Got a trip soon? Be a planner!

Once we decided we were going to do a big trip I started in planning.

And I am a planner. If it’s something I know I’m going to do, I will spend countless hours and days doing research to find things to do, best routes, places to eat (best part of vacation!), and what to expect along the way.

Our original plan was to head to Montana, stopping at Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and Spearfish along the way. We planned to spend a couple of days in Montana, then head south to Yellowstone to spend a few days between there and Grand Tetons. After which we would head over to Estes Park, Colorado and then head home.

We knew we had no more than 12 days and the more we tried to map out our days, the more we realized we would constantly be on the move and not have time to enjoy each location.

It was at that point, that we ruled out everything but Montana and Glacier National Park, because that was, after all, the top place on our list. I wanted to be able to stay and enjoy the place I loved the most…. and dare I say, REST! That’s what a vacation is supposed to be about, right?

Maybe for some, but not for all.

Once we determined we had just one destination, I then dug into the pros and cons (and price differences) of driving versus flying. But, more than the amount of savings it would mean, there was someone else we had to consider. Our best boy, Blue.

We pondered leaving him at a great local kennel nearby, but I knew it would be so different for him and was afraid he would be too sad and get depressed wondering where we were at. No, he would have to go with us. No doubt about it.

Then we briefly discussed flying with him, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him down in the loud, lonely, dark belly of the cargo hold on an airplane.

So, that only left one alternative: Drive.

Driving would mean we would get less days in Montana, but it also meant we would get to see a lot along the way. Remember, I’ve never been out west, by way of driving. And I am ALWAYS up for an adventure. So, now we know we have one destination, and we are driving.

Now, normally next on the list would be finding an Airbnb… BUT because I am such a planner, I already had my eye on a couple. I knew that we needed to stay as close as possible to the park because there would be things we wanted to do that would require us to leave Blue at the Airbnb, and I didn’t want to spend an hour driving “home” once we got out of the park.

Now, obviously, the closer you stay to the park, the more expensive it can be. But, there are some places that, for various reasons, may have discounts. Usually these include new rentals, or some that are still open with the dates drawing near, or even some that have lower ratings, for whatever reason, and they are looking to get that corrected.

And that’s what I lucked out on… a new construction home, new to Airbnb, and 10 minutes from the park in a small town called Hungry Horse, and best part…. with a big discount to get their dates booked and rating started. As a bonus, it was right on the Flathead River with a view of the mountains.

Now, on this particular trip we had planned to splurge a bit on a nice place to stay, but it is very possible to stay within 10-15 minutes of the park for the price of a hotel room ($125-160/night). You just have to plan ahead, spend lots of time looking, and be willing to be a little flexible on the amenities you want. Most of the places will not have mountain views, but some will. There are also lots of RV parks and campgrounds near the park for about half that price.

There are actually lodges and campgrounds within Glacier National Park. The most popular of these lodges are Lake McDonald Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel, but there are also a few more. The lodges are swiss-style chalets built in the early 1900’s and most sit right on the lake offering absolutely stunning views of the mountains. Even if you do not stay in one of the lodges, I encourage you to go in and look around and maybe grab a meal. The architecture is beautiful. You might be surprised (or maybe not surprised) that you can get a room at one of the lodges for under $200/night. That’s not bad to be able to stay right inside the park, and something we will definitely consider on our next visit.

As far as campgrounds, I believe there are more than 60 wilderness campgrounds inside the park, BUT the majority of them have no hook-ups… so it is true wilderness camping… especially if you choose to tent camp! One more important thing to note is that they oftentimes have to close campgrounds due to bear activity. Needless to say, that seals the deal on tent camping for me!

There are only a handful of chain hotels in the nearby town of Whitefish, about 30 minutes outside the park, but options increase greatly if you want to stay about 45 minutes away in Kalispell. Whitefish is a ski resort town so expect higher prices on most everything, but you will definitely want to visit here. It is a beautiful little town!

Kalispell is where you will find shopping, Wal-Mart, and pretty much anything you need.

Ok, so we have a destination, a way of getting there, and a place to stay once we get there. Now what?

From here, I started mapping out a route with stops and places to see along the way. We wanted to get there quickly but didn’t want to miss anything good. According to Google, the fastest way was to head north to South Dakota, then once thru there head northwest to Glacier NP. That worked great for us because it took you right by Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, the in-progress Crazy Horse Memorial, and also not too far from Devils Tower National Monument. Also in that area is Spearfish, South Dakota which has some beautiful waterfalls worth seeing. Once in Montana, this route also takes you right along the shores of the very beautiful Flathead Lake… a big “must stop” for Brian.

For our return trip home, we wanted to take a little different route, so we headed out the east side of Glacier and went thru Great Falls, headed south thru Wyoming, and planted our feet in Estes Park, Colorado for a few days to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Along the way we made a quick stop in Kaycee, WY, home of rodeo great Chris LeDoux (for Brian), and a stop at the one of the world’s largest Buc-ees gas stations (for me lol)… 75,000 square feet of awesomeness!

I knew, from research, that the drive thru Kansas is often dubbed “the worst drive in America” lol. So, I told Brian that, if possible, let’s do something different. So we drove on home thru Nebraska. I can’t compare it to Kansas, since I’ve never been there, but Nebraska wasn’t exactly thrilling itself lol. We made it tho!

It’s hard to nail down exactly how many driving hours it took us to get up there and back… I may save all that (and info on the stops we made) for another blog post!

Ok, so now we have a destination, a way to get there, a destination Airbnb, and a route mapped with stops.

These, to me, are the most important things. But of course, other things followed like best places to eat, things to do, must-see sites, etc.

So, I’ve said all this to remind you that lots of planning will: make the trip go much better, save you money, avoid disruptions, save time and so much more. It is SO worth it.

Don’t have time or want to mess with it?? I will help you!

I’m excited to dive in deep and give you all the great details about our trip. I know Montana isn’t for everyone… no, actually I don’t believe that. Montana is stunning and everyone should spend some time there.

We can’t wait to go back.

I’ve said that before haven’t I?

I’ll probably say it again 🙂

Until next time,

Cami