We have good news and bad news for you about our time in Glacier National Park. The bad news, we got shut out of a lot of the best things about the park. Which leads to the good news. We must go back!
While the park was beautiful, our timing was not. First, Avalanche Lake trail was closed due to bear activity spurred on by some crazy human activity. Worse, bucket list drive (aka scare the pants off you drive) Going-to-the-Sun Road was not yet open for the season due to snow! Yes, we are STILL behind as this was at the end of June. Keeping up with blog posts when you are having too much fun doing the things you are writing about…the struggle is real.
We gave ourselves a few minutes to cry into our aptly named beer and mourn the loss of what might have been.
Then, like the can do people we are, #TeamTary focused on all the things we could do. Our launching off point was the best campground we have stayed in to date (as well as the most expensive being double what we typically pay).
From there we headed the three miles into the park and straight to Lake McDonald and its multi-hued rocks.
Toes in the crystal clear water required! Here it is ankle deep, but practically invisible.
Everyone said we must make the effort to visit east Glacier. With the Going-to-the-Sun road closure, we decided it was still worth it to make the 2+ hour drive through vast nothingness all the way around the outside of the park. The view of St. Mary Lake convinced us we made the right decision. Although, not so sure we were saying that on the drive back! Usually five hour drive days involve parking the Airstream in an entirely new state!
Best thing we did?
During the day trip going around our elbow to get to the east side of Glacier, we decided to take on a waterfall hike. In order to get the most bang for our buck, we picked St. Mary Lake Trail. A two for one deal.
If you have been keeping up with us on this journey, you know haven’t met a waterfall we didn’t love. Nor one we haven’t take a shameless selfie in front of for that matter. However, St. Mary Falls with its creamy turquoise water has earned a top spot on our hike-worthy waterfall list.
The bonus waterfall in the BOGO deal, Virginia Falls, wasn’t too shabby either.
It was the perfect stop to cool down on the hike.
One perplexing thing for us in Glacier, compared to other national parks, was that we didn’t see many animals. We assumed this is because we couldn’t explore much with the closures. So, when this sweet thing showed up on the trail, we couldn’t help but gawk for a bit. Maybe it was animal sighting withdrawal after being bombarded by bison in Yellowstone and Grand Teton!
Best thing we ate?
A gargantuan huckleberry bear claw with a view.
We love getting great tips on things to do that are a little off the beaten path. We were told about a tranquil lake in Polebridge which is in the northwest corner of Glacier, nearly at the Canadian border.
Our tipster made sure to tell us to stop first at Polebridge Mercantile to pick up a huckleberry bear claw. In Montana, you can get huckleberries in anything. From ice cream to BBQ, no huckleberry is left behind.
An hour and a gravel road later, we made it to The Merc. It is a country style store that is completely off grid with a bakery that runs on solar power. We handed over five bucks for a bear claw as big as our heads and headed off with high hopes in the direction of our destination, Lake Bowman. The sign said six miles.
Well, six miles turned into 20 or 30 minutes of back country dirt road, one lane driving. We were really starting to doubt our crazy tipster half way in, but we figured we were already in deep at this point, so we could suck it up for a few more miles. We were rewarded ten-fold after our arduous journey with this incredible view.
Our breakfast treat tasted 100 times sweeter as we sat in silence and enjoyed the serenity.
What we learned?
We don’t want the exploring to end. The more we see on our journey, the more we realize how much there is to see. In fact, it was at this Glacier visit that we decided we want to expand our forever home research to add international flair. Italy is officially on the list! We will spend three months there this year to scope it out.
We also learned that the best National Parks can’t be done in one visit. They aren’t meant to be. It isn’t just about seeing the sights and checking them off your list, but in order to really explore and immerse yourself, you have to go back again and again. Timing is everything. Going in different times of year will allow exploration of different things.
Glacier, we will be back.
Next Stop: O Canada