Time: July 11-14, 2014
Place: Glacier National Park
Company: Wife and daughter
Highlights:
Overview – Totally forgot how we got hold of this location
but the more we started researching, the more we liked it. Specifically the
Going-to-the-Sun road with its numerous vista points, Logan Pass with the
Continental Divide, multiple trails, etc. The glaciers were attraction too but the
rate at which they were diminishing, we knew it was hard to see a glacier but
still the place had lots to offer. This was one of the vacations which was
booked way ahead in advance (2.5 months) which is not typical of our vacations.
July 11th being our wedding anniversary, it seemed the right
vacation at the right time, since this park is pretty inaccessible at any time
other than summer months. After we had booked, we found out that this was one
of the top ten national parks.
Day 1: Initially planned for working from home (since flight
was at 5 pm) but thought better of it and instead took the entire day off. Left
home at about 2 pm and was at the Oakland airport by about 3 pm (off-airport
parking). For the first time ever, had booked a lesser-known Allegiant Air
which flew direct from Oakland to Kalispell. A short 2 hour economy flight.
Reached Kalispell at about 8 pm and then took the Thrifty rental car from
on-airport Hertz (since Thrifty was closed after 5 pm). Had used the “Specialty
- Wild Card” type of car, for the first time ever after learning about it and
it was a great deal since I got the Chevy Impala. Regular Economy sized cars
were way too expensive as compared to the specialty option. After about half an
hour drive, stopped at a Pizza Hut for nice dinner. Continued thereon to city
of West Glacier where we had booked a room at West Glacier Motel. Retired for
the night.
Day 2: Had a nice sumptuous breakfast at West Glacier
Restaurant, filled up the fuel (due to lack of availability inside the park)
and headed to the entrance of the national park which is also the commencement
of Going-to-the-Sun road. We had planned on things to do and as per plan,
headed straight to Logan Pass which was the highest point on the road. The road
is closed for most of winter and usually opens up in June-July timeframe after
all the snow is cleared. This year, it was opened a week ago on 7/4. Our
planning on the date was right-on.
So, despite all the attractions that started coming by on
the Going-to-the-Sun road, we skipped them all and the road started ascending.
The scenery was mesmerizing. It is a constant ascent. Soon, far-away snow
starts coming nearer and nearer until you stop and start playing with it! The
weather was perfect. It was in fact very warm – nearing 80s and all the snow
was very quickly melting away. There were waterfalls on the road every other
mile.
Even though we had planned for Logan Pass to be our first
stop, we did stop at about couple of locations (The Loop and Weeping Wall) –
for taking picture of the scenery and to play with snow. Finally by the time we
reached Logan Pass it was almost 2 PM. Our first trail in the park was Hidden
Lake Overlook which started from Logan Pass. To our dismay, much of the trail
was covered with snow. It was continuous snow as well as with a gradient. At
that altitude and with our pre-schooler daughter, the hike became hectic. We
somehow managed to go at least to a certain altitude beyond which it was very
difficult to continue. The warm weather also was turning chillier and hence we
decided to head back. Nevertheless it was fun to hike in the slippery snow. It
also gave Paavani to build a small snow man.
Next, we took some snaps at the Continental Divide – a great
spot for geologists due to its importance. We also had plans of going a short
distance on the Highline Trail too because of its spectacular views. However,
due to extreme snow, this trail was closed right at the beginning. So had to
abort the plan.
It was already 6 pm. So we decided to head to our night stay
which was almost 2 hours away at East Glacier Motel in East Glacier city,
outside the national park. Even though we had planned this trip in advance, all
the hotels and resorts inside the national park were already booked out for the
summer in April itself. The ones remaining were almost 300 USD per night. So
did not have much choice but to choose a motel very far away. On the way, we
stopped at Jackson Glacier overlook which was our first view of a glacier.
Although it was very far, it was still spectacular.
By the time we reached our motel, it was already 8 pm. It
was a nice different motel in the sense that it was more like independent
cottages. Ours had complete kitchenette with double room and 2 TVs, etc. We
relaxed, watched a movie and retired.
Day 3: Again, had a nice breakfast at a local restaurant
directly in front of our motel. Our first stop was at Many Glacier area. We had
plans of trekking the Grinnell Lake trail at least a short distance but it was
way too hot and there were too many flies and mosquitoes and what-nots that
irritated our daughter that we did a u-turn after walking just few minutes. Yet, we enjoyed the nice scenery at Swiftcurrent lake and
took some nice snaps. The magnificent Many Glacier Hotel with its chalet-like
appearance is a pristine beauty. There were even some mountain goats grazing
near the hotel.
We decided next to head to St Mary’s Falls hike which Missus
had marked as not-to-miss. This was originally our day 4 plan but since Grinnell
did not happen, we decided to save ourselves some time on last day. So after
about an hour’s drive, we reached the trailhead. There was much adventure since
there was no parking and we had to park a short distance away. Daughter was
still against the whole hiking since she was terrified of the flies, and it was
too strenuous. So we picked her up and started off, coaxing her all the while.
Finally, she started walking and it became much easier. Most of the trek
towards the falls is downhill. After about an hour’s walk, finally reached the
falls. It was a glorious sight. We just sat there and looked at it for a long
time. The color of the water turned aqua-green after the falls and it was an
amazing sight. After some more pics, headed uphill back to the car. It was 5 pm
by the time we reached the car and we headed back to the motel. Reached motel
at 7.15 pm, relaxed, took a short walk and retired.
Day 4: Not-so-great breakfast this time. First stop for the
day was Running Eagle Falls in Two Medicine area. This was a short 0.3 mile
trek that led to a great spot – there was a nice water falls, a short wooden
bridge that was installed just a few days back to cross the gushing stream of
water, the water itself, etc. It was very pleasant and extremely soothing. Even
Paavani enjoyed a lot at this place. If we had more time, perhaps we could have
spent more time but we had a lot to cover today, so we left after about 30
mins.
We re-entered the Going-to-the-Sun road for the third time
in as many days. This time, the drive was very relaxing. As many have
mentioned, this road has to be enjoyed from both directions. This is very true.
Enjoyed the scenery from the car itself. There was road construction going on
at multiple places and vehicles were being stopped intermittently. Did not stop
at any attraction but just chugged along slowly up the mountains to Logan Pass
and then started descending. At Weeping Wall, there was a huge gush of
waterfalls coming from atop the mountain onto roadside. Drove the car
underneath for an auto car wash!
That was a nice experience. There was one more spot at the base of the mountain where color
of river was aqua-green. Took some snaps and finally reached our next
destination:
Trail of the Cedars in Lake MacDonald area. This is a nice loop
trail on a boardwalk (not too many flies nor mosquitoes here!) that weaves
through some of the oldest and tallest trees. As a backdrop, there is Avalanche
creek and a small falls that gives the right effect for a perfect trail. It was
a very relaxed walk amidst the cedars.
Then, we headed to the Apgar Loop road to gain access to
Lake MacDonald itself. The lake was extremely serene and with a backdrop of
snow-capped mountains, it was simply beautiful. The water was completely
transparent and we could see the lake bed very easily even though it was pretty
deep. Had some nice “nature” time and by then, it was getting cloudy with
thunderstorms and hence it was dark. This was our last stop in the Glacier
National Park. Just as we made our way towards the airport, it started raining
in torrents. We made good time and by the time we reached the Kalispell airport
and finished off the rental car return formalities, it was almost 7 pm. For
some reason, it seemed to take forever to reach Oakland. By the time we reached
home, it was almost midnight. Thankfully, everything went well and we reached
safe without any issues.
Summary: Glacier National Park in Montana is a beautiful
place. It almost feels like the Switzerland, especially when seen from the airport,
with its snow-capped mountains. The national park is famous for its immense
number of trails. Sadly though, most of the trails are fairly long meaning over
a mile. This causes an issue for those with small children. Yet, trails like
Running Eagle and St Mary Falls are still within reach and thoroughly enjoyable
by one and all. Anyways, trail or no trail – the park still has enough natural
beauty to mesmerize everyone. This website was very helpful in planning - amongst many other. Another check mark to one of our dream vacations.
