that the WiFi was going in "next week," so if
it still isn't in I suppose it might not be when you get there. As I
was checking in there was a woman trying to do some business while
standing at the front counter with her laptop hooked to a phone line.
I asked if she had a WiFi card, and she did, so I told her to come by
and use mine when I was setup. That's always the advantage of carrying
your own!
--
Don Bradner
donb at arcatapet dot com
www.arcatapet.net
Ralph E Lindberg
dperez@juno_nospam.com wrote:
> Well, whatever its gonna do, its gonna do! I've got a campground
> reservation,
> and registered for the two weeks of training classes... So, unless something
> DRASTIC happens I'm going to be in Missoula for the first 2 weeks of October.
> I talked to the KOA and to Jim & Mary's RV Park... No question, it was Jim &
> Mary's hands down! MUCH more cooperative, AND they're putting in a wifi
> hotspot so I can even work if I need to...
>
That would be my choice also, better location too
dpe...@juno_nospam.com
general I dislike KOAs so I was glad to find Jim & Mary's.......
The person I spoke to said the wifi was going in this week and would certainly
be operational long before I was there... I hope so since I'm probably going to
have to do a little support for work while I'm out there...
As far as carrying my own high speed internet, I'd LOVE to...... I spoke to one
of the installers for DirecTV and his statement was that aiming the DirecWay
dish is NOT hard, contrary to statements by DirecTV, and that if he was
traveling he'd DEFINITELY do exactly that - put it on a tripod and take it on
the road!
Unfortunately, at home our location is such that I just had to move the regular
DirecTV dish from the roof to a pole to get over the trees on the hill behind
us... I'm not confident I can get a good signal for the DirecWay and having it
JUST to take on the road doesn't seem to cost effective yet...
HHamp5246
writes:
>Thanks for the campground endorsement... I called the KOA there too but in
>general I dislike KOAs so I was glad to find Jim & Mary's.......
Be sure to eat at the Park Cafe in St. Mary's. Fabulous food, famous for their
pies!
Also be sure to go to Many Glacier.... the entrance is north on 89 and left.
Go all the way to the huge lake.
On the way to Many Glacier there's a restaurant on the right..... Two Sisters
or something like that. Fun and funky....
dpe...@juno_nospam.com
Yeah, we've been to Glacier a number of times, both the east and west sides.
I've been out past Many Glacier and out to the falls, but never made the long
hike up to Grinnell Glacier?
>Be sure to eat at the Park Cafe in St. Mary's. Fabulous food, famous for their
>pies!
I"ll DEFINITELY do this... I NEVER turn down an endorsement for PIE!!!!!!
>
>Also be sure to go to Many Glacier.... the entrance is north on 89 and left.
>Go all the way to the huge lake.
>
>On the way to Many Glacier there's a restaurant on the right..... Two Sisters
>or something like that. Fun and funky....
I've eaten there with my wife... Its been a few years. I'll have to get
back...
I'm hoping the weather cooperates and we get to spend a reasonable amount of
time in Glacier, but either way we'll be there for a few days unless there's so
much snow I can't get the 5th wheel up there!