Day 19: First day in Glacier National Park

Miles driven to-date: 5,607
States visited to-date: 20



We got up early to begin our adventures in Glacier. The park spans over a million acres so we knew we’d have plenty to see. After taking over 250 pictures today, I can attest that it is an incredibly beautiful place! I know I keep changing my mind, but Glacier has probably been my favorite stop on the trip so far. The beautiful fresh air, abundance of gorgeous water, and lots of good hiking made it the perfect place for us.


We entered through West Glacier and journeyed down the only road in the park: the unbelievably scenic 52-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful the views were. Every place we stopped there were the most amazingly picturesque lakes (the color of the water reminded us of the Caribbean!) or huge mountain peaks. As a lover of everything aquatic, I was in heaven.





We had wanted to leave at least a couple of hours to take in all of the sights on Going-to-the-Sun, but ended up needing more time because we did an impromptu hike in the middle of the journey. This 1.5-mile jaunt led us to the lovely St. Mary’s Falls, where we got some more good pictures.

The road climbed over 3,000 feet during the journey so we soon began to see snow on mountain peaks. By the highest point – Logan’s Pass – there was snow on the ground, though it wasn’t all that cold when we stood in the sun. The guidebook said that lower elevation hiking trails are usually clear enough of snow to be passable by mid-June, though some at higher elevations aren’t open until mid-July! (Our hotel only opened on June 11^th of this year because of the snow.)

Driving through the park and stopping for pictures was one of the most pleasant ways to pass a day. Eventually we made it to East Glacier and traveled another 20 miles or so north to get to the Many Glacier Hotel, where we’d be staying for two nights. We were amazed by the view of the hotel that greeted us:

Our room felt like a cute cabin, with two twin beds and views of the mountains in the distance. The hotel was decorated like a Swiss chalet and had a huge fireplace in the lobby where we saw many people enjoying books and relaxing. Being right in the park was very convenient and the food at these lodges has been great thus far, so we were excited.

We knew it didn’t get dark until close to 10:30pm so we had time for another hike before dinner. We were told that a 2.5 mile loop around the lake in front of the hotel was a good way to take in the sights, so we set out in the mid-afternoon (feeling grateful the whole time that we had invested in good hiking boots). When the hotel’s concierge checked on the hiking conditions for me, I overheard him confirming that another nearby trail was closed due to multiple bear sightings. Then, as we started on the trail, a man informed us that two people had just finished walking our same loop and had spotted a grizzly about a mile into it. We were a little nervous, feeling torn (get it?) between wanting to see one (and getting its picture for the blog!) and wanting to make it home in one piece.

The beautiful hiking trail around the lake.

We learned that about 350 grizzlies and black bears inhabit this part of the park and we also picked up a few tips about how to best coexist with the creatures. Contrary to how one would normally behave while enjoying the wilderness, you’re supposed to make a lot of noise – loud talking, singing, clapping – so that you don’t startle the animals as they graze. This felt odd as we usually try to be so quiet and respectful of our natural surroundings, but I suppose it’s good advice.

While keeping a close eye out for bears, we stopped for a quick break at the edge of the lake and Steve’s eagle eyes spotted this large creature (below) in the water. It was a little too far for a great photo, but hopefully you can see that it was a giant moose! I did get some good video of it shaking its antlers and frolicking in the lake.

We tried to get around the bend to get a better view, but knowing how dangerous it could be to run around the corner of one of these trails and into the mouth of a grizzly, we had to take it slow and by the time we got there, the moose had sauntered back into the woods. We did see it through the branches about 15 feet away, though! I couldn’t believe how big it was – I was completely in awe.

After returning to the lodge, we attended an informational program run by one of the rangers. Glacier is bordered on the north by the great country of Canada and its sister park is called Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta (the province where my Mom was born!). The presenter was from Waterton and had grown up living in all different Canadian national parks because her Dad was a ranger. She told us some fascinating facts about wildlife in the park . . . did you know that bears only eat about 10% meat? They get most of their protein from moths and other insects, but the bulk of their diet consists of berries and roots. They spend up to 18 hours a day foraging for food and have better senses of smell than do bloodhounds. We tried to pay attention but got the giggles when the ranger played a sound clip of the noise that a certain bird makes and then asked the audience what kind of wildlife might make such a noise. A little guy in the front row excitedly raised his hand and blurted out, “A train!”

We enjoyed a late dinner in the hotel’s pub (Moose Drool beer on tap!) and fell into bed, tired but excited for more exploring the next day.