Glacier in the winter has always been my favorite. You’re much more limited with what you can do, but the scenery is nothing short of magical. And if you happen to be here during the holdiays, Glacier at Christmas Time looks like something you’d see on a postcard. That’s not to say there’s going to be a few challenges to enjoy Glacier in December. To properly enjoy the outdoors this far north you definitely need really good quality clothing, and layer up! As a funny side story, we ran into a group from Texas one Christmas holiday and they were freezing, barely able to get out of their car for a few minutes. We talked to them a bit and they were stunned by how cold it was but wanting to come back in the summer. They told us they booked their trip one hot summer day when Texas was over 100ºF because snow sounded nice. But when they got here to Glacier, the reality was way more than they bargained for. They were wondering how were were so comfortable out in the below zero temperatures. And we told them the ‘secret’ to cold weather. ‘There’s no bad weather, just bad clothing.’ So if you don’t own proper clothing, your Christmas adventures in Glacier National Park may be limited to less then 5 minutes outside of your vehicle. While snow and ice might have some appeal, the reality is quite different! The temperatures here range from -20ºF all the way up to around 40ºF in the winters. But enough about the realities of cold weather, if you’re prepared there’s some fun to be had. I hate to drone on about safety. But there are so many ways winter in the wilderness can be dangerous if you’re not prepared. Also you’ll find all sorts of activities to do in Glacier on the internet like ‘ski into Grinnell Glacier’. This is a far fetched idea to say the least. So what you’ll find here are things that are actually ‘doable’. Skiing into Grinnell Glacier involves a significant drive on winter roads. Then it’s around 32 miles of backcountry skiing/snowshoeing where you’ll need to carry winter backpacking and survival gear. There’s really almost no one that visits that has that kind of gear and backcountry knowledge. That’s why I’m just keeping this to what is actually reasonable to do here in during the holidays. With plenty of precaution you can have a lovely Christmas enjoying the snowy vistas! That’s it for Glacier National Park at Christmas Time! And if you ever get a chance to visit in the winter months, I sure hope you’ll enjoy the frosty views.
