Camperjim Offline Upload & Sell: On
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First a few words on bears.
You will see bears on the trails pretty much everywhere in Glacier. It is not uncommon to watch momma Griz and her cub cross a trail right in front of hikers. Bears will walk through the campgrounds at night. With the high frequency of encounters it is surprising that there are almost no serious incidents. Partially I credit the bears. They have become used to people. Also the NPS does a great job. Rangers and campground hosts check campgrounds to verify the food lockers are being used. Not even a water bottle can be left out on a picnic table. With common sense you could spend the rest of your life camping in Glacier and never have a problem. As a final safety measure, I do recommend buying bear spray. Except for being in a howling windstorm, it is nearly 100% effective. I have never used mine, but I did watch someone discharge an expired unit. Two seconds of spray is enough to make a wall of pepper spray that would stop any bear.
For hiking, photography and camping I prefer the east side of the Park. If you have definite travel plans, make a reservation at St Mary's CG. Campgrounds typically fill early in the day so a reservation means you will not need to stay outside the Park in a private campground. St Mary's is one of my least favorite but it does accept reservations. Last summer I stayed at all of the campgrounds on the east side except for St Mary's. I had no problems getting sites, but I was always looking early; i.e., before 10 or 11 am.
NPS campgrounds do not have showers. That is not a problem because there are lodges and private facilities near all of the major areas which do provide shower facilities for a small fee. I have a small shower in my truck camper so I may be mistaken, but I think at 2 Medicine it might be necessary to drive outside the park which would take about 15-20 minutes.
I know you want improved campgrounds, but I would recommend at least one night at the primitive Cut Bank campground. You need to bring in water but the nuisance is worth it.
If you visit the St Marys and Many Glacier area, I highly recommend making at least one visit to the Two Sister's restaurant. Great burgers, trout dinners, fried chicken and homemade pies. They have become too popular to visit at lunch or dinner time. I recommend late afternoon which works out real well for evening photography.
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