Discover Glacier Park’s Hidden Beauty On An Exciting Boat Tour
Looking for a unique way to see Glacier National Park? A boat tour might be right down your alley.
I've never been on a boat tour in Glacier. I've been ON a boat in Lake McDonald, but never the tours offered by the park. According to the reviews on Trip Advisor, this is a really great way to see it all.
Like this review from a tourist in July 2022:
The boat ride from Many Glacier on both lakes was wonderful. The crew were great, the scenery was beautiful, the camaraderie among those of us taking the ride and trek was upbeat and friendly, it was a great way to spend the day, even though it was cloudy and eventually rained on us. The boats made the hike to Grinnell Lake possible for us. We took a sack lunch, and ate it on the shores of the lake, saw a moose on the way back and truly felt blessed to see this magnificent area.
And this review, also from July 2022:
We booked a St. Mary's Boat tour mainly to get into the park without a vehicle pass, but decided to keep it and we are so so happy we did. It was an amazing tour. Sammie Joe was so fun and shared so much information! She made it fun and interesting. We totally geeked out and soaked in all the facts, we even wrote them down on our way out of the park. The lake is beautiful and the scenery is amazing. The ride was smooth, and the boat was enclosed which was good because even in July it is chilly out on a lake that doesn't get much above 40 degrees. The dock was easy to find after entering the park and there are benches to wait on. They do pack on the people and not everyone is respectful of the guide, so I would suggest sitting closer to the front. We sat in the back and regretted it. Our trip didn't have a stop which was ok as we already hiked to Baring Falls, it lasted about an hour. I totally recommend this trip!
There is only one company offering tours, Glacier Park Boat Company. They offer boat tours of Lake McDonald, St. Mary, Two Medicine and Many Glacier. You can also rent personal watercrafts in Apgar. They offer Paddleboards, Kayaks, Canoes, Rowboats and 10hp Motorboats for rent by the hour.
Some of my research says that a favorite boat tour is the Many Glacier Tour. They say it's smarter to reserve your spot and be there when the tour is scheduled, or you'll be left behind. You can even take a boat, do some hiking, and take another boat back to camp.