Glacier National Park Trip, July 2022

For our 2022 summer trip Jean and I decided to go back to Glacier National Park. It was an easy decision, we’d had a fantastic time on our last visit in 2016 (link), and the park remains a premier hiking and backpacking destination. We made hotel reservations early, and then applied for two advance backcountry reservations. Only the would-it-be-cheaper-to-just-buy-the-car(?) rental car rates set us back in our planning. Luckily for us, our friends Aaron and Sarah were visiting just a few weeks earlier, so we’d get feedback on trail conditions and the workings of the shuttle system and the Going to the Sun Road reservation system that were designed to control crowding in the park.

East Glacier Park Lodge.

We flew into Kalispell via Denver, then drove into town for supplies. Two Medicine was our favorite area in the park because of its excellent, but less crowded trails, so we headed there first driving US 2 over Marias Pass to the East Glacier Lodge, where we would spend the next three nights.

 

Mt Gould over the Angel Wing and Grinnell Lake.

7-19-22, Upper Two Medicine Lake, 9.4 miles

Hitting the trail.

We parked at the Pray Lake Trailhead, where Pumpelly Pillar and Sinopah Mountain tower over Two Medicine Lake. All those warning signs around the Glacier trailheads sure do work. I’d forgotten to unpack our bear spray, but a sign just down the trail was the reminder I needed to head back to the rental car. The morning was cool enough to require the only use of my fleece hoody while hiking. The first part of the hike follows the north shore of the lake. We suffered the traditional Glacier first day neck cramps as we kept our eyes focused on the exquisite alpine scenery above us. Just beyond the west end of the lake is a side trail to Twin Falls with powerful, side by side waterfalls feeding the same plunge pool. A late spring and wet weather (our trip was just a few weeks after the floods in Yellowstone NP and Red Lodge, MT) gave us much different conditions than 2016’s cool and dry hiking. 

Twin Falls.

On most hikes you see fewer people the farther you get from the trailhead, but a lot of folks were riding the boat shuttle to see Twin Falls and Upper Two Medicine Lake. But we were lucky to have some solitude when we reached the upper lake ahead of the crowds. It’s a spectacular setting with the lake filling most of the cirque and with the peaks of the Continental Divide towering above. The backcountry campsite here is highly coveted. We’d tried to reserve a site thru the GNP system, but received a backup choice instead. 

Upper Two Medicine Lake.

 

7-20-22, Scenic Point, 7.8 miles

The trail to Scenic Point follows the Continental Divide Trail part of the way from Two Medicine back to East Glacier. We were trying to stay on eastern time, and were the first ones out on the trail. Not too far in we passed hard-to-photograph Appistoki Falls where the climbing begins. Despite the steep grade, the trail was well-maintained, and we kept cool in the morning shade. The wet weather meant the flowers were still out in force, but the best views were down toward Two Medicine Lake and red colored Grinnell Formation peaks around it. 

Climbing to Scenic Point.

Part way up the is a false summit, but at least the grade relents afterward. A long sweeping arc of a trail leads to Scenic Point where the views lose their focus on Two Medicine Lake, and expand to include the eastern slope and the prairies beyond. Though Scenic Point is really just a shoulder of Mt Henry, the views are certainly summit worthy. 

View into two Medicine from Scenic Point.

We lounged a long while on the peak, watching some marmots playing/fighting/courting? 

Marmot on Scenic Point.

After so much hiking in the east, tasting a Rocky Mountain summit was delicious and the windy day kept the bugs away on the descent. 

Jean on top of Scenic Point.

 

7-21 and 22-22, Red Eagle Lake Backpack Trip, 17.1 miles

One of the joys of hiking in Glacier is staying overnight in the backcountry, assuming of course that you don’t get attacked by grizzly bears. Jean and I have been impressed enough by the park’s efforts to minimize interactions between bears and people to feel secure in staying overnight. Others must feel the same as this year backcountry permits seemed especially hard to get. Our first one was for Red Eagle Lake Head, an 8.5 mile hike, a bit farther than my sofa-trained body desired.

The Red Eagle Valley is known for its wildlife watching, and the hike promised little climbing. In 2016 we visited the park in the aftermath of the 2015 Reynolds Fire that burned much of the area around St Mary Lake, including the Red Eagle valley. The fire opened up the valley floor, allowing the flowers to bloom and the underbrush to flourish, but also letting in a lot of sun. Lots of sun exposure is tough on those of us from the hazy southeast, but we are more than used to bashing our way through thick summer undergrowth. 

Wildflowers along the trail.

Hiking in we crossed our first of Glacier’s swinging bridges, with the creek high enough a ford might not have been possible otherwise. The tough horse fords nearby probably keep all but the most determined riders away.

Swinging Bridge.

We talked with returning backpackers and found they preferred the sites at the head of the lake to those at the foot, which were completely open to the sun. Holding to mandatory rest breaks every hour, we reached camp by early afternoon.

The campsites at the head of the lake proved less sunny, as the first arrivals we picked the shadiest. There was a small beach where we watched some ducks and listened to far off loons. Our only neighbor was a Continental Divide Trail through hiker (who had already finished the AT in 2022), just starting his trip with a forced break in period. The GNP rangers had permitted him for sites much closer together than his preferred 25+ miles per day pace. 

Cook area at Red Eagle Lake Head.

The highlight of the walk out was spotting a grazing moose not too far from camp. He was just far enough off the trail to not be a threat, but close enough for a good photograph.

Moose in Red Eagle Valley.

Marching through the brush under the hot sun we decided the one nit we’d pick with Glacier’s trails is that so many hikes are out and back, requiring two passes through the sun and undergrowth. Cotton dress shirts for breathable sun protection would be our go to layer for the rest of the trip. On the return trip, we circled around the far side of the Beaver Pond Loop to come out by the 193 Ranger Station just in time to join a ranger-led hike. Next we would head to St Mary to stay the next three nights at the Red Eagle Motel, and to feast at Johnsons Restaurant.

View across the bridge.

 

7-23-22, Ptarmigan Tunnel, 10.6 miles

Lodging reservations for the Many Glacier area are tough to get, so we used St Mary as our base for hiking Many Glacier. We needed to rest up a bit as we were between backpacking trips, so we decided to try the hike to Ptarmigan Lake. When we arrived, the valley was already bustling, with hikers heading off from the five major trailheads. We tucked in with two other couples and immediately went off course onto a campground trail before starting off toward Ptarmigan. The hike began with great valley views, before ducking into the trees as the sun rose. The Iceberg Lake Trail was closed due to bear activity, so that funneled a few more hikers toward Ptarmigan. 

Jean at the tunnel.

We were among the first to the lake, but avoided the beach at the foot for a rocky lunch spot at the head. Above us a pair of massive switchbacks stretched across the top of the cirque, with a parade of tiny hikers inching their way up. We pepped up after our early lunch, but I was still surprised when Jean suggested we try for the tunnel. 

Ptarmigan Lake and pass from below.

The switchbacks proved to be another set of Glacier’s superbly graded trails and not long afterward we were at the tunnel.

Happy Hikers.

I was expecting something short and was shocked by the 180 foot long tunnel. A surprisingly uncrowded viewing platform on the back side overlooks Elizabeth Lake in the heart of Glacier’s alpine zone. The iron tunnel doors have a Lord of the Rings look of doom.

North side of tunnel.

After a chat with one of the other couples from our morning false start and some extra photography we headed down to Swiftcurrent for our traditional post-hike cream. The tunnel was well worth turning our “rest day” into the longest hike of the trip.

Inside the tunnel.

 

7-24-22, Grinnell Glacier, 7.5 miles

Jean and I had hiked to Grinnell Glacier in 2016. We knew the upper trail was closed by high angle snowfields, but the views on this hike are so spectacular we still wanted to repeat it. Another alpine start got us ahead of the crowds as we went around the north shores of Swiftcurrent, then Josephine lakes. In addition to the snow closure on upper Grinnell, the north side of Josephine had a bear warning. As with our Two Medicine hike, when we got to the head of Lake Josephine we caught up with the first hikers who had used the boat shuttle to cross the lakes. 

Grinnell and Salamander glaciers from below.

The sight of Mt Gould looming over the Angel Wing and Grinnell Lake was captivating. 

Mt Gould and Grinnell Lake.

We found the trail closed just beyond the switchback at a small draw within sight of a high angle snow patch that covered 100’ or so of the trail. Definitely not terrain for parties without proper gear! We sat for some pictures and an early snack. Most hikers respected the closure, but one trail runner crossed over the line for more pictures. 

Trail closure area.

In 2016 we’d seen several mountain goats on this hike, but in 2022 the wildlife mostly eluded us. One new species for us though was a bird we assumed to be a ptarmigan.

Ptarmigan?

On the return leg we swung by the boat dock and took the trails on the south side of the lakes for variety. This brought to the fine beach on the shore of Stump Lake where we stopped for the view and our second lunch. 

Lunch view from Stump lake

 

7-25 and 26-22, Gunsight Lake Backpack, 12.6 miles

Our second backpack trip would be an out and back hike to Gunsight Lake. I had done this hike in 1985 while living relatively nearby in Butte, but obviously remembered little of the details. The ranger who issued our backpacking permits warned us the campsites would likely be buggy, so we came prepared with plenty of spray and lots of patience.

The hike starts with a steady descent down to Reynolds Creek where a swinging bridge leads to a backcountry camp site. From the campsite it is just a long gentle climb up to the lake. The first group we saw coming down the trail had spent the night at Reynolds Creek and were heading for Red Eagle Lake. But, they had mistakenly hiked 2.5 miles toward Gunsight before realizing their error. They would add 5 extra miles to what would was already a very brushy 15 mile trip. The early morning was foggy, but we heard helicopters off to the east, in a search for two climbers on Dusty Star Mountain. 

Gunsight Lake

We passed up the side trail to Florence Falls, not wanting to add an extra 1.5 miles with our packs. Approaching the lake, the views just kept getting better, with Citadel, Jackson Glacier, and Gunsight Pass dominating the skyline. Gunsight is a large camp with six tent sites. We were lucky to find a shady one, then proceeded to do battle with the mosquitos and flies as we set up camp. There are two beaches, plus a swinging bridge at the outlet. 

Another swinging bridge.

We spent some time hanging out in all three spots. The far pier of the swinging bridge had been damaged, but the ford of the outlet was only calf deep. Other hikers told us that Gunsight Pass was now open, and passable without ice gear. When we picked up our permit we debated spending two nights at Gunsight, but with the bridge out and the pass closed we’d assumed there would have been nowhere to explore on our layover day. 

Our tent site at Gunsight Lake.

With all the tent sites full, it got a bit crowded in the cook area at dinner time. But the bugs began to die down and we were able to enjoy the quiet of the evening. A brief hard rain rolled through during the night, and Jean reports I slept through a second round. With the wet vegetation we were reluctant to leave the campsite next morning. The first group we passed was a trail crew who had brushed out much of the upper trail the previous day. The hike out went well and stayed cool, at least until we hit the long climb up to the Going to the Sun Road.

Our next stop was the West Glacier Motel, so we got to see the sights driving the rest of the Going to the Sun Road. This is the second year of Glacier’s vehicle reservation system, designed to alleviate congestion on the Sun Road. Our backpacking permit had given us access to the road, and I’d ordered reservations for the rest of the trip. We didn’t need the reservations for the portions of the trip in Two Medicine and Many Glacier, but used them for our stay in West Glacier. We found the Sun Road easy driving, and only crowded around the Logan Pass Area. 

Mt Reynolds and the East Tunnel.

 

7-27-22, Snyder Lake, 8.8 miles

Two sets of friends had already visited Glacier this yar and both recommended Snyder Lake as easy access to the alpine zone from the west side. The start at Lake MacDonald in deep forest is heavily used by hikers and horses, but once on the spur to the Snyder Lake you lose most of the traffic heading toward Sperry Chalet. You enter a sunnier area, probably from the 2017 Sperry Fire. After the turn the grade eases significantly, but the trail is more overgrown. Still, the lake is in a fine cirque along with three cozy campsites. We had the whole area to ourselves through lunch, which we ate among the boulders at the head of the lake. 

Deer like the trails too!

The first hikers we met heading back reporting a black bear sighting, as did the next pair. We missed the bear, but a couple we passed heading up the trail also spotted it. Most hikers we met during the trip were practicing good bear protocols, making noise as they hiked, being careful with their food, and carrying bear spray. This made hiking safer for them, but also safer for the next hikers who don’t have to deal with a food conditioned bear. 

Lower Snyder Lake.

We were down to Lake MacDonald by early afternoon, in time to enjoy our ritual ice cream from the camp store.

 

7-28-22, St Mary and Virginia Falls, 3.6 miles

At St Mary Falls.

With our trip winding to a close we needed a short day to leave time for packing up. We’d enjoyed the drive over the Sun Road after our backpacking trip and thought another leisurely drive combined with the short hikes to St Mary and Virginia falls would make a great final day in the park. We used our auto reservation for the Sun Road to start early, and enjoy some of the views from the pullouts along the road.  

St Mary Falls.

The St Mary area had been hit hard by the 2015 Reynolds Fire. We had hiked through here in 2016, but now knew what to expect from the burn areas, heavy underbrush. Luckily for us, the hikes to the falls are mostly front country stuff, so everything was well cleared. Basically, you descend down to the inlet for St Mary Lake where there is a powerful two tier falls, then climb up to larger drop on a side branch at Virginia Falls. Early on it is not too crowded for pictures, we viewed Virginia both at and below its plunge pool.

Virginia Falls.

Then finally it was back to the drive over the Sun Road to West Glacier. While packing up, I managed to squeeze in a last run on the Apgar Bike Path, about the only place in the park I felt safe enough to run solo.

Lake MacDonald Valley from the Sun Road.