My brother and I are thinking about a backpacking trip in GNP soon.

I'm looking for options getting to and from the park.

One option is that we carry bikes. Babb looks like the closest public airport to the park. I see a couple of private strips but charted. They look like they might be a little short figuring I'll be close to gross and they're at altitude and I have a 172.

Glacier international is certainly big enough but getting to the park would be quite a distance on bicycle.

Getting dropped off and picked up would also be nice. Anyone know what my options are here?

Of course I could probably rent a vehicle and have it sit at a trail head for a week.

If not GNP, we would consider other parks too (I have a pass that expires at the end of September so we want to take advantage of it). There's Yellowstone, of course. Zion. Maybe others. GNP is on the top of the list.

Land at Ryan Field - 2 miles from the west entrance. Visit http://theraf.org/ryan-field-pilot-info to get all the other info you'll need. With a few phone calls ahead of time you should be able to arrange a ride - call the park Ranger for advice.

Since you'll be in a 172, you may consider going light by landing with just enough fuel (plus reserve) to get back out to Glacier for fuel when you depart. You could also land at Glacier, drop some load and make 2 trips - just a thought if you're concerned about AC performance.

blackrock wrote:Since you'll be in a 172, you may consider going light by landing with just enough fuel (plus reserve) to get back out to Glacier for fuel when you depart. You could also land at Glacier, drop some load and make 2 trips - just a thought if your concerned about AC performance.

Thank you. Good info. Ryan might be the best choice especially done in two loads.

Of course, I could paraphrase Harry, "This baby has a service ceiling of nearly 15000 feet!"

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10735

Maybe Grand Teton National Park.?

You can land @ KJAC, which is right in the middle of the park, bike or ride a couple of miles and be hiking in one of the greatest places on earth...

http://www.alltravelcams.com/viewer_gwc ... height=800

Jackson is spectacular alright and the bike paths and trails look to be some of the best I've seen. I hope to make a trip there this fall with my bike. The hiking is great too, although it has been many years since I've hiked in the Jackson/Yellowstone areas.

GroundLooper wrote:

blackrock wrote:Since you'll be in a 172, you may consider going light by landing with just enough fuel (plus reserve) to get back out to Glacier for fuel when you depart. You could also land at Glacier, drop some load and make 2 trips - just a thought if your concerned about AC performance.

Thank you. Good info. Ryan might be the best choice especially done in two loads.

Of course, I could paraphrase Harry, "This baby has a service ceiling of nearly 15000 feet!"

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10735

That's right! And it has enough power to take you "anywhere you wanna go"! LOL

Like Stol said; Teton national park might be a good option. It is a very cool place to check out if you have never been there. Wife an I are planning a trip to Glacier this fall, we too have a pass we want to use before the end of September. We'll be driving.

I am heading to Glacier tomorrow.

I will land at Kalispell (S27) and rent a car. If I had the Pacer ready I would just take it and go into Ryan.

We went up there on our family flying trip last year. Fuel at S27 was cheaper, but rental cars were more expensive. At GPI, it cars were cheaper but gas was more. We opted for GPI since we were there only for the day before flying over to Schafer Meadows to camp. They didn't charge me a fee or require a gas purchase.

Whitefish is closer to the park and a rental car place was right across the road. It looked like a very workable place to go. I think Ryan field would be great, especially if you can figure out the transportation end of it.

West Yellowstone has a campground at the end of the ramp just for pilots. I've not yet tried it out, but hear it is great. We were supposed to go this weekend, but we decided to wait until the smoke clears out a bit.

There is a courtesy car at Ryan Field. The instructions are in the mail box. Key is the lockbox, and the code is in the mailbox.

I think it is a Mitsibushi SUV and in good condition. I used it last July for a couple of days.

PS The RAF provides the courtesy car and you can leave a donation for its use.

Rich

Got a little more information regarding transportation. The park has a free shuttle that runs the main going to the sun road. Here's the rub. It only runs until sept 3rd.

They have a pay shuttle but it only runs the east side of the park.

I highly recommend you NOT stop at Babb. The field is in tough condition, but even more significant the place needs....uhhh, more security. There are warnings to that effect in the Montana Airport Directory and as someone who worked there for a year, I completely agree. Ralph

Centmont wrote:I highly recommend you NOT stop at Babb. The field is in tough condition, but even more significant the place needs....uhhh, more security. There are warnings to that effect in the Montana Airport Directory and as someone who worked there for a year, I completely agree. Ralph

Yours isn't the only warning. Prime location but doesn't do much good if the security is lacking.

I'm headed that way as well...it might be a little late in the season for camping but we'll see....

What is the 'security' situation at Babb?