Perhaps it is too soon to declare a favorite, however I feel confident enough that this statement will remain true, “Glacier National Park is my favorite”, of the parks that I have visited. It is partly because I love the mountains and it is also due to how I felt as I was arriving. This was a park that I wanted to see on my own and have that time of solitude to really soak it all in. It was a corner that I turned where I felt very confident hiking, was in better shape, and I must have looked the part as I noticed more and more often that people stopped me with questions, or for advice or support. There were two problems as I arrived: 1) it is never a good idea to hike alone in grizzly country, and 2) a reservation was required for the Going to the Sun Road and I couldn’t manage to get one. In order to solve both of those problems I managed to secure a spot and joined Glacier Guides / Montana Raft for an introductory hike. The guides were fantastic and took us through Trail of the Cedars to Avalanche Lake (optional swim in the lake), explaining a lot about the area and geology. A perfect intro to the park and also helpful as I figured out how to spend the rest of my days.
Lack of reservations forced me to be creative and do something that I probably would not have ever done. After hiking hundreds of miles carrying a heavy camera and lots of drinking water, it was time to go on a hike where someone else carried everything for me. I joined Swan Mountain Llama Trekking for a half-day adventure in Flathead National Forest to Bond Falls. Joining me on the hike was my new friend Buster. Buster was the alpha of the pack, which meant no spitting would be directed our way. Buster and I are very similar in that we are always hungry, he probably beats me though, as there was constant stopping to sample all the leaves along the way. I was all prepared to go swimming at the falls however the water was freezing so I was only able to bear it to have my feet in for a minute. A wonderful picnic lunch was set up overlooking the falls. A fun and interesting day.
It was finally time for me to set out on my own. I woke up extremely early, crossed through the park and then drove up to the Many Glacier area of the park. I set out to hike to Iceberg Lake. I was armed with bear spray on my hip and either sped up or slowed down to be close to other hikers. There had been a lot of grizzly activity on the trail and halfway to the lake there was one spotted but luckily it was high up on the ridge moving away. As I got closer to the lake a hiker shared that there was a moose sighting ahead, I was so excited as it was one of the animals I had been trying to spot and hadn’t seen yet on the trip. Sure enough there was a moose bedded down near a pond far from the trail. I enjoyed lunch at the lake and watching people try to brave the water to swim with the icebergs. On the way back I saw something big and brown moving out of the woods and onto the trail in front of me. I was frozen in fear thinking it was a bear until I realized that it was a moose. It crossed the trail in front of me and then moved quickly downhill. So beautiful and such a magical moment.
The eastern side of the park is home to the Blackfeet Nation American Indian Reservation. As I couldn’t cut back through the park, I had to drive the long way around and had the opportunity to drive along the east side of the park as well as visit the Two Medicine area of the park. The Two Medicine area was a sacred area for the Blackfeet and commonly used for those that were going on a vision quest. It was a short walk to Running Eagle Falls. I put on my water shoes and was very happy to soak my feet while watching the falls. It is an extremely unique waterfall as it spits out from the middle of the rocks versus flowing over the top.
The main event in Glacier is the Going to the Sun Road. The famous alpine road that crosses through the heart of the park and provides spectacular views reaching an elevation of 6,646 feet at Logan Pass. Traversing the Continental Divide, it marks the point where water either flows to the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans. In addition to the amazing mountain views there are waterfalls everywhere, plenty of mountain goats hanging around, and views of Jackson Glacier. I not only had to wake-up early to arrive before the reserved entry started but also had to get up obnoxiously early in order to get a parking spot at Logan Pass.
One of the many iconic hikes in Glacier is the Highline Trail. You get to feel like a mountain goat as the trail is carved into the hillside which makes it an enjoyable hike as you are starting up at Logan Pass and don’t have huge elevation gains. Ropes are provided at the start of the trail to hang onto if the heights are getting to you. The trail continues on for many miles so you have to determine where you want to turnaround. I did want some elevation gain so I continued on to Haystack Pass to give the legs and lungs a little work. It was a beautiful sunny day and the wildflowers were in bloom.
As I began hiking so early in the morning I still had plenty of time to hike to the Hidden Lake overview in order to enjoy the view and my lunch. The hike to the lake was closed to hikers as the grizzlies had overtaken it, but I was happy to stop at the overlook anyway. There was wildlife everywhere. So many mountain goats and a huge herd of bighorn sheep. The marmots, chipmunks and squirrels were keep a very close eye on any unattended backpacks to raid for food. Not a bad place to sit and enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, my daily lunch staple. It had been several long days of hiking so the following day I needed something more relaxing, took the morning off to do laundry and joined Glacier Guides again for the scenic float trip down the middle fork of the Flathead River followed by a cookout. I’ll admit that the float was a little too relaxing for me (although I did enjoy getting in the river and swimming for a bit), wish I would have went with a bit more whitewater instead.
In January 2021 I began looking online and calling RV parks and was shocked that there were no full-hookup sites to be found for the week I needed one in July. After calling over eight different places I finally got a spot at Glacier Peaks RV Park in Columbia Falls. It wasn’t until my fourth day there that I figured out why it was impossible to find an RV site. My last full day there was the beginning of the Under the Big Sky music festival which brought a crowd of 20,000 people to an area already crowded with record crowds at the National Park. I got to know the family two campers over from me at the RV park and as their son was able to get in with a press pass, they had an extra ticket and asked if I wanted to join them. It was one of the coolest venues and events that I’ve been to. There was a rodeo happening between acts next to one stage and some amazing bluegrass music. In hiking there is what we call trail magic where whatever you need will magically appear through the kindness of strangers. On the road I’m finding RV magic, where fellow campers see that I’m a solo female traveler and welcome me to their picnic table and I’m spending my day at a music festival versus alone in a chair outside my RV.
