If you’re looking to visit a famous National Park, see rare creatures in their natural habitats, and get engaged at the top of a Glacier, you’ve come to the right blog post.

Grinnell Glacier Overlook at the top of the Highline Trail, Glacier National Park.

As far as we’re concerned, Glacier National Park is what dreams are made of. It’s where the trail meets the clouds, and you might meet a bear or two up there while you’re at it.

We dreamed up this far-off adventure only a few weeks in advance, though James claims he had been planning the general idea of making this particular four day weekend an engagement trip for months. Our trip to northern Montana, 19.5 hours driven there and back, was the culmination of preparation and opportunity, as we both wriggled free of our normal volleyball travels to take this weekend for ourselves. National Park #17 together was calling. So we made the drive, James hid the engagement ring deep in his backpack, and we made our way to the western entrance through Flathead Lake and Kalispell on Friday afternoon.

When we arrived in the park around 4:30 p.m., we already had our favorite picnic snacks in tow and were looking for a spot to lay our blankets down and enjoy a sunset over the mountains. Our intended stop was the very tip of Lake McDonald, where there were plenty of spots along the shore and nary a fellow visitor to be found. We got out with our backpacks full of the goods and started to notice something which has bothered us about summers outdoors our entire lives…mosquitoes. They were everywhere. We charged hard for a spot along the banks, but everywhere we went, mosquitoes soon followed. So we headed back to the car and for higher altitude and drier land - up Going to the Sun road.

Nearly every turn off was a dangerous place to stop and admire even for a few seconds, and we were getting hungry. But as the road went further up into the sky, we found our jaws slowly dropping and forgot our stomachs completely. By the time our focus had shifted, a perfect pull-off spot appeared. We unfolded our Thule Tepui rooftop tent, unpacked the food inside the tent, and ate our charcuterie with a view unlike any of our previous others. The dark clouds coming from the north drew closer and began thundering rain all over us, but we were safe and dry inside our tent, basking in the twilight glow of what lay ahead of us. Both physically and metaphorically speaking— of the weekend.

After racing down the mountain to beat the darkness (and other van lifers and car-tenters to the free camp spots near the park), we cuddled up for the night under the stars on a perfectly brisk 65 degree night. Meanwhile, James had in his head the plans for a big surprise the next day. Molly was just looking forward to the hike.

We chose the struggle along and up the Highline Trail to Grinnell Glacier Overlook. Along the way, wild violet flowers were in bloom and marmots scattered the bush along the trail. Most of the first 3 miles was shaded and our bodies were ice cold, not having brought many layers. So as always, we kept an expeditious pace and made it to the halfway point, through some snow, a few massive uphills and downhills, in roughly 2.5 hours. We were hungry and beat up by then, though.

Molly nearly talked James into calling it a hike as the Overlook trail (nearly straight up the mountain) came into view. But James told Molly “no” - a promising view awaits and of course we couldn't turn back so close to the end! We summited, ate our pre-prepped jars of salad, and took in the view before setting up the tripod for some absolutely normal video content. From our perch, one could nearly see into Canada on one side and back toward America on the other. Massive glaciers surrounded us. As Molly gazed off toward the glacier, James snuck up by her side to bend down on one knee, and the rest is history.

The moment we’ll never forget.

We virtually floated down the mountain, post-engagement, with a total of roughly 15 miles finally tallied on our journey to the top and back. It was a doozy and our feet and quads and calves and knees were FEELIN' it. Along the way down, though, as we started to tire a bit and ache for some food, water, and horizontality, we encountered groups of people pointing up above us into the bush (bear one) and screaming, clapping, and banging water bottles (bear two) about one hour apart. We never got to see the bears up close, but usually you don’t want to be close enough to make eye contact with one in its territory. A long hour later, we made it down to the shuttle which would bring us and tens of other weary hikers back to our cars at the top of the road. By the time we got to our car, James could barely extend his calves, Molly was limping with bad knee pain, and we were exhausted.

Lake McDonald is one of the most picturesque and perfect places to dip in the world.

Nothing a dip in icy Lake McDonald couldn't help to treat! Also, remember the whole engaged thing? That helped boost our morale, too. We were on top of the world wherever we went, be it Lake McDonald or the best barbecue in proximity to the park at Sunflower Cafe. It’s attached to the campground and RV park. If you’re looking for camping vacancies down the road for the park entrance, this might be the place for you.

Barbecue from Sunflower Cafe. A hidden gem right outside the park.

We downed some delicious brisket, ribs, sausage, baked beans, and mac, found our campsite for the night, and quickly fell asleep. Abuzz from our brand new engagement, we woke up still limping, cramping, and ecstatic at the drive back together. We’d take our time coming home, though, as there were plenty of family members to break the news to, cities along the way to stop in for coffee in, and songs to be added to our wedding playlist. Montana has our heart, and Glacier ranks right up there now as one of the best national parks the U.S. has to offer for so many reasons. Yes, we’re biased.

How to Get Engaged, Dodge Two Grizzlies, and Descend From Glacier National Park

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