I’ve learned + am learning that self-care = taking care of my husband and taking care of my husband = self-care. We are one, so it makes sense.

One of the big ways we practice self-care together is getting away. We make it a goal to go away on at least one trip between babies. To refocus on us, to reset and reconnect in deeper ways.

It’s not the easiest thing in the world. There are lots of hurdles to jump, but we make it a priority. We’re really blessed to have my parents who are willing and able to watch our kiddos. We save cash to pay for our trips so they don’t become a financial burden. And I do a lot of mental work as the mama, because it’s hard for me to leave my babies.

But it’s always worth it. We have never regretted a penny we have spent on each other or a moment we have spent away together.

This time we did something new and went on a camping getaway to Glacier National Park in Montana. We spent just over $800 for five days of sleeping under the stars in some of the most gorgeous scenery in the continental USA.

I’m going to ramble on with a day-by-day detailed narrative of our trip. Mostly so I can relive it. It was so wonderful!

If that’s not your thing, skip to the bottom and check out my recommendations for what to see + do in the park, my tips for camping at Glacier and access to a FREE printable packing list and five day meal plan.

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Okay, here we go!

DAY ONE

We drove from southern Washington to West Glacier with a stop at Trader Joe’s in Spokane, of course. We picked up some firewood and ice on our way into the park, bought our pass and stopped at Apgar campground to see if they had any camp sites available. All full. Expected since we didn’t arrive until 6 pm.

We drove around the loop to FishCreek campground. They are one of the only campgrounds that offers reservations (which I didn’t know before hand), all others are first come, first serve. They still had three spots left. We found our site, paid for the night (can’t beat $23!) and set up camp. So, so happy to have a place to sleep! We got a fire going and roasted hot dogs. It was a good first night.

DAY TWO

We got up, packed up and headed out on the Road to the Sun. Our first stop was at Avalanche Campground to try and snag a site for the night. Success! There were three left on the first loop, so we grabbed the one with the most privacy, set up our tent, paid the fee and hopped back on the road.

Driving the Road to the Sun was one of the highlights of our time in the park. It’s a fairly narrow two lane road and can get busy, but there are plenty of pull outs and bathroom stops and the views are worth it.

We stopped at the top of Logan Pass (also the Continental Divide) but the visitor center parking lot was full. So, we parked about a 1/2 mile below it and walked in. We continued up one of the trail heads that branches off behind the center. We chose the three mile round-trip hike to eat lunch with a view of Bearhat Mountain and the hidden lakes. It was a beautiful (if well traveled) trail.

We had an exciting encounter with a mama and baby mountain goat who were flushed out by a grizzly bear. They galloped down the hill right beside where we sat eating lunch and we watched them race across the open space in front of us, through the trees and up into the craggy rocks.

And, yes, the grizzly wasn’t far behind them. Ha. He was an adolescent so not as big as he could have been and pretty unconcerned with all the hikers. The worst part wasn’t the bear, it was The Pink Panic Lady (as we called her, haha) who insisted on very loudly telling everyone she passed that there was a bear. She followed us all the way back down the trail. The bear did, too, walking nonchalantly about 25 feet off the trail, no doubt amused by everyone’s excitement + yelling.

Thankfully we were able to gain some distance from both The Pink Panic Lady and the grizzly and made it back down to our car with no incident. We continued on the Road to the Sun into St. Marys, which is right outside the east entrance. We made another pit stop and grabbed some huckleberry pie with huckleberry ice cream at the Park Cafe. Then we continued on to Many Glacier Lodge.

The drive into Many Glacier is about 45 minutes over a bumpy road. It’s pretty, but we’d only drive it again if we were staying at the lodge or wanted to camp up there. The lodge itself is Swiss-styled with a lovely view from the veranda. You can order drinks to-go at the Swiss Lounge; we got a beer to split and relaxed while taking in the awesome view.

We were planning to drive the Road to the Sun back to our campground, but had to detour out and around the park back to the west side due to a car accident at Logan Pass that had shut down the road. That’s one of the downsides to the park, there’s really only one road through it. If there’s lots of traffic or a car accident, there can be long delays.

We still got back to our campsite in plenty of time to cook up some salmon + roasted broccoli and enjoy another lovely evening by the fire.

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DAY THREE

We got up and headed into West Glacier for more fire wood, ice and to update my folks on where we were. Then we went to Lake MacDonald, found a parking spot (no easy feat! even without the heavy summer crowds) and checked out the lodge. It’s also Swiss-styled like Many Glacier and has loads of charm, along with a lovely veranda.

We decided to forgo the popular boat tour of the lake and rented a kayak instead. It was the best decision! Just $18 an hour and we had the lake almost to ourselves. At its deepest, Lake MacDonald is 3,100 feet and the water is so clear, you can see to the bottom out to about 30 feet. It was almost like being in a glass bottomed boat. The weather was perfect, the views stunning and we spent a lot of time dreaming about which lake house we’d buy if we could.

After our hour was up, we decided to head out on a hike to Fish Lake (more of a large pond). I thought it was 3 miles round trip, but after about 30 minutes climbing practically straight up, Matt informed me that, no, it was 3 miles in and 3 miles back. Ha. We almost turned around, but decided to stick it out. And I’m so glad we did. We only passed a few other hikers, the forest was so peaceful and we talked about things we’d never talked about before. There’s something so special about having extended, technology-free time to unwind together.

After our hike, we headed back to our campsite to grill up some hamburgers and play some battleship. Just simple memories, simple fun, being together, laughing and talking and reconnecting on deeper levels. So good.

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DAY FOUR

We decided to head to the northwest part of the park and camp at Kintla Lake. It’s a long drive, but so pretty. A lot of the way up is over dirt roads. It’s slow going, but worth it.

We stocked up again on ice and firewood, although you are allowed to gather wood at the Kintla Lake Campground. I’m glad we did because it ended up raining that evening and everything would have been wet.

We detoured to see Lake Bowman. It was stunning, but the campground was pretty full and set way back so you couldn’t even tell there was a lake nearby. We continued on to Kintla Lake and found a spot set right against the Kintla Creek. You could see the lake through the trees. It was beautiful.

We set up camp and then decided to go for a swim. I am not a lake swimmer, but these glacier lakes are so clean + clear. The sun peaked out for just a little while, and we made the most of it. The water was cold, but not frigid. It felt so good and we had the lake to ourselves.

After our swim, we headed back to camp to get into our warm, cozy clothes. Not long after that, the rain started, a drizzle at first. Thankfully we had our fire going already, nice and strong. We decided to set up our second tent, a screened in gazebo that keeps the rain off. Best decision ever. We grilled up our steaks + veggies and enjoyed the fire all while staying warm + dry.

The rain stopped after a little while and the stars even came out that night. It was the chilliest it had been our whole trip and super cozy. There were some bugs, but mostly just little gnats and no mosquitoes, thank goodness.

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DAY FIVE

We got up leisurely and sipped our coffee by the lake. It was so quiet + peaceful. When I envisioned us on this camping trip, that’s what I envisioned: sitting on the edge of the lake together, sipping coffee, talking and soaking up the quiet. It was the perfect end to our getaway.

We packed up (we’re practically pros at this point, ha) and started the long drive home. Hearts full, memory banks full, marriage tank full. And we’re already dreaming about our next getaway.

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I’m not a Glacier expert by any means, but here is a quick overview of things we loved + things we learned…

Things to See + Do in Glacier:

• Drive the Road to the Sun.
• Stop at the Logan Pass visitors center; hike to Hidden Lake (3 miles round trip) or hike the Highline trail (11.5 miles).
• Kayak on Lake MacDonald (or any of the lakes for that matter).
• Stop into Lake MacDonald Lodge or Many Glacier Lodge for a drink and some gorgeous views.
• Go for a hike. Any hike. There are so many to choose from – long, short and everywhere in between. The two main hikes we did were Hidden Lakes from the Logan Pass Visitor Center and Fish Lake which started across the road from the Lake MacDonald Lodge.
• Grab some huckleberry pie at the Park Cafe in St. Marys.

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Quick tips for camping + exploring Glacier:

• A week pass for the park is $35 for an individual car. You can buy your pass ahead of time here.
• Plan to stock up on ice and firewood (and cell service) before you enter the park or at one of the parks villages. West Glacier + Apgar on the west side and St. Marys on the east were our stops. Some campgrounds (like Kintla) let you gather wood, but most do not.
• We found the best cell reception in West Glacier village. The visitor centers advertise free wifi, but we never could get connected.
• Most of the park campgrounds are first come, first serve except for Fishcreek Campground on the west side. That campground does except reservations, but they probably book out six months at least. Height of summer, most campgrounds are full very early. We went the end of August, between the “no fee” day and Labor Day and found availability at most campgrounds before 11am.
• If possible, choose a site that is far enough away from the bathrooms that they won’t keep you up at night. The first place we stayed, people were using it until well after midnight, leaving the light on, slamming doors and using the hand-dryer of all things. It’s not super restful.
• The only road through the park is the Road to the Sun. If you don’t want to run into traffic or other delays, plan to drive it first thing in the morning or in the evening.
• There aren’t many places to eat in the park. Lake MacDonald and Many Glacier Lodges both have restaurants and the villages will have a cafe or snack bar. Other than that, plan to eat outside the park or bring plenty of food.
• Plan to carry bear spray with you on all hikes and plan to keep all food in your car or campground bear boxes.

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A couple of great resources I found while planning our trip:

• This article has a ton of awesome information on the Glacier campgrounds.
• If you need a great overview of all there is to see + do in Glacier, this post is great.
• If you’re looking for kiddo-friendly camping tips, I have a highlight saved over on Instagram with lots of great info.

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We’ve been camping every summer for the last three years. Through our experiences, I’ve created a master packing list and come up with some great camping meals.

CLICK HERE to grab my free master camping list + five day meal plan. This isn’t your average printable list. It’s more of a mini guide book. I get super specific and detailed on exactly what we pack + why. I also share a detailed 5 day meal plan that covers breakfast, lunch + dinner. I talk about what I bring to make our favorite meals and share a lot of tips on how to make them. I’m also including a small bonus section of what I pack when we’re camping with our kiddos. Adapt this guide to your needs and use it as a springboard for your next camping adventure.

Do you love to camp? Have any tricks or tips to share? Leave them in the comments or send me an email!

In the mean time…

Let’s Care for Ourselves,

Hannah