The Secret of Seeing Glacier
Written: Jan 01 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Mountains, lakes, beauty EVERYWHERE!
Cons: It's a little out of the way for most Americans
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| Shanti's Full Review: Glacier National Park |
I probably shouldn’t be telling you this secret, so please keep it to yourself. It’s bad enough if 100 people read this review—if they begin telling their friends, and their friends tell friends, and so on, well, then, not only will the secret be out, but it will be invalid.
So here’s the secret: Go to Glacier National Park in late June! Now you may be thinking, “that’s a pretty lame secret,” but I assure you: once you visit Glacier National Park in mid to late June, you will experience the magic for yourself.
No long line of cars to follow up the Going-to-the-Sun Road. A couple of people in the visitor center, rather than mobs crowding in to grab hiking trail maps.
In June, the snow is still melting, so bring good hiking boots if you plan on walking up to hidden lakes, such as the one at the top of Logan’s Pass. Bring warm sleeping bags if you plan on camping. And bring lots of film, because each turn of the road presents another spectacular view.
A Brief Primer on Glacier National Park: The layout
Before I traveled to Glacier National Park, I had no idea where the campsites were located in relation to altitude or hiking trails, so I didn’t want to commit to making reservations. In June, that’s safe, but I wouldn’t wing it in July or August.
It turns out that the main road cuts across the entire park. As you drive toward the center of the park (Logan’s Pass), you rise in elevation. Thus, the two campgrounds on either entrance of the park will be the warmest, as they are lower in elevation. Logan’s Pass still had a couple of feet of snow on it in mid-June.
We entered on the West Side of the park, at Lake McDonald. It doesn’t matter which side you enter on; both sides have amazing views of mountains and a large lake. On the East Side, St. Mary’s lake mirrors snow-capped mountain peaks.
I strongly suggest stopping in at the visitor’s center to pick up handouts on the hiking trails that lie off of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Each handout is organized into areas that you drive through on this main road, and each provides a brief description of hikes ranging from .2 of a mile to over 10 miles. Most of the shorter hikes (under a mile or two one way) take you to a waterfall or small lake.
Where to Stop
Everywhere and anywhere! This is the most beautiful park I have ever seen. Apparently, it is the United States’s version of the Swiss Alps. Being from Colorado, I wondered if the WOW factor of Glacier would stand up to its reputation. I found that it more than stood up. In fact, I don’t know why it doesn’t have more of a reputation. Sure, it’s a little out of the way for most people, but it’s well worth the trip!
We stopped nearly every twenty feet to take a picture. One of the must-see things are the pebbles in the creek, which flows into Lake McDonald. The turquoise waters are clear enough to see the pebbles of the riverbed. These tumbled pebbles line the riverbed with shining colors of red, white, purple, blue, black and green.
Our first hike near Lake McDonald didn’t take us to our destination. This was the only hike that was not well mapped on the handout. We tried to find a waterfall named Sacred Dancing Falls. We kept walking and walking, but we soon discovered that we were paralleling the road opposite of the creek that we were following. However, I would recommend at least taking a short jaunt down what looks on the map like the Sacred Falls hiking trail, as it took us through a lush forest; moss crept from the ground, up large boulders, and sunlight danced off of moist ferns.
Even if you never step foot on a hiking trail, the views from the road are amazing, and there are ample pullouts along the way. Mountain peaks laiden with thick lines of snow (especially on the north side) stand above treeline. Long waterfalls and rivers flow down the faces of the mountains, through the green forest.
Going-to-the-Sun Road takes you through a few tunnels that look almost like marble inside, due to calcium and other mineral deposits. Anytime I find tunnels, stone windows (of ruins), etc., I use the natural lines to frame my pictures of the scenery beyond. Though the tunnels at the park are a bit narrow, there is enough room to walk along a platform on the side of the road and snap a few pictures.
Logan’s Pass
U-shaped valleys carved by glaciers, snow capped mountains, long, streaming waterfalls, and rivers add to the beauty of Logan’s Pass.
The weeping wall sprays cars as they pass by the watery wall of rock. Large turnouts provide signs that explain the formation of the U-shaped valleys.
Apparently, the pass is a good place to spot bears. One family thought they had spotted a bear along the hillside; they whipped out their binoculars, and, zoomed in, they still swore it was a bear, albeit a baby. I don’t want to say which state they were from, but suffice it to say that it was one that definitely did not have bears, probably not even at the zoo; my husband busted their euphoric bubble by informing them that it was a fat marmot. In fact, there was another one right next to me on the side of the road. The family sauntered back to their car, faces hanging in disappointment. Next time, we’ll just let them believe that they saw a bear.
The trail up to Hidden Lake (at Logan’s Pass, right behind the visitor center) was still covered with snow, but markers outlined the trail. We hiked in shorts and a light jacket, as the trail to the lake was just over a mile (one way), and the sky was completely blue. I did, however, wish that I had taken the time to pull my hiking boots out of our truck, because my walking shoes filled with snow immediately. Since the weather was fair, my cold feet just kept the rest of my body at a comfortable temperature as we hiked.
The lake was still mostly frozen, but the hike was absolutely beautiful. A mountain goat walked very close to the trail for awhile, until an overzealous couple began stalking it with a camera.
Being ski-addicts, my husband and I drooled over the fresh tracks carved on the mountain faces above us. Since we didn’t bring our skis along, we did the next best thing: ran down the hill and shoe-ski. Another reason to visit the park in June.
A Few Other Good Sights Along the Way
After Logan’s Pass (on the way to St. Mary’s Lake), lies St. Mary’s Falls, Sunrift Gorge, and Baring Falls. If you only choose one of the two falls to hike to (again, fairly short hikes), I recommend St. Mary’s because it is wider, larger, and more powerful. The short (.3 mile) walk to the Gorge is also worth the stop. Eventually all of the little hiking trails add up; we ended up walking 10 miles total on our first day because we took a bunch of 1-3 mile hikes along the way.
The Campground
We slept at the Rising Sun Campground, which is close to the eastern entrance of the park (St. Mary’s side). I expected more primitive sites, but each has a bathroom, well water, and a public phone within easy walking distance. There is also a restaurant and hotel, but the layout and structure doesn’t interfere with the natural feeling that the surrounding mountains provide.
Plan to spend at least a few days at Glacier National Park, and drive/hike into each access. Since there's so much to say about this Park, I wrote a second review covering the other main access point of the Park, as well as the Canadian side!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Shanti
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Member: Kimberly
Location: Colorado
Reviews written: 69
Trusted by: 32 members
About Me:
A Colorado girl always in search of creative expression and adventure!
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