Star, ID → Glacier National Park
Rig: F150 + 16’ Lance travel trailer
Distance: ~620 mi one-way to West Glacier
Suggested length: 10–14 days round trip (add 3–4 if
Banff)
Route North (2 driving
days recommended)
Day 1 —
Star → Coeur d’Alene area (~430 mi, long but doable)
- Star → US-95 N via Payette. Skip ID-55/McCall for
towing — US-95 is the truck route.
- Lunch/leg-stretch: White Bird Hill overlook, or
Hells Gate State Park (Lewiston) for a walk along the Snake.
- Overnight options:
- Winchester Lake State Park (south of Lewiston) —
quiet, pines, full hookups.
- Heyburn State Park on Lake Chatcolet — Idaho’s
oldest, great for a 1-night stop.
- Farragut State Park on Lake Pend Oreille — if you
push past CdA. Big sites, easy in/out with a trailer.
Day 2 — CdA area → West
Glacier (~300 mi)
- I-90 E through the Silver Valley. Short stop at
Wallace, ID (whole town on the Nat’l Register) or the
Old Mission at Cataldo.
- At St. Regis, MT, choose:
- Scenic: MT-135 → MT-200 along the Clark Fork
through Paradise/Plains/Thompson Falls. Gorgeous, light traffic,
trailer-friendly.
- Fast: Stay I-90 to Missoula → US-93 N through
Flathead Lake (stop at Wild Horse Island viewpoint or
cherry stands near Polson).
- Arrive West Glacier.
Where to Camp in/near Glacier
Book 6 months out via recreation.gov — Glacier fills
fast.
| Campground |
Side |
Trailer fit |
Notes |
| Fish Creek |
West |
Up to 35’ |
Reservable, big trees, near Lake McDonald. Best base for west
side. |
| Apgar |
West |
Up to 40’ |
Largest, walkable to Apgar Village + lake. |
| St. Mary |
East |
Up to 35’ |
Best base for Going-to-the-Sun east entry + Many Glacier day
trips. |
| Many Glacier |
East |
Up to 35’ (tight) |
Most scenic campground in the park. Competitive. |
| Two Medicine |
SE |
Up to 32’ |
Quieter, dramatic peaks. |
Split the stay: 3 nights west (Fish Creek/Apgar) + 3
nights east (St. Mary or Many Glacier). Driving around the south end via
US-2 is ~2 hrs with trailer — plan a travel day between.
Critical: Going-to-the-Sun
Road
- Vehicle limit: 21’ long × 8’ wide (incl. mirrors), 10’
tall. Your trailer CANNOT go over. Most F150 SuperCrews are
borderline — measure yours. If over, use the free park
shuttle from Apgar or St. Mary.
- Vehicle reservation required in peak season (check
current year’s rules on nps.gov/glac).
Top Day Trips
- Logan Pass + Hidden Lake Overlook — 3 mi RT,
iconic. Go early (7am) for parking.
- Highline Trail — Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet,
shuttle back. 11.8 mi, best day hike in the park.
- Avalanche Lake + Trail of the Cedars — 4.6 mi RT
off GTTS west side. Best easy hike in the park; pairs with a Lake
McDonald day.
- St. Mary Falls / Virginia Falls / Sun Point —
waterfall cluster off GTTS east side (3–4 mi RT). Essential if based at
St. Mary; add Sunrift Gorge on the drive.
- Many Glacier — Grinnell Glacier (10.5 mi) or
Iceberg Lake (9.3 mi). Boat shortcut cuts ~3 mi off Grinnell.
- Two Medicine — Scenic Point or boat + hike to Twin
Falls. Running Eagle Falls (“Trick Falls”) — 10-min
walk, perfect warm-up.
- Lake McDonald — Red Bus tour or kayak rental at
Apgar.
- Polebridge / Bowman Lake — Huckleberry bear claws
at the Mercantile. Leave the trailer — road is
washboard gravel. Push further to Kintla Lake if you
want even more remote.
- Goat Haunt, MT — disembark the Waterton boat for a
short hike into US backcountry. Passport required.
Canada:
Yes, Do Waterton. Banff is a bigger commitment.
Waterton
Lakes NP (highly recommend — it’s the other half of the Peace Park)
- 1 hr from St. Mary via Chief Mountain Hwy (summer
only, open to trailers).
- Townsite Campground in Waterton — full hookups,
walkable to town.
- Must-do: Upper Waterton Lake boat cruise into the
US (Goat Haunt), Bear’s Hump hike, Red Rock Canyon, Cameron Lake.
- 2–3 nights is perfect.
Route from Waterton: AB-6 N → AB-3 W (Crowsnest
Pass) → AB-22 N “Cowboy Trail” through ranch country → AB-1 W into
Banff. ~4.5 hrs, ~285 mi, trailer-friendly the whole way. Fuel in
Pincher Creek or Cochrane.
Where to camp (book via reservation.pc.gc.ca — opens in
January, fills in minutes):
| Campground |
Area |
Hookups |
Trailer fit |
Notes |
| Tunnel Mountain Village II |
Banff townsite |
Electric |
Up to 27’ easy |
Only year-round, walk/shuttle to town. Best Banff base. |
| Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court |
Banff townsite |
Full (W/E/S) |
Up to 27’ |
Full hookups, a bit utilitarian. |
| Two Jack Lakeside |
10 min from town |
None |
Up to 27’ |
Stunning lake views, dry camping. |
| Lake Louise Trailer |
Lake Louise |
Electric |
Up to 27’ |
Base for Moraine/Lake Louise. Electric fence — it’s bear
country. |
| Waterfowl Lakes |
Icefields Pkwy |
None |
Tight but OK |
Halfway up the parkway, no reservations (first-come).
Spectacular. |
Priorities (in order):
- Moraine Lake — private vehicles banned; take Parks
Canada shuttle from the Lake Louise Park & Ride. Book the shuttle in
advance. Sunrise is legendary.
- Lake Louise — also shuttle-only in peak. Walk the
lakeshore, hike to Lake Agnes Tea House (7 km RT) or the Plain of Six
Glaciers.
- Icefields Parkway (AB-93 N) — one of the world’s
great drives. Day trip or overnight to Jasper.
- Peyto Lake overlook (short walk)
- Bow Lake / Num-Ti-Jah Lodge
- Columbia Icefield — Athabasca Glacier toe walk,
optional Ice Explorer bus
- Athabasca Falls near Jasper
- Johnston Canyon — easy catwalk hike to Lower +
Upper Falls (5 km RT).
- Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mtn — sunset ride is the
move.
- Banff Upper Hot Springs — soak after a hike
day.
- Vermilion Lakes Drive — 10 min at sunrise, Mt
Rundle reflections.
Yoho NP (don’t skip —
30 min from Lake Louise)
Right across the BC border from Lake Louise. Skipping Yoho when
you’re already there is the single biggest miss on this trip.
- Emerald Lake — arguably prettier than Lake Louise,
a fraction of the crowd. Walk the 5 km lakeshore loop or rent a
canoe.
- Takakkaw Falls — one of Canada’s tallest (254 m).
Road closes to trailers at a switchback; park-and-walk the last
bit.
- Natural Bridge — 5-min stop on the way to
Emerald.
- Lake O’Hara — permit lottery (opens in spring,
fills instantly). If you get in, it’s a top-5 hike in the Rockies.
- Camping: Kicking Horse CG (Field,
BC) — near Emerald, reservable via pc.gc.ca, up to 27’. Or day-trip from
Lake Louise.
Worth considering
- Kootenay NP — loop back to Banff via Kootenay = no
backtracking. Marble Canyon, Paint Pots, Radium Hot Springs.
- Jasper as a 2-night base instead of day-tripping
the Icefields Parkway. Adds Maligne Lake + Spirit Island boat, Maligne
Canyon, Miette Hot Springs, Mt Edith Cavell.
- Canmore / Kananaskis — cheaper, less crowded alt
base. Ha Ling Peak, Grassi Lakes, Upper Kananaskis Lake.
Border crossing (Chief Mountain or Carway): -
Passports required for everyone. - Declare the trailer, any firearms
(leave them home — it’s a hassle), and exact liquor/tobacco amounts. -
Firewood cannot cross either direction — buy local. -
Bear spray: most US canisters aren’t Health Canada
approved; buy a Canadian can at MEC or Canadian Tire and leave it behind
on the way home (can’t bring aerosol bear spray back into the US without
EPA label either). - Cell/data: turn on your carrier’s
Canada day-pass or grab a cheap Canadian SIM. Roaming charges sting. -
Currency: credit cards work everywhere; grab ~$100 CAD
cash for small campgrounds and parking. - Park pass:
buy a Parks Canada Discovery Pass at the gate — pays
off in ~7 days and covers Banff, Jasper, Waterton (Canadian side),
Yoho.
Sample 12-Day Itinerary (no
Banff)
| Day |
Plan |
| 1 |
Star → Winchester Lake SP or Heyburn SP |
| 2 |
→ West Glacier, set up at Fish Creek |
| 3 |
Going-to-the-Sun Road + Hidden Lake |
| 4 |
Highline Trail |
| 5 |
Lake McDonald + Apgar / rest day |
| 6 |
Move camp → St. Mary (via US-2) |
| 7 |
Many Glacier — Grinnell Glacier |
| 8 |
Two Medicine |
| 9 |
→ Waterton Lakes, Townsite CG |
| 10 |
Waterton boat cruise + Bear’s Hump |
| 11 |
Red Rock Canyon / Cameron Lake, drive to Missoula area |
| 12 |
Missoula → Star |
Sample 18-Day Itinerary
(with Banff + Yoho)
| Day |
Plan |
| 1 |
Star → Winchester Lake SP or Heyburn SP |
| 2 |
→ West Glacier, set up at Fish Creek |
| 3 |
Going-to-the-Sun Road + Hidden Lake |
| 4 |
Highline Trail |
| 5 |
Lake McDonald / rest day |
| 6 |
Move camp → St. Mary |
| 7 |
Many Glacier — Grinnell Glacier |
| 8 |
Two Medicine |
| 9 |
Cross at Chief Mountain → Waterton, Townsite CG |
| 10 |
Waterton boat cruise + Bear’s Hump |
| 11 |
Waterton → Banff via Cowboy Trail, Tunnel Mtn Village II |
| 12 |
Johnston Canyon + Banff townsite + Gondola at sunset |
| 13 |
Move → Lake Louise Trailer CG; shuttle to Moraine at sunrise, Lake
Louise after |
| 14 |
Yoho day: Emerald Lake + Takakkaw Falls + Natural
Bridge |
| 15 |
Icefields Parkway day: Peyto, Bow Lake, Columbia Icefield —
overnight Waterfowl Lakes or back to Lake Louise |
| 16 |
Lake Louise → back across border (Roosville, MT) →
Kalispell/Whitefish overnight |
| 17 |
→ Missoula area |
| 18 |
Missoula → Star |
Trim options: Drop Two Medicine (day 8), Yoho (day
14), or one Glacier west-side day to keep it closer to 15 days.
Trailer/Towing Notes
- Fuel stops on US-95: Payette, New Meadows,
Grangeville, Lewiston, Moscow, CdA. Don’t let it drop below ¼ north of
Riggins.
- Grades to know: White Bird Hill (steep but graded,
truck lane), Lookout Pass on I-90 (4,700’), Marias Pass on US-2 (5,200’
— mild).
- No trailer on: Going-to-the-Sun, Polebridge road,
Many Glacier campground loops if over 35’.
- Bear-safe food storage required everywhere in
Glacier — hard-sided trailer counts.