Crown of the Continent!

June 19 – 30, 2023

Glacier National Park or the Swiss Alps???

Helena, MT broke up our trip from Yellowstone NP to Glacier NP.  We landed there with no expectations other than catching up with laundry and groceries.  Well, it turned out Helena had a few delightful surprises for us!  I’ve been trying to find Christmas ornaments from each state we visit and it was in searching for a Montana Christmas ornament that the surprises began.  A gal I was talking to referred me to a shop in “the gulch” that might have ornaments.  I’m immediately picturing some remote valley with a lonely store and wondered if we really wanted to go there or not.  Well, I’m sure glad we did!  

It turns out, in 1864, four prospectors were down on their luck and headed back to the east coast.  They decided to give it one last chance and headed to the gulch, looking for gold.  Wouldn’t you know it, they stuck one of the largest gold mines around!  The area became known as “Last Chance Gulch” and soon was filled with prospectors looking for their own claim to stake.  

Eventually, it was decided the area deserved a proper name and was renamed Helena before becoming the state capital.  Next to the Capitol building, we found a trolley tour that wound around the historic area of Helena and filled us in on all kinds of interesting details of the city!

Last Chance Gulch, where gold was struck!

We were reminded political corruption is nothing new.  When voting for which city would become the state capital, votes were cast at the local sheriff’s home. There had been a lot of contention between Helena and Anaconda for the location of the capital and it was expected to be a very close call as to whom would win.  Helena, motivated by the knowledge of what becomes of mining towns once the gold runs out, was determined to be the capital and fought hard (and, it turns out, a little dirty).  During a recent renovation of the sheriff’s home, hidden in a wall was an entire box of ballets – all cast for Anaconda!

The trolley tour wound its way up the gulch where all of the mining happened.  The creek has been moved and the gulch is now a pedestrian mall lined with cute shops, restaurants, breweries and businesses.  They’ve left the winding path the stream once took, making it a fun street to meander through.  

The trolley driver also pointed out a mountain located just outside of town.  If you look at it from just the right angle, you see what locals refer to as “the sleeping giant”.  Dick, a man who can fall asleep just about anywhere, thought if it is good enough for a giant, he should give it a shot.  Yep, Helena had two sleeping giants for a short while!

I swear, Dick can sleep anywhere!

That evening, we stopped by Ten Mile Creek Brewery, located in Last Chance Gulch, to refresh ourselves with a cold one before heading to Women’s Park for Alive at Five.  Alive at Five featured a local musical group with amazing talent.  The park was filled with people, food trucks lined the street, and children ran and played or joined adults dancing in front of the stage.  Such a delightful evening!

The next morning, we took off for Glacier, where we spent four days on the east side of the park.  St. Mary / East Glacier KOA, located at the base of St. Mary Mountain, was our scenic home for the stay.  Conveniently, this campground was located just outside Glacier’s east entrance!

St. Mary Mountain is in the background

Glacier National Park has a couple of nick names, both of which I completely agree with!  "Crown of the Continent" is possibly an understatement.  There are a lot of beautiful places on this continent, but I don’t believe any of them could top Glacier’s majestical splendor. It’s also known as the "American Alps", which is also easy to agree with.  In fact, in the early 1900s, when the Great Northern railway was developing the area, they really played up this feature.  The lodge at Many Glacier looks exactly like a lodge you would expect to find in the Swiss Alps!

East Glacier was once the touristy side of the park.  Travelers would arrive by train to East Glacier, and then go by horse back to Many Glacier Lodge.  It was a long and expensive trip, restricting guests to only those with deep enough pockets to be able to afford it.  Today, the east side of Glacier NP is the less developed area of the park and tends to be less touristy.  Dick and I spent one day exploring the Many Glacier area.  You could easily spend a couple of days in this area alone!  Having absolutely no cell service inside the park, we got a kick out of finding a working telephone booth, complete with a telephone book!  We wondered if today’s young people even know how to use a pay phone and telephone book!

At Many Glacier, we did an easy hike to Red Rock Falls.  It is exactly what it sounds like – stunning falls cascading over walls of red rock.  On the way back, we noticed a side trail that indicated it led to a lake where moose commonly hang out.  While we didn’t spot any moose, it was a beautiful site at which to enjoy coffee and a pastry!  We also learned of a moose/grizzly encounter that happened at Many Glacier Lodge in 2022.  If you are curious, search “moose, grizzly, Many Glacier Lodge” and you can see the momma moose chase a grizzly away from her calf.  Apparently, momma moose had twin calves and had recently lost one of the calves to a grizzly.  She wasn’t going to let that happen again.  The video certainly gives credibility to the park’s strict warnings to keep your distance from wildlife!

We also took a day trip to the Two Medicine area of the park.  There, we took another easy hike on Running Eagle Trail to see Trick Falls.  The falls seem to appear as though they are coming from inside the mountain.  The falls were certainly one of the more unique waterfalls I’ve ever seen!

Trick Falls

Two Medicine Lake is one of the many alpine lakes nestled among Glacier’s towering peaks.  The unique turquoise blue water of these lakes is due to the tiny bits of rock, known as glacier flour, locked inside the melting glaciers.  As the glaciers melt, the water flows into the lakes giving them this exquisite color!  It was fun being able to take a narrated cruise on the historic boat Sinopah, built in 1926, and learn all about the history, geology and wildlife of this area.  We docked halfway through the cruise and took a short hike to view Twin Falls.  It was fun watching a bald eagle hunt for dinner while we waited to reboard the boat!

On the hike to the falls, the naturalist taught us all about the beautiful rocks that line the streams in Glacier.  The red and green rocks are actually the very same rock!  These argillite rocks are either green or red, depending on whether they were exposed to oxygen at the time they were formed.  

One of our favorite hikes on the east side of Glacier was the hike to St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls.  The trail head began several miles up Going-to-the-Sun Road from St. Mary’s entrance.  The first half of the trail wound you down among the charred trees of a somewhat recent forest fire.  We were told that, before the fire, the forest was diseased – absent of flora and fauna and perfectly ripe for a wild fire.  During our hike, we not only saw the charred trees of yesteryear, but also the promising growth of five- to six-foot pines, abundant wildflowers, chirping birds and even a moose!  

St. Mary Falls

You can spot the cow moose making waves in the bottom center.

Once we reached St. Mary Falls, we crossed the fire line and began the climb up to Virginia Falls.  This trail was teeming with life!  For much of the trail, we were surrounded by thimbleberry bushes in full bloom.  We wondered how many bears would be on the trail in a couple of weeks when these blossoms have turned into their delicious, tender fruit.  Apparently, the park closes some trails during the fruit-BEARing season due to bear activity.

Virginia Falls

Going-to-the-Sun Road is an engineering marvel!  Motivation to build it was due to a couple of factors, one being that the park was only accessible to the wealthy.  Once automobiles became common and more and more families were able to afford them, it was decided a road that connects the east and west sides would allow for more people to visit this magnificent park.  Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1932.  Great care was taken in choosing its route, attempting to make the road blend into the landscape and minimize the road’s impact on the scenery.  This being said, they also minimized the width of the road!  This is a narrow, winding road.  For the middle third of it, you have a mountain on one side of the road and a steep drop off on the other.  Vehicles are restricted to 21 feet in length and 10 feet in width (including mirrors).  Our truck is 20 feet long and 10’4” wide.  Folding our mirrors in qualified us for the road!

Thirty-three years ago, at the age of 62, my dad bicycled up this road on his way from La Push, WA to Eldridge, IA.  He completed the 2,700-mile trip in 27 days, saying he no longer had an ache in his body by the time he reached home. Doctors recommend staying active – must have been after studying Pops!

Pops worked a lot harder to get here!

As we drove up the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road, we made lots of stops at lookout points.  I’m sure you’ve heard that Glacier’s glaciers are disappearing, so seeing one of its alpine glaciers that formed during the Little Ice Age (which occurred between 1303 and 1850) was on our “must do list”.  Most of the glaciers require quite a hike (both long and strenuous) so we were thankful for a peek at one from the side of the road.  Jackson Glacier is the seventh largest of the remaining 25 glaciers in the park.  It was interesting to learn it was valley glaciers which sculpted the park’s magnificent peaks and valleys during the Pleistocene Ice Age.  These valley glaciers, which the park is named after, disappeared 10,000 years ago.

Jackson Glacier can be seen at the bottom of the "V".

We had packed a picnic lunch and pulled over at Lunch Creek to enjoy our lunch creekside!  After eating, we hiked upstream along the creek and spotted a marmot!  I’ve never seen one of these critters before!

Wild Goose Island is in the center of the lake

St. Mary Lake also offered scenic cruises on the boat Little Chief, built in 1926, along with a short hike to Baring Falls.  On this cruise, we learned the yellow rock cliffs along the shore of this lake comprises some of the oldest rock on the planet, formed 1.4 billion years ago.  Crazy!  We also got a short glimpse of Sperry Glacier from the lake!  

Baring Falls

Sperry Glacier can be seen tucked away in the center of the photo.

West Glacier RV Park provided convenient access for us to everything on that side of the park.  Just inside the west entrance you find Apgar Village.  As advertised, this side of the park was very different from the east side.  Apgar Village provided all the ice-cream shops, gift shops, restaurants, souvenir shops and tourist traps one could dream of!  We were delighted to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate our 41st anniversary by going out for dinner at Eddie's Cafe!  

Toasting our 41st anniversary!

A foggy morning at the campground

Apgar Village offers a stunning view of Lake McDonald complete with the beautiful mountains as a backdrop.  Undoubtedly part of the draw to this side!  

Lake McDonald

Having previously attempted to explore Logan Pass while we were camped on the east side and losing out in finding available parking, we set our alarm clocks for bright and early one morning and headed directly to Logan Pass from the west side.  We arrived there by 8:00AM and… we were once again too late for a parking spot.  Fortunately, a half mile down the road, there was a pull-off where we waited patiently for someone to leave before successfully getting parked and were ready for adventure!  Another hiker told us the parking lot at Logan can be full by 6:00AM!  It’s a popular spot for a several reasons – one being the trail to Hidden Lake.  This trail begins just behind the Logan Pass visitor center.  It winds its way uphill beside Bearhat Mountain, taking you through a meadow where we saw bighorn sheep grazing.  As we reached a little higher elevation, we found ourselves tromping through melting snow drifts!  We’ve been avoiding snow for three years now, but I found playing in the snow at the end of June was a ton of fun!  Just to be clear, it was 70 degrees outside and I didn’t need gloves or snow pants!

Bighorn Sheep 

Hiking to Hidden Lake Overlook

As we got closer to Hidden Lake, the mountain goats came out of their hiding spot!  We were excited to first see the bearded goats a short distance from the trail, but it wasn’t long before they were crossing the trail directly in front of us.  Apparently, no one told the goats about the park’s rule on keeping 25 yards’ distance!

One of the official greeters on Hidden Lake Trail

A mountain goat was following this marmot!

Hidden Lake is in the background.

The trail down to the lake was closed the day we were there; however, we were able to get to the overlook of the lake.  It was a beautiful view of the lake below, nestled between several mountains.  The final stretch of the trail, which takes you down to the lake, was closed due to it being spawning season for the fish in the lake.  We were told it was a “hot bed of bears down there” which we were able to verify with our binoculars!  It was fun watching a couple of grizzles fishing for their breakfast at the mouth of the spring fed lake!

Watching the grizzlies fishing for their breakfast!

Another reason Logan Pass (the highest spot in the park you can drive to) is a popular location is the Highline Trail.  This trailhead is located just across the road from the visitor center and is another gem of a trail!  While we only had a short time to explore the trail (it started raining), I would consider this trail a “must do” for our next visit there.  It parallels Going-to-the-Sun Road through the most dramatic and breathtaking stretch of the road.  The road is well below you and you really aren’t even aware the road is there yet, at the same time, you experience the full splendor of the valley and all of its wild flowers as you hike beside Haystack Mountain!  It’s a seven-mile trail (one way) down to the loop, where hikers commonly pick up the park’s shuttle to take them back to Logan Pass.  Unfortunately, the park’s shuttles didn’t start running until July 1st, so you either had to hike both directions or hitchhike back up.  

Haystack Mountain and field of Glacier Lilies

Hanging on while hiking Highline Trail (Going-to-the-Sun Road can be seen below the trail).

View of the valley from Highline Trail

Another morning, we once again set our alarm clock and got up early, heading to Avalanche Trail.  This trail takes you up three miles through dense forest until it opens up to Avalanche Lake.  It was fogged in the morning we were there, giving it a quiet, calm, mysterious ambiance.  It was difficult to pull ourselves away, but we had heard Lake McDonald Lodge offered a wonderful buffet breakfast and we had our tastebuds set on indulging ourselves!

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Trail

Breakfast did not disappoint!  Everything from the fresh fruit to the sausage and eggs was delicious.  The atmosphere didn’t hurt anything either.  This historic lodge has been serving guests meals on their white linen table cloths since June of 1914.

Breakfast in McDonald Lodge

McDonald Lodge and one of their historic "Red Buses" in the background

Following breakfast, we stuck around until we could get on one of the Lake McDonald cruises aboard the boat DeSmet, built in 1930.  This time, we sat out on the bow of the ship and soaked up a few rays of sunshine while cruising along the lake.  This was another narrative cruise, where we picked up additional tidbits of knowledge about the history, wildlife and geology of the park.  Super relaxing – hmmm, I wonder how much of that was due to the Huckleberry Smash and Huckleberry Margarita we picked up from the lounge to take with us on the cruise! 

McDonald Falls

About to board the DeSmet for a cruise on Lake McDonald

For years, I’ve talked and talked about wanting to learn to fly fish.  Is there a better place to learn than Montana?  I don’t think so!!  Just outside of West Glacier you find Glacier Anglers and Outfitters where we hired Molly to show us all about this fun and relaxing sport.  We spent four hours floating down seven miles of the North Fork of Flathead River bordering the national park.  This river is listed as a Wild Scenic River and is, therefore, protected.  Its natural beauty is nothing less than breathtaking!  During our float, Dick caught three Cutthroat Trout, and I caught both a Cutthroat and a whitefish.  Regulations required us to release them all.  

Fly fishing as we float down the north fork of the Flathead River!

Got one!

Barb has one on the line!

Having visited over 25 national parks, we find it difficult to rank them in order.  That being said, we both agree Glacier is at the very top of our list!  I can’t wait to get back there again!

Whisky tasting at Glacier Distillery

Enjoying huckleberry ice-cream on the shore of Lake McDonald

Until next time!

Up next:  Spokane, WA!