Waterton, Canada
Before we started planning this trip, I had never even heard of Waterton National Park. But after traveling in the beautiful Northwest, we felt Waterton was our favorite destination. For a national park, the food, drink selection, and overall friendliness was the best we experienced on this road trip.
The best way to travel is to fly into Bozeman, MT if you want a roundtrip destination. The closest airport to Glacier National Park is Kalispell on the west side of the park, but this makes for a long drive back to the airport at the end of the trip. We decided to cut the last leg of our drive the shortest and flew into Great Falls, MT. We didn’t get to see the “great falls” of Great Falls due to flooding but the Courtyard Marriott was new and extremely friendly. It was another 4 hours to Waterton, CA.
In Waterton, the place to stay is the iconic Prince of Wales Hotel (glacierparkcollection.com) built in 1927. A historic lodge with a picturesque view, the only issue is that you have to plan ahead. We recommend at least 9 months if not more. With such a great location, it does endure quite a bit of weather. It has blown down twice!
Morning tea, reading and a view.
Our first morning was rainy, but close to town the Cameron Falls. We weren’t privy to see the “Pink Waterfall” that is caused by heavy rains stirring up a sediment called argolite. 
Waterton is small quaint town and a great place to stock up on hiking gear (Canadian prices) and offered great ice cream and an unusual dessert of beaver tails. Our best bear sightings were in town where we saw a black and brown bear in town.
An iconic hike in Waterton is Crypt Lake Trail. It was listed at one of the “Top Most Thrilling Hiking Trails in the World” by National Geographic. Griffin is 9 and Rowan is 7 years old, so we were a little nervous about the kids ability to accomplish this hike. But we had to at least give it a try.
First, you take a boat across the lake that only leaves at 9AM and returns at 4:30PM. Which was a little scary considering we weren’t sure how well the kids would do with the distance and altitude. Our children were the only kids on the trail except infants in backpacks. Crypt Lake Trail is a 10.7 mile strenuous trek that passes Hell Roaring Falls and Twin Falls opening to a field of scree and switchbacks.
You enjoy the view of Burnt Rock Falls before bouldering to a 4-foot wide tunnel carved through the rock.
Crypt Lake is a high mountain lake resulting with remaining snow.
We headed back down the trail in half the time with Rowan leading the way. Our frigid lake dip was a perfect way to revive our sore feet.
After a strenuous day, what better way to end with great steak and wine at the Fireside Lounge & Wine Bar.
Our only regret is that we didn’t stay longer.
Glacier National Park, Montana
On to Many Glacier at Glacier National Park…a 1 hour drive and border crossing from Waterton. We had reservations at Many Glacier Hotel which again need to be booked at least 9 months or more in advance. It is again an iconic hotel build in 1915 by the railroad. Situated with an amazing view, we were able to watch moose and their babies drink at dusk as well as a mama bear with two cubs make their way down the mountain to drink from the lake.
The hikes from Many Glacier start from the front porch. We hiked around the lake and had the opportunity to observe the mama bear and cub across the lake. The hike to Grinnell Glacier was closed, but we still got a great view. Growing up hiking, we were always weary of bears, but you don’t hike without bear spray in the national parks which can be a bit pricey ($50). I recommend trying to bring it if you are driving (you can’t fly with it) or in a bigger city.
From Many Glacier we drove over the Going to the Sun Road. We were lucky, the Going to the Sun road opened up the weekend we got to Glacier (June 23). It is a must see. We hiked to Baring Falls and Hidden Lake Falls with a very close deer siting.
The Logan Pass Visitor Center was very busy. We had brought our own lunch (which I recommend for this entire trip) and had a picnic at an overpass.
Trail of the Cedars was a nice easy trail through the woods that leads to the trailhead of Avalanche Lake.
We headed to West Glacier to glamp. Glacier Under Canvas in Montana (undercanvas.com) was our most expensive lodging experience but by far the kids favorite. Wooden floored tents with wood stove for heat. But the best part were the s’mores and music by the campfire. We also had an amazing meal at Belton Grill Dining Room and Tap Room (beltonchalet.com). The best food we found in Glacier or Yellowstone.
The next day we headed to Two Medicine Valley. It is an above treelike area of the park that is different from the rest of Glacier. Living in Colorado, this is a landscape not new to us so we would recommend skipping.
The drive to Bozeman, MT was a little under 6 hours. We found a Dinosaur museum on the way with staff from Townsend, TN. 
In Bozeman, we went to a hot springs that really didn’t come recommended because it is associated with a gym and a campground called Bozeman Hotel Springs and Spa (bozemanhotsprings.com). The kids enjoyed it after the long drive and there was a band playing while you soaked.
Yellowstone, WY
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Roaming with Rowan 