Casual Hotels
Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the View Scheduled Dates or Private Dates tabs.
Lake McDonald Lodge
Glacier National Park (1 night)
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a large stone fireplace in the lobby and a terrace overlooking the lake.
Many Glacier Hotel
Glacier National Park (1 night)
An early-1900s Swiss chalet-style hotel set on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake amid the peaks of Many Glacier Valley.
Prince of Wales Hotel
Waterton Lakes National Park (2 nights)
This historic green-gabled hotel offers vistas of the mountains reflected in glacier-fed lakes.
Glacier Park Lodge
Glacier National Park (1 night)
Located on the park's eastern edge in Blackfeet country; immense timbers hold aloft its expansive lobby ceiling. (pool, spa)
This Trip Is Rated Levels 2-5
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
Daily Route Options (drag to see full )
| Daily Route Options |
| 1 |
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6 |
650 |
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| 2 |
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7 |
1100 |
9 |
1700 |
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| 3 |
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5* |
1000 |
8* |
1200 |
11 |
2300 |
13 |
2400 |
| Optional Kayaking on Cameron Lake |
| 4 |
Optional Hiking, Horseback Riding, Fishing, Kayaking or Boat Cruise in Waterton Lakes National Park |
| 5 |
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5 |
400 |
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10 |
1300 |
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| 6 |
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5 |
400 |
8 |
500 |
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Note:
The terrain on this trip includes well-maintained but often rugged mountain trails, with some steep climbs and descents.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity level and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Meals
All breakfasts, 6 lunches, 4 dinners
Also Included
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Get the Straight Talk about This Trip
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
Accommodations
Our accommodations are authentically rustic lodges that reflect the natural surroundings of Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks. The buildings were constructed at the turn of the century and have been only minimally renovated over the years, in accordance with national park regulations. While these historic hotels offer simpler accommodations than is typical of Backroads lodging, they do provide unparalleled access to the best routes in the region. Please note that the guest rooms are basic and are not equipped with televisions, hair dryers or air-conditioning. Generally speaking, customer service in the national parks can seem slow and casual when compared with the high standards of hospitality found on other Backroads trips.
Why Travel with Backroads in Glacier and Waterton Lakes
We're There for You All the Way
Glacier National Park requires that its official hiking guides accompany every group on the trail. But while other active travel companies see this as a chance for their own guides to take a break, Backroads stays with you every step of the way. Our Trip Leaders complement the Glacier guides’ expertise with their own deep knowledge – not just of the stunning surroundings, but of what you expect from a seamless, fully supported active travel experience.
A Variety of Routes Each Day
In Glacier and Waterton Lakes you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
More Leaders to Support You
On our Glacier and Waterton Lakes trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the trail—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
We Were Born Here (in 1979)
Backroads has been inviting active travelers to explore our own backyard since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. We offer more trips than anyone else in Glacier and Waterton Lakes, and we've spent more years finding the best ones. What keeps it real is having a consistent vision and the same passionately committed leadership for nearly four decades.
The Value of Casual Hotels
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this trip featuring Casual Hotels includes nearly all of your meals, plus everything from cocktail receptions to the best snacks along the road. So there's rarely a need to reach for your wallet – we've got you covered.
Signature Backroads Picnics
Guests rave about our picnic spreads. Enjoy a welcome break in a scenic spot, or a quick refuel stop if you don't want to lose momentum. And because we have two vans, one can host lunch while the other is out providing support along the route.
Everyone at Their Own Pace
We design and support our Glacier and Waterton Lakes trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
A Second Van When You Need It
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Glacier and Waterton Lakes—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
We Know Where We're Going
Tom Hale has been keeping Backroads on track, with one eye on the horizon, since 1979. His passion for active travel, and for ensuring the highest-quality travel experience, is evident in every detail we add to make a guest's trip unforgettable—and the fact he's right there in the office, making it happen. To hear Tom describe his vision, watch our video.
Your Trip Will Run. Period.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for one or two people (or a family of three or four), subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
Choose Your Fellow Travelers
With Backroads you won't end up with kids on what you thought was an adult trip; we have exclusive departures for families, so they're off having their own adventures. As you browse our unrivaled selection of trips and dates, you can count on finding a trip in Glacier and Waterton Lakes that's geared exclusively to your choice of traveling companions.
We've Set the Standard
For nearly four decades we've worked to earn and maintain our right to call Backroads the world's #1 active travel company. In pursuing that vision on behalf of our guests, we believe we've set the standard for our industry—captured in the Backroads Quality Guide, which clearly sets out the benchmarks of excellence, choice and support that we live by
