Looking at a trip to Glacier and possibly Banff. Any suggestions on the best airport to fly in to?

I flew out of Glacier Park International through Salt Lake City. Beautiful airport. Might be expensive to fly through.

Doing Banff too, Calgary is your best bet.

Missoula is an alternative. I think the closest "big" airport is Spokane which is a 4.5 hour drive.

Thanks!

PGAG said:

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Looking at a trip to Glacier and possibly Banff. Any suggestions on the best airport to fly in to?

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GPI hands down. Super easy in and out of there. Quick drive to either Kalispell or Columbia Falls depending on where you're staying. We flew into GPI and stayed off Highway 206 at an AirBnB. Easy drive into the park in the morning

Excellent

Currently on a road trip calgary to denver. Flew to great falls did glacier park from the east then calgary banff lake louise kallispell helena yellowstone cody billings little big horn casper then denver to fly home to austin.

Awesome trip

Kalispell but, be warned, it's a small airport and in the summer, it's bursting at the seams with tourists that it is not equipped for.

Thanks!

When's the last time you were there? We ski Whitefish every winter and they've finally completed the renovation and it's light years better than it was.

Pahdz said:

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When's the last time you were there? We ski Whitefish every winter and they've finally completed the renovation and it's light years better than it was.

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When was the last time you were there in the summer?

Never but my question is valid. The airport now is substantially better than it was 3 years ago

Pahdz said:

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When's the last time you were there? We ski Whitefish every winter and they've finally completed the renovation and it's light years better than it was.

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July 2022 - the airport was a joke but, the rest of the trip was great.

Flying into FCA in June. There are daily flights on American from DFW.

A few years ago there was a daily flight out of DFW to Kalispell

I've been looking. Oddly, flight prices and connections out of Austin are better than Houston. I can fly out of either.

I think United flies non stop to FCA on weekends from IAH. We didn't fly United because we are coming back on a weekday.

It's a 4.5 hour drive from Bozeman. I flew into Bozeman one morning and made it the drive. I recall it being some great scenery. So much that I'd do it again in a heartbeat. But, I do like a road trip like that, especially someplace new and scenic like that.

We usually driving trips to National Parks. This time we're flying. That drive is challenging. Two pretty solid days

For our last Glacier trip, we took WestJet out of IAH to Calgary. Non stop flight, cheaper than other choices, and rental car rates were lower.

Excellent tip

turfman80 said:

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For our last Glacier trip, we took WestJet out of IAH to Calgary. Non stop flight, cheaper than other choices, and rental car rates were lower.

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So you brought a Canadian rental car into the USA and then back to Calgary?

Was there anything special you needed to do Insurance wise?

HollywoodBQ said:

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turfman80 said:

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For our last Glacier trip, we took WestJet out of IAH to Calgary. Non stop flight, cheaper than other choices, and rental car rates were lower.

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So you brought a Canadian rental car into the USA and then back to Calgary?

Was there anything special you needed to do Insurance wise?

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None. I went with Enterprise, but it seems the others allowed the same. The only stipulation was not driving it into Mexico!

Thanks. I didn't know you could do that.

Wait a minute... I just remembered that when I went to Detroit in 2003, I did take my rental car over to the Casino in Windsor, Ontario. I had forgotten about that until just now.

And actually... now that I think about it, in 2010, I took my rental car from Vancouver, BC to Point Roberts, Washington. So, I guess I just totally forgot about those experiences. I'm old and tired.

The thing you can't do - is rent in Canada and drop in Denver. or vice versa.


driving either way is fine.

I flew and rented in Great Falls visited East Glacier/Calgary/Banff/Lake Louise/Helena/Yellowstone/Cody/Billings/Little Big Horn/Cheyenne - drove nearly 2000 miles and dropped in Denver and flew home.

We flew last summer in and out of Kalispell. Super easy. Direct AA flight from DFW to Kalispell.

We flew Kalispell last July and it didn't seem too crazy to me. Busy sure, but not a cluster fk like IAH is

Funny you should say that about IAH. We're flying out of Austin. Just so much easier

Great Falls worked great for us. Our trip ended at Many Glaciers, so it was an easy drive. We flew out of Austin.

Wahoo82 said:

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Great Falls worked great for us. Our trip ended at Many Glaciers, so it was an easy drive. We flew out of Austin.

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How was Many Glaciers? Worth the stay or recommend anywhere else?

We really enjoyed Many Glaciers. Very convenient to what we were doing(short hikes and horseback rides). It is built very old school with local materials. i think there is a lot of pegs instead of nails, etc. The floors can move a bit and are often not exactly level. Beautiful surroundings and lots of bears. Even in the parking lots! Food is good but not great, like many National Parks. It is a one of a kind type of place you will probably never forget. At least I won't.

I agree Many Glacier is worth the stay, great classic lodge. Just outside park is Two Sisters Cafe, beats anything in the park. We couldn't get our entire dates at Many and split trip between there and Waterton NP across border. They also have a great lodge and small town with dining. Did in and out of Calgary, all very easy. Actually had front end in Banff and was able to make a loop out of trip. A lot of driving, but again, it's easy and not stressful mostly farmland and good roads.

barnacle bob said:

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I agree Many Glacier is worth the stay, great classic lodge. Just outside park is Two Sisters Cafe, beats anything in the park. We couldn't get our entire dates at Many and split trip between there and Waterton NP across border. They also have a great lodge and small town with dining. Did in and out of Calgary, all very easy. Actually had front end in Banff and was able to make a loop out of trip. A lot of driving, but again, it's easy and not stressful mostly farmland and good roads.

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Interesting. Of all the places what was your favorite as far as scenery and activities? Been to Banff a while back but wanting to take family (wife, 11 & 13 year old boys) to Glacier, but Banff is also an options.

Didn't at first realize that GNP and Banff were so close and might be easier just flying to Calgary… but if going to Calgary, probably should just do Banff instead?

That's hard to answer, they are both great and you really can't mess it up, you will have a great time regardless.

I trend more unique or outdoor/adventure themes in my trip planning.

For these parks, for me, it comes down to an experience vs. a destination.

I feel Glacier is more an experience: classic lodges, epic scenery, outfitters (west side of park), going to sun road. When I went access was limited to ticket system and that limited access to prime areas. Glacier is easier and if you fly into Kalispefll you are already there essentially.

Banff is a destination and more DIY. The town of Banff is nice but touristy and can be overwhelming in prime time. But Banff and adjacent parks are huge and you really need a game plan vs GNP just show up and get plugged in. I feel the park system in US is geared toward catering to masses and Banff is more outdoor focus with a more alpine culture. Also, you can do a glacier tour and get out on the darn thing, kids would probably enjoy that and it will likely be melted in their life time. No signature lodge, but the larger hotels are nice especially lake Louise, it's pretty romantic and a great base for outdoor adventures. There are some amazing backcountry setups that are amazing if you are into a hike in or heli in (i have not done this). If y'all are adventurous look into shadowlake lodge, they have family cabins and it's a great way to spend a couple days.

I only brought up combo bc OP mentioned. It's doable but requires more planning and passports/customs.

We used to do Banff, Lake O'Hara, and Glacier annually. We found a direct to Calgary and renting a car there worked out best.

Sometimes we'd just stay at Many Glacier. When we did that, we flew into Great Falls which is a pretty neat airport with a bunch of exhibits on Lewis and Clark and a very interesting exhibit of model airplanes. Easy drive to the park.