Glacier National Park Two Medicine: Self-Guided Audio Tour

Free cancellation

1/12

Duration4h–5h

GroupPrivate

Audio guideEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Two Medicine's Waterfalls & Mountain Goats Without the Tour Bus

You download the audio tour to your phone, drive or hike the Two Medicine loop at your own pace, and the app plays stories about waterfalls, Native American history, and wildlife as you approach each stop. The offline map and GPS work without cell service once downloaded. You skip the group tour schedule, handle your own timing, and get the context that turns a waterfall into a place with a story. Best visited summer or early fall; bring a park pass, water, and bear spray.

4h–5h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Two Medicine and Surroundings

Visit Mountain Goats at salt-lick
View Silver Staircase Waterfall from road
See Blackfoot Nation entrance statue
Stop at Kyiyo Bakery and Mercantile
Drive scenic roadway overlooks
Explore East Glacier town amenities
Hike Running Eagle Falls trail
Walk to Appistoki Waterfall on Continental Divide Trail
Visit South Shore Ranger Station
Picnic and walk along Two Medicine shoreline
Boat ride and hike to Paradise Point or Aster Falls

The Experience

The ranger at the South Shore station looked up from her desk when we asked about the Running Eagle Falls trail — not because the question was unusual, but because she was about to recommend the audio tour we'd already downloaded. She knew the trail, knew the story behind it (a Blackfoot woman's vision quest, marked on the ground you'd walk), and knew that most people who showed up without that context just saw water falling. The audio guide fills in those gaps as you move through the park, playing stories about the landscape while you drive or hike, so you're not standing there guessing what you're looking at.

The Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park sits on the east side, quieter than the Going-to-the-Sun Road crowds, and the self-guided audio tour is built around a loose loop you can do in a day or break into pieces across several visits. You download the Shaka Guide app before you arrive (it needs strong Wi-Fi or data to load), and then the GPS on your phone triggers audio segments automatically as you approach each stop — the Silver Staircase Waterfall visible right from the road during spring runoff, the barbed-wire Blackfoot Nation entrance statues, the mountain goats at their natural salt lick, the Kyiyo Bakery in Kiowa if you need fried chicken before the long stretch into the park. The narration includes local plant uses, wildlife behavior, and the kind of detail a ranger would mention if you had time to ask. You don't need cell service once it's downloaded; the offline map and GPS work without it.

The hiking pieces are optional and vary in length — Running Eagle Falls is just over half a mile, the Appistoki Waterfall trail runs one and a half miles, and the Upper Two Medicine Lake hike on the North Shore is longer if you want it. You can also rent a boat at the South Shore and skip the hiking altogether, or park at one of five spots along the shoreline and walk the rocky beach. The audio doesn't narrate the hikes themselves; it sets up what you're about to see and why it matters. After that, you're moving at your own speed, which is the whole point if you're traveling with kids, or if you just want to sit by the water without anyone herding you back to the bus.

A few logistics matter: the park pass is required (bring a card, not cash), and you'll need to download the tour and redeem it on the app before you arrive. The valley closes from late fall through late spring, so summer and early fall are the real windows. There's no lodging inside the park itself — camping at Two Medicine Campground or hotels in Browning or East Glacier Park Village — and the only food inside is a small camp store with basics, so stock up before you enter. Bring plenty of water and bear spray (rentable at Kalispell Airport or Apgar Village if you don't have your own). The seasonal closures and limited services aren't drawbacks if you plan around them; they're part of why the place stays quiet.

What’s included

Hours of audio narration with stories about Native American history, local wildlife, and geology.
offline map with no Wi-Fi or data required after download.
GPS turn-by-turn directions.
automatic audio playback as you approach each stop.
freedom to explore at your own pace.
access to stops including Running Eagle Falls, Silver Staircase Waterfall, Appistoki Waterfall, mountain goat salt lick, and Two Medicine Lake shoreline.
optional boat rides available in summer.
tour never expires once purchased.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPets welcome

Operated by Shaka Guide Apps

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to explore Glacier's Two Medicine area without joining a group tour schedule — you download the app, drive or hike at your own pace, and the audio plays context as you go, which means you get the stories without the bus departure time.

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