Cooking for a Crowd: How to Feed Hungry Hikers in Glacier National Park

Last week, Chrissie & I visited Glacier National Park with 12 of our friends for 3 days of hiking (and hanging out on Lake McDonald) and 4 nights of dining. We stayed at a private residence within the park, which provided us with access to a kitchen and easier access to hiking trails. I’ve (Jo) been going to Glacier NP for 20+ years, and these recipes have been in rotation for years and remain popular, even with my finicky kids! I can prep many of the meal items before the trip, allowing us to hike in the morning, rest lakeside in the afternoon, and spend minimal time grocery shopping and cooking.

We know many of you also entertain big groups at home, at ski houses, etc, and having ‘go-to’ meals for a group can be very helpful. Plus, our group asked for the recipes, and we promised to share them on this blog.

We’ve also included some information about Glacier NP, in case it’s part of your future travel plans.

Glacier National Park (GNP)

GNP is located in the Northeast corner of Montana. The nearest airport is FCA – Glacier Park International Airport. We rented a 12-person van through Outdoorsy.com. Plan ahead if you want to stay in the park at one of the iconic lodges like Lake McDonald Lodge or Many Glacier Hotel, as these rooms book early. You can also stay outside of the park (VRBO, Under Canvas, hotels/motels, etc), in one of the towns nearby, such as Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, Whitefish, or Kalispell. Reservations are required to enter the park from 7 am to 3 pm at Recreation.gov. Like many national parks, this one is crowded, with limited parking at trailheads, and planning is required to get around. Jo’s husband recently had a hip replacement and wasn’t hiking, so he was our driver and dropped us off/picked us up from our hikes, which was very fortunate because it is not easy to find parking! There is a shuttle service that helps, but it stops after Labor Day.

Here’s What We Ate Each Day (as well as what hikes we did)! 

Day 1:

Arrival at camp.

Snack: Ottolenghi Lemon, Almond, Blueberry Cake (made ahead and frozen)

Dinner:
– Lasagna (made ahead, frozen, and warmed up). Pioneer Woman’s Best Lasagna Recipe for meat lovers and Samin Nosrat’s The Big Lasagna (adapted with fewer layers) for vegetarians.
– Salad: Canlis Salad – a recipe from this famous Seattle restaurant that contains mint, oregano, bacon bits (made ahead), tomatoes, and scallions – is very easy to throw together.

Day 2:

Hike: The Highline Trail with an optional overlook. 12-14 miles.

Breakfast: Yogurt, fruit, and homemade granola brought by guests. Kremer Granola and Child Granola recipes (see below).

Lunch on the trail: PB sandwiches, chips, candy, fruit. Made ahead the night before.

Dinner: Greek Night
– Grilled Chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon, oregano, salt, and garlic. Grilled and sliced into pieces. Served with Trader Joe’s Naan and Trader Joe’s Creamy Garlic Cucumber Tzatziki Dip (bought ahead of time). You can find a similar recipe here at A Year at the Table.
– Greek Salad.

Dessert: Huckleberry Peach, Key Lime, and Coconut Cream Pie from Loula’s Bakery in Whitefish. Order ahead.

Day 3:

Hike: Piegan Pass from Siyeh Bend to Many Glacier Hotel. 13 miles.

Breakfast and Lunch repeat as above.

Dinner: Pizza Night
– Make dough ahead or buy pizza dough at Trader Joe’s. Fleur Bake Shop in Whitefish sells sourdough pizza dough. Get creative! Our pizza toppings included Brie & Apple, Peach & Prosciutto, Pepperoni, Leftover Greek pizza (from the night before), with a sprinkling of caramelized onions, basil, etc. We grilled our pizzas directly on the grill grate, or you can cook them in the oven.
– Salad: mixed greens and whatever veggies were in the fridge.

Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe below) & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (add a bag of chips to this recipe). Dough made ahead, scooped into balls, and frozen. Pop in over for 10 minutes at 375 and you’ve got homemade cookies!

Day 4:

Hike: Siyeh Pass from Sunrift Gorge to Siyeh Bend. 10+ miles.

Breakfast and Lunch repeat as above.

Dinner: Burgers/Dogs & Fries
– Jen & Dana’s Turkey Burgers (recipe below)
– Chicken & Apple Sausages
– Easiest French Fries
– Charlie Bird Farro Salad

Dessert: Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies (made ahead, frozen, and thawed)

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Cream in mixer:
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1 с. sugar
1 T. salt
1 T. vanilla
1-1/2 t. espresso powder

Add:
2 eggs at room temp, add one at a time

Sift, then sift in:
1-1/4 t. baking soda
2-1/4 c. flour
1-3/4 c. cake flour

Add by hand:
2-1/2 c. choc chips (milk/semi-sweet/dark or combo)

Portion dough, chill before baking, or freeze

Bake 325°, 10 mins, makes 5 dozen cookies

Jen & Dana’s Turkey Burgers

In a big bowl, mix ground turkey (93% lean – you want some fat or the burgers will be too dry) with generous shakes of garlic and onion salt/powder, shakes of soy sauce, crumbled feta, and chopped red pepper (smaller chunks keep burgers together better). Add a generous shake of Worcestershire sauce and an egg. Mix and form into burgers. We grilled these and served them with a relish tray of pickles, tomatoes, onions, and sliced avocado.

Kremer Granola:

Mix 2 containers (round canisters) of Trader Joe’s Old Fashioned Organic Oats Oven Toasted, along with about 2 tsp vanilla, about 2 tsp cardamom, some salt, 1 cup olive oil, and 1 cup honey. Mix everything and place it on two silicone baking sheets on baking trays. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes and check it. When it looks slightly brown, take it out and mix in all the ‘stuff’ you want in it. I put in golden raisins, black raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pistachio seeds, and then I smash up a bag of Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans until it’s ground up and add about a half a bag (for a bit of spice). But add whatever you want. Put back in the oven for a few (up to 5) minutes and take out when it’s as cooked as you like it (I don’t like mine too, too brown). Let it cool on the baking sheet. That’s it!

Child Granola:

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Mix wet ingredients separately.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then bake on a silicone sheet on a baking pan.

Wet Ingredients:
– 1-1/4 c. olive oil
– 1/4 c. organic maple syrup
– 1/4 c. honey
– 1-1/2 T vanilla

Dry Ingredients:
– 6 cups of oats
– 1/2 t. salt
– 1-1/2 T cinnamon
– 1 T cardamon
– 2/3 c. pumpkin seeds
-2/3 c. sunflower seeds
– 2/3 c. shredded coconut
– 2/3 c. sliced almonds
– 2/3 c. macadamia nuts
– 2/3 c. walnuts
-2/3 c. pecans
-2/3 c. pistacios

Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Take out of the oven and stir/toss.

Bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and add 1 cup of dried cranberries and dried blueberries (feel free to take out/add what you like!). We add raisins before eating.