Glacier Outfitters — Local services in West Glacier

This outfitter is excellent. Bear spray rental is so convenient with their location right at the airport and is a MUST! We ended up needing our bear spray while in GNP. We felt confident that we could safely decide when it was appropriate and how to deploy our bear spray because Glacier Outfitters made sure we knew how to use it properly.

We went for a lovely bike ride past Avalanche Creek. While returning downhill we encountered a black bear on the road. If you've been on this section of road you know one side is a steep cliff up and one side is a steep cliff down. We stopped immediately so as not to initiate any drive to chase from the bear. There really wasn't a great escape route for the bear and no place for us to yield space for them to pass. We backed away calmly while saying "hey bear" to let them know we were people but we were yielding space for them. They continued to follow us and walk us up the hill about a mile. We had set the bikes to the side because they were cumbersome to back uphill and stay facing the bear. We never turned our back on this bear. There was no outcrop or space to yield sufficient space for the bear to go by. We knew there was a couple up hill that might come down soon or some Rangers we had seen. We were hoping to meet up with them so we were a bigger group before we tried to let the bear pass in the very limited space. When we saw no one else we had to make a decision and found a spot to get off the road and yield to the bear as much as possible and hope they kept walking. They walked past us and then turned around and came straight for us in a determined fashion. I gave at least 2 loud "Ya Bears" (I might have used some colorful language here) But made ourselves big and loud and tried to get him to turn and go. When he got with in about 15', that was way too close and I deployed my spray which we had been holding at the ready just in case for this whole walk uphill. I sprayed for about 2 seconds. He immediately turned and ran away. He turned back to walk towards us again and seemed to hit the cloud again and think better of it. He turned around and walked off up the hill. We let him go until there was quite a bit of space and then walked downhill to our bikes and continued with our day. Bear Spray is a must. It is better for you and better for the bears. It is safer for them to have a negative association with people and want to stay away. When they become too bold bad things can happen for people as well as the bear. If the bear ever hurt someone it would have to be put down. Bear spray doesn't hurt them it is just extremely uncomfortable and an effective deterrent, keeping everyone safe to enjoy the outdoors together. Listen to the folks at Glacier Outfitters and pay attention to the safety video (It's only 3 minutes). They are here to help you enjoy GNP and keep you safe. What a great group. Thank you so much for making it easy for us all...

Glacier Outfitters is an incredibly flexible and friendly rental service. Would definitely rent from again. They are very easy to communicate with. On their website, you can rent either electric bikes or gravel bikes, but for some reason not both at the same time. I called after hours and left a message explaining I wanted both kinds of bikes, and to my surprise immediately after hanging up I received a text message from one of their team members. Via text I coordinated my complete reservation pretty much instantly. Very smooth transaction. They're also extremely flexible. The day of the rental we had planned on going up Going to the Sun road with 3 riders, but Ryan (the team member staffing the rental service that day) was very concerned about the number of cars going up that day, as we were starting late around 9am the Tuesday after Labor day. We shifted plans and did a more mellow ride with our expanded group (6 people instead of the original 3), renting 3 more e-bikes very easily. At that time Ryan also helped us make a reservation for two days laters so we could pick up the gravel bikes the night before and start super early to dodge traffic. But by late mid day (2pm-ish), traffic on Going to the Sun had died down considerably and we decided to go up Going to the Sun ride with the initial 3 riders. Ryan helped us cancel the second reservation without a moments hesitation, swapped it for a tow-hitch bike rack, and off we went! The gravel bikes did well up the road, my only complaint being some pesky shadow-shifting around rear gears 7-9 (Shimano tiagra grouprset), but otherwise it was a perfect experience. Cycling Going to the Sun road is a mind blowing experience. We ended up getting back at 7:05pm, which is 5 minutes after closing. They left us a cable lock to lock the bikes down, but we had swapped our clip-in pedals onto the gravel bikes (using their tools) and didn't have any way to take them off. We shot them a text explaining the problem, and Ryan came back immediately to help us! We were amazed. So in quick summary, Glacier Outfitters is a flexible and friendly service. Ryan really went above and beyond to help us, and never once looked bothered or even slightly annoyed at our endless requests. As a group, we have to reiterate our thanks to Glacier Outfitters and especially Ryan. Cycling Going to the Sun road was the highlight of our trip, and it wouldn't have been possible without this...

Recently, I, along with 3 friends, hopped a plane & made our way from MN out to Glacier National Park to cross one more thing off our Bucket List.

While in Glacier, we biked the beautiful Going to the Sun Road. This was a perfect way to see Glacier and to enjoy & appreciate its splendor! A huge thanks to Brandon, our chauffeur & fearless leader, for shuttling us & getting us on our way up the Mountain - a journey that was nothing short of spectacular!!

On 6/9/2024, we rented kayaks & had an absolutely amazing time on beautiful Lake McDonald. Aside from the spectacular scenic views on the lake, time in Apgar Village was made extra memorable due to the top notch help/cutomer service of Glacier Outfitters staff. From the tons of questions that were answered over multiple phone calls prior to our arrival, to the friendly & accommodating customer service of Alex - the young man who got our kayaks ready for us & Phil (his tip jar). Alex not only briefed us about our trip on the lake, & got our gear ready, but he also took time out of his busy shift to make a memory with 4 old gals, by snaping a photo with us. In addition, Alex suggested spots to eat & gave us tips on things to do. Thanks Alex, for displaying a large dose of "Minnesota Nice" in the depths of Montana!! Glacier Outfitters does an amazing job! Because of Alex & the crew in Apgar Village, we will definitely recommend this trip to friends & family - Thanks so much, Alex & crew for everything....we'll be back!!

Sheila, Carmen, Lynn, &...