Hiking in Glacier National Park

The best way to see any National Park is to hike its trails.  Previously in Glacier, we had hiked the Hidden Lake Trail, so Ron and I decided to return to the park today to hike on the Highline trail.

We left the truck at Apgar (entrance to the park) and took the shuttle bus to Logan Pass. The Highline Trail begins there and runs north, following the Continental Divide for a total of 20 miles.  We decided to hike until our legs grew tired, then return.

The trail hugs the mountainside along the area known as the Garden Wall.  The views are fantastic.  We were hoping to spot a bear, although I would not have wanted to meet one face to face on the narrow trail. 

No bears were around, but we did meet up with the largest marmot I have seen, spotted a herd of mountain goat, and were entertained by a playful chipmunk. 

The wildflower display was beautiful, with many different varieties in bloom. We cut the hike shorter than we had planned when we encountered a waterfall on the wall created by the snow melt.  It was spraying across the entire trail, and we would have gotten wet if we continued.  We decided the day was cool enough that we didn’t want to spend the rest of it in damp clothing, so we turned around.  Since we hadn’t hiked as much as planned, we decided to try the nearby Hidden Lake trail.

A boardwalk runs along the first mile or so of the hike, keeping the hikers from damaging the fragile arctic plant life nearby.  We could not believe the amount of snow still lingering.

Just as we neared the end of the boardwalk, we realized there was no longer large patches of snow, but a snowfield that covered the trail as far as we could see.  I spoke with some hikers returning from the lake.  They related that the snow continued, and that the alpine wildflower meadow was covered with snow.  Not wanting wet feet, we decided to return to Logan Pass and our shuttle ride. 

What a contrast to the same hike in 2004.  That day, there snow was almost non-existent, and the wildflower meadow was in full bloom.  

We did have a visual treat on the return hike, however , when we came across several bighorn sheep grazing.  One ram seemed to enjoy posing, classically silhouetting himself against the mountain.

Our pedometer measured 5 miles for the two hikes.   One more treat was in store.  On the way down the mountains, our driver spotted this small bear alongside the road. For more photos from the hike,

 click here.

If you would like more information on these two hikes of Glacier National Park, Take My Trip.com is an excellent resource. 

Return to Glacier National Park

One of our favorite, and most spectacular, National Parks is Glacier National Park.  This was our third visit to the park, and each visit has been unique.

Our first trip in 2004 (before the creation of our blog) left us awestruck.  Occurring on our first trip west of the Mississippi, we had never before seen such vistas. 

The second trip, last year with Hoyt and Bernice Odom, was still fascinating, but quite different.  The day was overcast, cold and foggy.  The mountains were often hidden by the clouds.  To take a look at that day, go to this link.

The amazing factor in today’s drive through the park was the snow!  In the previous 2 trips, we saw the glaciers in the distant, and in 2004, snow along the hike at one point, but otherwise the ground was clear.  Not so today.  Several “snow bridges” lined the edges of the road. Streams and waterfalls were cascading with the melt. Despite the snow, the weather was warm, making the snow even more surprising.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Rising Sun stop on St Mary Lake. The great thing about our National Parks is that you can return again and again, and find new experiences each time.

For a slideshow of our favorite shots of the day, click the picture below.

Along the east edge of Glacier National Park

We took Highways U.S. 2, S.R. 464 and U. S. 89 to move from Cut Bank to St. Mary, MT.  It rained during the night and the day started out overcast, but the blue sky began peeking through as the morning went on.

S.R. 464 was up one hill and down another through the open land of the Blackfeet Reservation.

The Montana wildflower display is stunning. 

We are camping for 2 nights at Johnson’s of St.Mary, a complex with RV sites, cabins, and cafe.  We had heard good reports about the cafe, and we arrived just in time for lunch.  We each chose the special of the day, Open-faced Pork Barbecue on thick slices of freshly baked bread with a large bowl of Beef and Barley soup. Ummm, good!

After lunch, we decided to take a drive to East Glacier, stopping to look around at Two Medicine Lake.

     

At the Two Medicine Grocery and Supply store, we each had a dish of Huckleberry Ice Cream.  Every grocery, souvenir store and restaurant in this area features delicious dishes made with local huckleberries.

At East Glacier, we took a moment to look at the grand East Glacier Lodge, with its huge timbers.

A stop at the Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier was fascinating.  As we walked through the establishment, we marveled at the huge logs used in it’s construction.  Built in 1913, it contains 60 Douglas Fir columns 40 feet tall, and ranging from 36-42” in diameter.  Each column was brought in by rail from the Pacific Northwest.The floor plan is patterned after early Christian basilicas.  It is quite impressive.

Today’s drive from Cut Bank

Our Afternoon drive to East Glacier 

Waterton Lakes National Park

There are places that neither words nor photos can adequately describe;  Waterton Lakes National Park, the Canadian side of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is one.

The drive from St. Mary to Waterton is a beautiful drive through farming country on the east and the mountains on the west.

This was our first journey into Canada.  We crossed the border with no delay at Port of Chief Mountain.

 

Upon entering Waterton Lakes National Park (one of five Canadian National Parks), we decided to take the Red Rock Canyon Drive.  Grazing beside the road were two reindeer.

The park is the only protected corridor for wildlife moving between the U.S. and Canada.  We were told a grizzly was spotted along this road the day before, but we never found it.  The scenery, however, was great.Back on the main route into the community of Waterton, the icon that catches your eye is the famous Prince of Wales Hotel, perched high above the lake.  

We had to have a look inside.  The interior was not as opulent as I expected, but the view from the lobby is fantastic.  

A room here will run you between $200 and $300 per night, depending on the view; a suite runs $800.  Keep in mind that’s without air conditioning , bathtub, or TV  you will be “experiencing a stay here as our guests did in the thirties”.

It is interesting to read how the hotel was built; if you’d like to do that, click on this link.

We next took the scenic Akamina Parkway, winding through the mountains to Cameron Lake.

For lunch, we chose the Glacier Bistro; the dining room overlooked the lake, and the food was delicious.

I’ve definitely added Waterton to my list of Favorite Places. 

We completed our day with a circular drive through Canada, re-entering the States at Carway.

For a slideshow of more pictures of the day,

Click here.

Through the Windshield

Sometimes the view through the window is so awesome, you have to try to capture it, even though the lighting and movement may not be conducive to photography.

On I-90, from Belle Fourche, SD to Sheridan, WY, we had our first glimpse at the snow-crowned Rockies.

  

From Reed Point, MT, we continued west on I-90 and had even better views of the mountains.

At aptly named Three Forks, MT, the Missouri River is formed at the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers.

  A couple days later, we were headed north from Helena,Mt on I-15.  The Interstate roughly parallels the Missouri River and goes through some fantastic landscape.

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Then, almost before you realize it, you have pulled away from the mountains, and returned to farmland.

Very seldom do you see the landscape along Interstate highways as outstanding as it has been for us the past few days.

As I write this, we are camped at Cut Bank, MT where the curiously named Cut Bank Creek River has cut a winding gorge.  We camped here last year in August for several days.  If you would like to see the blog posting for that visit, CLICK HERE.