For
hikers, Glacier National Park is one of the country’s most iconic locations. The
park is a crown jewel of the system, a huge park with a giant trail system,
alpine lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, and is a paradise for hiking and
backpacking.
Jean
and I had originally looked at a visit to Glacier in 2015. She had never
visited the park, and I had not been there since two brief visits in 1983, when
I was living in Butte, MT. As we started looking at information about the park
we were quickly overwhelmed. There was simply too much to do there in the one
week. We decided to postpone our visit a year and go in 2016, when I would have
an extra week of vacation, and we would have more time to plan the trip. A 2016
visit would also let us celebrate Jean’s retirement from fulltime work at UT,
and our 20th wedding anniversary.
Luckily,
our friends Mark and Heather had recently visited Glacier and gave us good tips
on lodging and where to go. Stephanie had also been recently, and had her own
hiking suggestions, and Brad from the hiking club had planned his own
backcountry trip and helped us navigate the permit system.
Originally,
we were hoping to stay mostly in the park, but found we were too late to
reserve park lodging for most of the trip. We were lucky to get our first few
nights at Lake MacDonald Motel, but then spent the rest of the trip outside the
park, or in the backcountry. We planned an itinerary with 3 backpacking trips
split up by hotel nights and day hiking.
First
up was our backpacking permit. The centerpiece of our trip was to be the Pitamakan-Dawson
loop in Two Medicine. This is one of the surprisingly rare loops trips in the
park that trace the continental divide and keep the hiker high in the alpine
zone. I’d wanted to hike the loop since my days in Butte, to come back at it 30
years later seemed bizarre. We were using the guidebook from the Mountaineers
by Spring, and from it identified Otokomi Lake as our other backpacking trip.
We decided to leave one night uncovered with an eye toward getting an
unreserved backpacking permit.
To
fill in our accommodations we got hotel reservations in both West and East
Glacier in local motels. All the places we ended up staying were very nice and
not too expensive considering how short a season these folks have. Generally,
we ate breakfast in our rooms, ate lunch on the trail, and had dinner in the
restaurant closest to our lodging when at a hotel. Like almost everyone
flying to Glacier we flew in Kalispell, where we rented a car for the trip.
We
had one small snag with the permits. Our Pitamakan-Dawson permit arrived first,
with dates had been changed outside the timeframe we had asked for, but right
at the start of our trip. After the Otokomi permit arrived with no issues, I
was able to call the park and get switched to the Pitamakan-Dawson dates we had
originally asked for.
7-23-16
Gunsight Pass Trail 3.6 miles
We
flew into Kalispell on Delta via Minneapolis with a 2 hour weather delay. We
went into town to supply up and got to Lake MacDonald in a cascade of relief
that all the planning and effort was over and that the fun would now begin. We
had enough time to hike a bit up the Gunsight Pass Trail before retiring to our
tiny room.
Lake
MacDonald Motel
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| Lake MacDonald |
7-24-16
Apgar Lookout 7.2 miles and Avalanche Lake 4.6 miles
In
the morning we hiked up to Apgar Lookout near West Glacier. Great views
and good flowers along the way, but the tower was closed for some volunteer
maintenance. The surprise of the day was following hand cycle tracks up the
trail. At first we were confused by the
single steady track up the middle of the trail, but when we caught up to the rider,
we saw that the side wheels were just far enough off the edge of the trail to
not leave a track. He told us that he was spent summers in Whitefish and was
just learning how to use the hand cycle, but had already done some trips
including Avalanche Lake.
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| Jean at Lake MacDonald |
After
a trip to Apgar for ice cream, we headed for Avalanche Lake. This is one
of the most popular destinations in the park, but even so we were surprised by
the crowds. There were a couple hundred people around the lake when we arrived.
The hike up had a neat canyon section and the lake has a huge beach, so the
trip is well worth it.
Lake
MacDonald Motel
 |
| Avalanche Lake |
7-25-16
Highline Trail 11.6 miles
Our
first stop in the morning was the Apgar Permit center to get a backpacking
permit for the next night. We arrived about 6:40 and were #18 in line. As we got close to the head of the line we
could see few permits were available, but luckily the guys both front and back
of us in line were local, and helped us pick the best option which turned out
to be the campsite at the foot of Logging Lake. We moved our car over to the
Apgar parking area and got the 8:15 express shuttle to Logan Pass.
The
Glacier Shuttles were tremendous. What a luxury to be driven from trailhead to
trailhead in a national park. On our first shuttle trip we sat next to a woman
from Maryville, on another we got the tip to hike Piegan Pass, and later saw
our tipsters as we were starting on their hike. Later in the trip we learned
that the lodge company had a commercial shuttle that went to some other areas
such as Many Glacier, but at least for us first timers, the regular park
shuttle was plenty.
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| Starting the Highline Trail. |
Our
hike for the day was the Highline Trail from Logan Pass to the Loop via Granite
Park Chalet. This was another trail I’d wanted to hike back in my Butte days, I
hoped Jean would enjoy it. The shuttle dropped us off in front of a large herd
of bighorn sheep and we soon walked past a small group of mountain goats. The
start of the trail is blasted into the side of the mountain so directly above
the Going to the Sun Highway that it appears any falls would land one on top of
a car. Jean was a little nervous about the exposure, but we both gripped the
handrails tightly.
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| Granite Park Chalet. |
Highline
is an exceptionally scenic trail. We learned to identify beargrass and
negotiate the large crowds. The geology was great, I got excited about the
stromatalites and we both were able to learn most of the major formations by
the end of the trip. Granite Chalet is another icon of the parks. The hike down
to the Loop on Going to the Sun Road from the chalet wore us out with the heat
and sun. We both need some time to adjust from hot humid East TN to the clear,
sunny air of the Rockies. Luckily, we caught the shuttle just as we arrived at
the road and avoided any more sun.
7-26&27-16
Logging Lake Backpack 5.6 miles in and 5.2 miles out
We
drove 90 minutes to Logging Lake TH via Polebridge on a rapidly deteriorating
road. The trail in had a backcountry feel, narrow, a little overgrown and muddy
and a large pile of bear scat right at the start. It seemed like perfect bear
habitat, so we went carefully. We took a side trip to the ranger patrol cabin
on the way in. The campsite like most in Glacier had a latrine, a common cook
area, and three sites for tents. Unlike most Glacier sites, two sites were
right on the lake and offered great views of the Livingston Range. This was an
ideal first trip for us in Glacier; a relatively easy hike that was not as
crowded as some of the headline areas. We had time to ourselves and the space
to relish the magnificent views of the mountains towering over what seemed like
our own personal lake.
Logging
Lake Foot Campsite
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| Logging Lake. |
We
had a pleasant hike out, getting back to the car by11AM. We stopped in
Polebridge for a snack then walked the Huckleberry Nature Trail (1 mile)
on the way back. The interpretive panels were being replaced, so we didn’t see
much there. We next headed into Columbia Falls for groceries to stock up for
the two backpack trips ahead. In the evening I ran the paved Apgar Bike Path
(5.2 miles).
7-28-16
Piegan Pass Hike 9 Miles
This
was the hike our friends from the shuttle recommended to us. We ended up
enjoying this walk more that the Highline Trail, primarily because it was less
crowded, and had great wildflowers. The first three miles are in the forest
with shade, but still have lots of views. The last 1.5 miles is a long traverse
below Mt Siyeh over to Piegan Pass. We went just over the pass to peer down
into Many Glacier. We saw both marmots and mountain goats in the pass, and
there were small glaciers on the peaks all around us. We used the shuttle again
from Apgar. Using the commercial shuttle, it would have been possible to hike
down into Many Glacier for a one way hike.
West
Glacier Motel & Restaurant
 |
| Mountain goats Piegan Pass. |
7-29-16
Two Medicine to Old Man Lake Backpack, 6.5 miles
We
hoped the Dawson-Pitamakan Loop would be the highlight of our trip. Here we
would tie together two exquisite backcountry lakes with a long section of
alpine trail directly on the Continental Divide. We drove to Two Medicine via
Highway 2, finding it much easier driving that using Going to the Sun. The hike
starts in forest that reminded me of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, then burst
into the alpine zone in time to leave us scrambling for a shady lunch spot. The
lake fills a cirque perched just below Pitamakan and Gunsight passes with an
imposing view of the steep trail leading to the divide. There were four
campsites near, but not within view, of the lake.
Old
Man Lake Campsite
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| Old Man Lake. |
7-30-16
Old Man Lake to No Name Lake BP, 7.5 miles
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| On the continental divide. |
We
awoke to a perfect morning frosted by the discovery that the intimidating
switchbacks that we had stared at yesterday proved to be a much easier route to
the divide than we had feared. But
though the climbing was easier (~900’ in 1.6 miles to Pitamakan Pass), some of
the exposure on the trail made Jean uncomfortable, especially where the trail
cut high across steep slopes past Cutbank Pass. The views were amazing, we
could see much of the remote, even by Glacier standards, Nyack region, many
small glaciers, and much evidence of the 2015 fires that still had the Nyack
closed to visitors. The trail remained narrow enough that we needed to wait for
a mountain goat to stroll out of the way before we could proceed.
 |
| Bighorn sheep near Dawson Pass. |
Heading
down to Dawson Pass we encountered a group of 13 bighorn, including some lambs.
We had lunch in the pass still gaping at the views, especially the super rugged
peaks of the south part of the Nyack. The descent down to No Name was steep
enough to give us a few foot issues but we arrived early enough to soak our
feet at the small beach. Overall, we preferred No Name to Old Man because of
the beach, proximity to the lake, and amazingly even better views. At No Name,
the brick red wall of Pompeys Pillar dominates. July 30 was Jean’s last day as
a full-time UT employee, how appropriate that we were able to spend it
completely in the backcountry.
No
Name Lake
 |
| Dawson Pass. |
7-31-20
No Name Lake to Two Medicine BP, 5.0 miles
The
hike out was a nice easy downhill walk mostly through nicely shaded forest. At
Two Medicine we picked up our permit for tomorrow’s backpack. Two overnighters
back to back wasn’t ideal, but at least we had a night in town to clean up and
eat out. We also learned that the red berries we had been gorging on were
thimbleberries, a much less robust cousin of the famed huckleberries that we
had been hearing so much about. On the drive out we hiked the short trail to Running
Eagle Falls (0.6 mi.), one of those odd falls where the water has all run
underground, then emerges back into the stream bed right at the lip of a falls.
We
drove into East Glacier, explored the East Glacier Lodge, and then checked into
the Circle R Motel (nice, TV, microwave, & fridge). I ran about 60 minutes
out and back on the Continental Divide Trail (4.5mi.), after having been
super careful to be able to follow the trail out of town. In the evening it was
dinner at the Two Medicine Grill and over to the Amtrak station to check out
the displays.
Circle
R Motel, Two Medicine Grill
8-1
& 2-16 Otokomi Lake Backpack Trip, 6.7 miles & 5.0 miles
We
were a little nervous about our trip into Otokomi, worried about the effects
that the 2015 fires might have had, and whether or not we’d be walking through
a barren landscape. But though we found significant fire damage, we also found
the forest flowers stimulated by the fires and the views down into the canyons
of Rose Creek opened up for us. The burned areas were sporadic, and we had a
cooler day, so shade wasn’t critical. Again, the campsites are away from the
lake, but close enough that we could wander around the shoreline. Otokomi sits
in the distinctive red shales of the Grinnell Formation.
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| Otokomi Lake |
Our
hike out went easily as well with several stops to pick thimbleberries and
admire the creek’s cascades. The trail wasn’t as groomed as those into Old Man
or No Name, but we found it just as pretty. On the return we stopped at the St
Mary Visitor Center to tour the displays and then walked the Beaver Pond
Loop (3.3 miles) from the 1913 Ranger Station. This was another great spot
for berry eating, and to admire the huge beaver dam. We stayed at the Red Eagle
Motel for the first of four nights (it felt good to settle down for a bit), and
ate at Johnson’s in St Mary.
8-3-16
Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada
This
was planned to be a rest day, and for us to drive around a bit to get a taste
of Canada’s Waterton Lakes NP, but we ended up surprising ourselves with our
energy level. The drive into Canada was easy and scenic. We stopped at the
Waterton VC to get ourselves oriented and then hiked up to the Bears Hump
(1.8 miles & 700’) with a great view of the lakes right outside Waterton
townsite.
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| Waterton from the Bears Hump. |
Next,
we drove thru town to the trailhead for Bertha Falls. The falls was an easy, if
not that scenic walk, so we added on a trip to Bertha Lake (7.2 mi RT).
Waterton is legendary for the cold and wind that started to pick up in the
afternoon. We spent some time walking around the shops in the townsite.
Waterton differs from US parks in that commercial townsite is located in the
midst of the park, as if Rocky Mtn NP had engulfed Estes Park. Finally, on the
way back we stopped at the Bison Paddock (1 mi.) to drive its loop road
and spotted about a dozen bison. We finished the day with a one mile walk on
the paved nature trail in the paddock.
Red
Eagle Motel
 |
| Waterton |
8-4-16
Grinnell Glacier 14.8 miles
Grinnell
Glacier is one of the icons of the park. We stay on Eastern Time during our
visits out west, so we were able to arrive early to ensure parking and ended up
being the first ones to the glacier that morning. The trail is pretty flat
through Lake Josephine, but then makes you work for your rewards. The scenery
is flat out amazing. So many of the mountains in Glacier look like they were
simply sheared off with a hot knife through their colorful layers.
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| Climbing toward Grinnell Glacier. |
Glacier
NP is literally the poster site for glacial melting due to global warming.
Mostly these are small mountain glaciers, so their retreat is easily visible.
Grinnell is shrinking fast. We had to climb well beyond the old ice line to
reach the foot, over a mix of sandy silt and carved up bedrock. The foot of the
glacier is a small meltwater lake with a few rumpled icebergs. We had the place
to ourselves briefly, but soon the first of the several hundred visitors
arrived. We were still able to spot a mountain goat on our way down and took
the long way around Lake Josephine, where we had the privilege of watching a
pair of deer swim the narrow channel.
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| Returning to Many Glacier. |
Jean
spent the rest of the afternoon at the Many Glacier Hotel, while I took a short
run around the Swiftcurrent Nature Loop. Dinner was left over macaroni
and cheese cooked over our camp stove at the motel.
Red
Eagle Motel
8-5-16
Cracker Lake 12.8 miles
Cracker
Lake may be the most beautiful in Glacier. The water is classic glacial green
tinted by finely ground glacial particles. We had thought of backpacking to
here, but had ended up choosing Otokomi instead. The only caveat to Cracker is
that the first 1.4 miles are heavily used by the park’s horse riding
concession, and their evidence is everywhere. Then the trail turns up Cracker Creek,
remarkably steep and wild looking, and almost a river in size. The setting is
remarkable the hillsides are bright green meadows, the lake is that teal
glacial blue, and the rocks the sharp red of the Grinnell Formation. The Siyeh Glacier sits at the head of the
valley and its cirque looks unclimbable all the way around.
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| Cracker Lake. |
One
downside of camping would be that the three backcountry sites sit out exposed
in a meadow above the lake. What they gain in scenery, they lose in lack of
privacy and exposure to the elements. Just beyond the campsites, and perfectly
placed for a geologist on vacation, is an old mine site. An old mine dump marks
an adit, and the scattered equipment includes a boiler for primitive crusher.
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| Cracker Lake mine site. |
One
advantage of staying in St Mary was that we were close enough to the park to
take short evening trips. Despite the long haul to Cracker we hopped on the
shuttle again to St Mary TH and hiked three miles to St Mary and Virginia
Falls. This area also had been burned in 2015 and it was fascinating to see how
quickly the recovery had begun.
Red
Eagle Motel and dinner at Johnson’s
8-6-16
Cobalt Lake 11.6 miles
After
two weeks of idyllic but nonstop hiking, things were finally starting to catch
up. Cobalt was another location that we had considered as a backpacking
destination, but neither Jean nor I carried any strong memories back from it.
We’d really liked the Two Medicine area and wanted to spend our last full day
of the trip there. We took the side tail to Aster Falls and admired the cirque
of Cobalt while we were there, but seeing a grazing moose on our return was the
highlight.
 |
| Aster Falls |
We
drove back to West Glacier via Marias Pass where we stayed at the Highland
Motel and
splurged on our last night’s dinner at the Belton Restaurant.
81-7-16
Jones Lake Loop 3 miles
We
had a little time in the morning for a short farewell hike before pulling into
the Sprague Creek Picnic Area for lunch.
Then it was on to Kalispell for the flights home.
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| Every hike deserves ice cream at the end. |
