Montana, USA: Glacier National Park

Above right: Lower Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana.

Above: Sinopah Mountain (8271 feet or 2521 meters) reflects in Pray Lake at sunrise, at Two Medicine Lake Campground. (Panorama stitched from 4 images.)

Hiking Tips

Recommended hiking guidebook: "Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park", from The Mountaineers Books (2003 edition).

Right: Baring Creek tumbles over red and yellow rocks, a short hike from Lake Saint Mary on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Weather

www.glacier.national-park.com/weather.htm
Forecast for West Glacier: www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=west+glacier%2C+mt
Forecast for East Glacier: www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=east+glacier+park%2C+mt
NWS forecast for all zones in Montana: www.weather.gov/view/prodsByState.php?state=mt&prodtype=zone
Fire & smoke risk: To see the latest air clarity, look at the webcams for the park: www.nps.gov/glac/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

If Logan Pass is closed, driving around the south end of Glacier NP on Highway 2 takes only an extra 30 minutes, by way of East Glacier, to West Glacier.

Campground tips

Hot Showers are available at: Rising Sun Campground Store; Apgar West Entrance KOA; St. Mary Lake KOA; adjacent to Many Glacier Campground at Swiftcurrent Motor Inn; Rising Sun Inn (6 miles west of St. Mary Visitor’s Center, & 5 miles west of St Mary Campground); Waterton Park townsite campground; and others outside the park.
Per site limits are 2 vehicles, 8 people, & 2 tents (where space is available) in Glacier NP.
After Labor Day, all Glacier NP campgrounds are "first come first served" (non-reservable) campgrounds -- arriving between 10am-1:30pm very likely gets a site. Check out time is 12:00 noon (re-register by 11:30 am).
Camping along Going-to-the-Sun Road:

Rising Sun Campground (on Lake McDonald) is open thru Sept 17, 2007. Adjacent to the campground is a camp store, a casual restaurant, and token operated showers (1 shower stall for men, 1 for women). Flush toilets; dump station. $20. In August 2007, it usually filled up after 6:00pm.
Saint Mary campground, $23. Flush toilets; dump station, open 5/25 - 9/23/07; first come first served after Sept 3 (sites are reservable June 1 through September 3).
Campgrounds near Lake McDonald / West Glacier:

Apgar Campground (rarely fills up)
Fish Creek campground is closed after Sept 4, 2007. Reservable in summer, but usually doesn't fill up.
Sprague Creek Campground) is open thru Sept 17. $20. Flush toilets.
Avalanche Campground is closed after Sept 4.

Many Glacier Campground open thru Sept 23, then primitive (waterless) thru Sept 29. $20. Flush toilets; dump station. Filled up most days from 2 to 7:00pm in August 2007. Public showers & laundry are located behind Swiftcurrent Motor Inn's Registration building. 3 shower stalls for men, 4 for women.
Two Medicine Lake Campground: generally shaded by trees, some privacy. Open thru Sept 23. $20. No showers.
Glacier NP campgrounds, current filling status & details: home.nps.gov/applications/glac/cgstatus/cgstatus.cfm
Plus numerous RV parks outside the National Park, with full facilities, such as the towns of West Glacier, East Glacier, & St Mary:

Polson / Flathead Lake KOA (800) 562-2130
West Glacier KOA (800) 562-3313
St. Mary / East Glacier KOA (800) 562-1504

Day Hikes

Check trail status at: www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/trailstatusreports.htm
Tom's PRIORITY KEY for hikes below: ***best. **excellent. *good if you have extra time. In addition to hikes below, many short hikes are available, with waterfalls, views, geology and so forth. Rainy day activities include waterfall hikes, games, or a good book.

West Glacier area

** Bowman Lake, Numa Ridge Lookout (11.4 mi round trip, 2935 ft). "Magnificent grandeur of Bowman Valley & jade colored Bowman Lake..." Drive 21 miles from Apgar to Polebridge, via Camas Road, to the "Outside North Fork Road" of which 11 miles are bumpy gravel. (Don't take the "Inside Road", which is very slow & bumpy, almost 4wd). From Polebridge, drive 6 miles gravel road to the trailhead at Bowman Lake Campground.

Right: Rockwell Falls on Cobalt Creek, on the hike to Cobalt Lake, in the Two Medicine Lake area of Glacier National Park.

Two Medicine Lake area

** Upper Two Medicine Lake (9.4 miles round trip, 370 feet gain)
* Cobalt Lake (11.4 miles round trip, 1400 feet gain) good viewpoints, attractive Rockwell Falls, colorful rocks, beautiful lake, beaver ponds, meadows. With extra energy, hike Two Medicine Pass (4.4 miles round trip, 830 feet, from Cobalt Lake) for "commanding view" of neighboring Paradise Park and Park Creek drainage.
Short hikes:

Running Eagle Falls (0.6 miles round trip)
Paradise Point (1.2 miles round trip) scenic peninsula that juts into Two Medicine Lake
Aster Falls (2.4 miles round trip)

Going-to-the-Sun Road area

*** Siyeh Pass (10.3 miles traverse one way with shuttle, 2390 up, 3300 down) (or 9.4 mi round trip without shuttle, 2390 feet gain). High alpine scenery. Open 8/9/07. Or even better to hike the following:
*** Piegan Pass (13 miles traverse one way with shuttle, 1720 feet up) via Grinnell Lake & Josephine Lake to Swiftcurrent Lake trailhead. Same trailhead as Siyeh Pass, at Siyeh Bend.
* Otokomi Lake (10 mi round trip, 1900 ft) Deep red rocks, green forest, colorful scenery. Start at Rising Sun Campground. Open 8/9/07.
** Gunsight Lake (12.6 miles round trip; 1700 feet gain): popular day hike. Start at Jackson Glacier turnout, 4.9 miles east of Logan Pass. "Views of glaciers and mountains fill the horizon."
*** Hidden Lake (6 mi round trip, or shorter if you don't descend to lake, 1200 ft). We hiked this in 2002 -- one of our favorite hikes in the world -- well worth hiking again, this time in blue sky weather. "The parking lot at Logan Pass usually fills between the hours of 10:00am to 2:00pm, though this can vary during peak weekends." Logan Pass (6,646 feet) is 32 miles from the west entrance and 18 miles from the east entrance.
*** Swiftcurrent Pass (15.2 miles one way, backpacked in two days, 1400 feet gain, car shuttle) via Garden Wall (which can also be hiked 11.8 mi, 800 ft, one way with shuttle; plus 1200-ft, 2-mile side trip to spectacular Grinnel Lake overlook) "If you just have one day in the park, hike this". Swiftcurrent Pass can also be day hiked 1 to 15 miles round trip, from zero or 3500 feet gain. Hiking up 2300 feet gains you a sufficiently good view.

Many Glacier Campground area

*** Iceberg Lake (9.4 miles RT, 1220 ft) (see also Ptarmigan Tunnel) Ice bergs in milky blue lake below 3000-foot cliffs. TRAIL OPEN - 8/8/07. 4.8 miles roun trip to junction above Ptarmigan Falls, plus 4.6 miles RT to Iceberg Lake.
** Ptarmigan Tunnel (11.2 miles RT, 2315 ft) (see also Iceberg Lake) Fun tunnel, spectacular scenery. 4.8 miles round trip to junction above Ptarmigan Falls, plus 5.2 miles round trip to Tunnel.
*** Cracker Lake (11.2 mi RT, 1140 ft) Most eye-catching turquoise lake in park; 3000-foot cliffs; nice waterfalls. TRAIL OPEN from Cracker Flats to Cracker Lake 8/2/07.
*** Grinnel Glacier (7.6 miles with boat rt, 11 miles without, 1700 ft) Gets close to the glacier, plus outstanding scenery. Open 7/13/07. Or hike Grinnel Lake, best via Piegan Pass traverse (above).

Waterton Lakes NP, CANADA (bring USA passport)

** Carthew Traverse (12 miles one way, 2300 ft, car shuttle) We loved this so much in 2002, we may hike it again. High alpine lakes, meadows, waterfalls. (Stays within Canada; no boat required.)
* Bertha Lake (8.6 mi rt, 1542 ft) "Beautiful subalpine lake". Falls.
* Goat Lake (8 mi, 984 ft rt) "Pretty area". This trail starts at the exceptionally colorful Red Rock Canyon (which has a nice short nature trail, seen in 2002).
Goat Haunt (2-12 miles round trip, 1000 ft gain). Requires boat ride on Waterton Lakefrom Canada into USA (& back). Bring USA passports. In 2002, this boat ride was not very scenic in the opinion of Carol and I -- * you probably need to hike or backpack into the mountains for better views. (Must get backcountry permit in Glacier NP, not Waterton.) The commercial boat (403) 859-2362 down Waterton Lake (Canada) to Goat Haunt, USA, may be cancelled, but other boats may run. Must leave Waterton dock by 4pm sailing to enable check in to US customs at Goat Haunt between 9am-5:30pm. Click here for latest Goat Haunt trail info from Glacier NP. At Goat Haunt you can do any or all of the following:

Day hikes from Goat Haunt: several "excellent hikes" 2-12 miles, and/or
camp overnight at open-sided shelters at the Goat Haunt boat dock, without having to carry a pack, or
backpack from Goat Haunt: Lake Francis 12.4 miles round trip, 1000 ft, plus optional 8 mile rt day extension to Brown Pass where "views are tremendous"

Backpacking

Check weather and reserve backcountry campsites at 8:00am, one day in advance, at the following offices: St. Mary Visitor Center, Two Medicine Ranger Station, Many Glacier RS, Polebridge RS, or Apgar Visiter Center. Popular campsites may be hard to get. Backpacking permit fees = $5 per person per night in 2007. Advance reservation fee ($30) is waived if reserved less than 24 hours in advance.

Sample Camping Itinerary after Labor Day

Sept 6, 2007:

Nugget Camp & RV Park (former KOA, now Good Sam in 2007) 1.888.800.0125, 105 Old Hwy 10E, St. Regis, Montana; http://www.nuggetcamp.com. Tents sites, RV sites, cabins. Hot showers; heated pool.
Directions from Seattle (405 miles, about 6 hours 30 min): Take Interstate 90 to Exit #33; then on Highway 135 (our turn to Glacier NP), go north 100 feet. Turn right (east) on Mullan Road at the flashing red light. Go past the Super 8 Motel one mile to Nugget's driveway on the left.

Sept 7:

Nugget Camp in St Regis is 3.5 hours / 145 miles to Glacier NP. (The city of Kalispell is 1 hour from the park.)
Directions from St Regis to Glacier NP: Take H135 to H200 going north, to H28 to H93 north to Kalispell, then H2 to Columbia Falls and West Glacier, then turn into Glacier NP on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Visit Apgar Visitor Center.
Bowman Lake Campground: will be our second night. Directions: From Apgar Visitor Center, take Camas Road 11 miles north, then turn right (north) on the "Outside North Fork Road" 13 miles to Polebridge (half on gravel). From Polebridge, follow signs 7.3 miles on gravel roads to Bowman Lake Campground. $15. Pit toilets. Sites rarely fill up. Water is available through Sept 14, then "primitive" camping. (Don't take the "Inside North Fork Road" from Fish Creek to Polebridge, which is very slow & bumpy, almost 4wd).

Sept 8:

hike Numa Ridge Lookout (11.4 mi round trip, 2935 ft) "...magnificent grandeur of Bowman Valley & jade colored Bowman Lake..."
Drive 32 miles, and sleep at Apgar Campground: $20. Open thru Nov 30. Flush toilets; dump station. 194 sites, largest in the park. Only filled up once in August 2007. Can buy hot showers from RV park in West Glacier

Sept 9:

Traverse Siyeh Pass with car shuttle (or hike easy & fabulous Hidden Lake at Logan Pass; "The parking lot at Logan Pass usually fills between the hours of 10:00am to 2:00pm, though this can vary during peak weekends.").
Stay at Rising Sun Campground (which is the first campground east of Logan Pass; on the Going-to-the-Sun Road); hot showers at its Store. Claim a campsite before the hike.

Sept 10 - 13: Two Medicine Lake area: Dawson Pass backpack 2-3 days; plus Cobalt Lake day hike. Siyeh Pass traverse.
Sept 14 - 18: Many Glacier area: Iceberg Lake/Ptarmigan Tunnel, Grinnel Glacier (or Cracker Lake). Maybe Carthew Traverse, Waterton Lakes NP. Hidden Lake at Logan Pass.
Sept 19, 2007: depart Glacier National Park to return to Seattle, Washington, driving two days and arriving Sept 20.

Hike Siyeh Bend to Preston Park to Siyeh Pass to Baring Creek

Lake Saint Mary

Hike from Many Glacier to Ptarmigan Tunnel and Lake

Hike from Siyeh Bend to Piegan Pass to Many Glacier

Many Glacier

Left: Many Glacier Hotel, on Swiftcurrent Lake, in Glacier National Park.

Below right: An oar boat on Swiftcurrent Lake near Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park.

Backpack from Logan Pass to Garden Wall to Swiftcurrent Creek to Many Glacier

The last rays of sunset light the peaks seen from Granite Park, in Glacier National Park.

Left: Trees are silhouetted at sunset seen from Granite Park Campground, in the backcountry of Glacier National Park.

Below right: Icebergs from Grinnell Glacier melt into Upper Grinnell Lake.
Icebergs in Upper Grinnell Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana.

Swiftcurrent Creek Valley. Glacier National Park, Montana.

Left: Part way down from Swiftcurrent Pass, we see Bullhead Lake in Swiftcurrent Creek Valley, Glacier National Park.

Glacier National Park, Montana: Upper Grinnell Lake overlook

Above right: Upper Grinnell Lake Overlook, Grinnell Glacier, and Mt. Gould. Glacier National Park, Montana.

Left: The Gem Glacier hangs on the shoulder of Mt. Gould, in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Hidden Lake hike from Logan Pass

Two Medicine Lake