pstm13
Auribus Teneo Lupum
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2012
- Messages
- 572
Scenic Trip Through Glacier National Park in June 2014
My wife, her friend, and I drove from Idaho Falls to northern Montana and spent several days in the park.
As we made our way along the Flathead River, it became apparent that the area received a large amount of rain/snow over the past few days. The river appeared to be swollen and brown. There were large amounts of debris on the bank. At times, entire trees could be seen floating as if just pulled from the bank of the river. Water covered the roads in several low-lying areas but not enough to close the roads leading into the park. The air was thick and full of moisture. The clouds hid the skyline as we approached our campsite at Fish Creek campground located on the south west side of Lake McDonald.
The Going to the Sun Road was closed because the pass received several feet of snow.
The Trail of the Cedars is a low impact walking path. It was also as far north as we could go before the road closed.
Because of the road closure, we were forced to drive around the entire park to see the east side.
We stated in the Many Glacier camp site and I loved it. The east side of the park in my opinion is the most scenic by far. There were several hikers on the trail that reported seeing grizzly bears and even a cub. A black bear came into the camp ground one night (not our camp site) during our stay. However, I was disappointed that no one in our group spotted a bear. We did however, see several big horn sheep and mountain goats.
We originally planned to stay near at Saint Mary Lake. However, the campground was flooded out. The Going to the Sun road was also impassable as it washed out a couple of days before we arrived.
The higher elevations were snowed in and without crampons/ice axe we were limited to the trails available. We tried to make the best of it and hike loops especially in the Many Glacier area. There are a lot of trails with incredible views.
Bighorn sheep watched us as we took pictures of the wildlife and cascading waterfalls.
After hiking for several miles we came upon a washed out bridge. My wife would not let me attempt to cross as the stream was swollen and dropped off a cliff after 50 yards. After pouting a little I gave in and we hiked up another branch of the trail.
There were significant signs of grizzly activity in the Many Glacier area. Bear scat was all over the tail. Roots were torn up from the ground every 1/4 mile.
We stopped at Flathead Lake and tried to make it to the island and see some wild horses but it did not work out. If I had it to do over again I would go later in the season and skip Flathead lake and spend all my time in GNP.
Featured image for home page:
My wife, her friend, and I drove from Idaho Falls to northern Montana and spent several days in the park.
As we made our way along the Flathead River, it became apparent that the area received a large amount of rain/snow over the past few days. The river appeared to be swollen and brown. There were large amounts of debris on the bank. At times, entire trees could be seen floating as if just pulled from the bank of the river. Water covered the roads in several low-lying areas but not enough to close the roads leading into the park. The air was thick and full of moisture. The clouds hid the skyline as we approached our campsite at Fish Creek campground located on the south west side of Lake McDonald.
The Going to the Sun Road was closed because the pass received several feet of snow.The Trail of the Cedars is a low impact walking path. It was also as far north as we could go before the road closed.
Because of the road closure, we were forced to drive around the entire park to see the east side.
We stated in the Many Glacier camp site and I loved it. The east side of the park in my opinion is the most scenic by far. There were several hikers on the trail that reported seeing grizzly bears and even a cub. A black bear came into the camp ground one night (not our camp site) during our stay. However, I was disappointed that no one in our group spotted a bear. We did however, see several big horn sheep and mountain goats.
We originally planned to stay near at Saint Mary Lake. However, the campground was flooded out. The Going to the Sun road was also impassable as it washed out a couple of days before we arrived.
The higher elevations were snowed in and without crampons/ice axe we were limited to the trails available. We tried to make the best of it and hike loops especially in the Many Glacier area. There are a lot of trails with incredible views.
Bighorn sheep watched us as we took pictures of the wildlife and cascading waterfalls.
After hiking for several miles we came upon a washed out bridge. My wife would not let me attempt to cross as the stream was swollen and dropped off a cliff after 50 yards. After pouting a little I gave in and we hiked up another branch of the trail.
There were significant signs of grizzly activity in the Many Glacier area. Bear scat was all over the tail. Roots were torn up from the ground every 1/4 mile.
We stopped at Flathead Lake and tried to make it to the island and see some wild horses but it did not work out. If I had it to do over again I would go later in the season and skip Flathead lake and spend all my time in GNP.
Featured image for home page:
Last edited:
