One of the purposes behind these many months of travel
has been to find the best spots that are still preserved in Western United
States. In other words, places that aren’t too
crowded, polluted or overdeveloped yet.
After visits to about a dozen major state and regional
parks, Glacier National Park worked its way to the top as the most relaxing and
enjoyable U.S. park to visit, even in the height of summer tourist season.
Located at the northern edge of Montana, flush against
the Canadian border, Glacier offers the relaxing summer experiences of boating,
swimming, fishing and hiking, and also the spectacular chance to come close to
wildlife such as bears and mountain goats. Your breath is taken away by the
mountain vistas and wildflowers.
Yes, there are people here, but they are not here in the
thousands you’ll find in Yellowstone National Park. Camping is accessible
without making reservations, and even Going to the Sun
Road, considered one of the most impressive examples of roadway engineering
anywhere, is not a stressful drive.
For an extended adventure, it’s easy to pop over the
border to visit Waterton Lakes, the Canadian sister
park to Glacier. Together, the two parks are among the most beautiful territory
along the U.S.-Canada border. Remember, a U.S. passport is now required for
citizens traveling to Canada.
Here are some of the highlights of a trip to Glacier
National Park.
Lake
McDonald
Located on the west entrance road to Glacier National
Park, Lake McDonald is a lake with a view of Glacier’s snow-topped mountains.
Warm enough to swim in during the summer, but subject to quickly changing
weather, the lake is open to boating, including motorboats. Renting a motorboat
for a quick spin around the lake is one of the most fun things to do in the
park. Rentals are $25 per hour at the Apgar Village
dock and slightly higher from the McDonald Lake Lodge.
Though you can’t get close to shore, the feeling of wind
blowing through your hair as the boat speeds across the water is a truly
freeing experience.
If piloting your own vessel isn’t your thing, there are
also daytime and evening tours of the lake on a vintage 1930s touring boat that
departs from the McDonald Lake Lodge. Fees this summer were $15 per adult
passenger. The narrated tour delivers a synopsis of area history and a chance
to see birds and fish on the lake.
Though the Apgar campground, at
the western end of Lake McDonald, is one of the most populated areas in the
park, there is still wildlife in the area. A mother bear and cubs made their
summer home along one of the bike paths leading to West Glacier village this
year. Stay away from animals, especially bears, which can be dangerous. This
correspondent had the chance to see the bears while jogging in the park, but
instead decided to run the other direction.
Avalanche
Lake
A short but challenging hike into the foothills above
Lake McDonald brings you to Avalanche Lake, a high alpine lake fed with snow
runoff. At the lake, you’ll see cascading waterfalls delivering that snowmelt
on the far end, which is inaccessible to hikers. You’re also quite likely to
hear an actual avalanche.
The hike is approximately 2.5 miles one way and departs
from the Avalanche Campground. A shorter route takes you through a cedar forest
and by a rushing river. This is a safe place to walk without fear of bears;
there are so many people using the trail that they typically stay away from the
area.
Going
to the Sun
Due to heavy snowfall in the winter months, Going to the Sun Road is open just a few months every year.
This road transports you over Logan Pass and to the east side of the park, home
to many more beautiful lakes. However, the drive and stops along the way are
among the highlights in the park.
Constructed in the 1930s with Works Progress
Administration labor, the road transports you over cliffs and around mountains,
and crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, where you can stop and take a
hike to the lovely Hidden Lake.
This is where the mountain goats hang out. The hike takes
you up a series of boardwalk staircases from the visitors center and then into
the snow zone. Even in mid-July, there is up to two feet of snow standing on
the ground here.
In the alpine tree line, families of mountain goats are
enjoying the chance to eat tasty plants without having to root through the snow
to get to them. We spotted more than a dozen goats, which although they were
quite close to the path, seemed uncaring about the presence of people.
Many
Glacier
Another beautiful place to walk and camp, Many Glacier is
accessed by a completely different road from the rest of the park, and you must
travel through the town of St. Mary and a small amount of the Blackfoot Indian
Reservation to get there. The extra effort, however, is well worth it.
Many Glacier is where the
glaciers in the park are, including Grinnell Glacier, which you can hike to if
you’re a hearty and experienced outdoors person.
For a more accessible route, the hikes around Swiftcurrent Lake, Lake Josephine and Grinnell Lake are
recommended. This path is relatively flat, although it is at an elevation just
under 5,000 feet, but the views and wildflowers are gorgeous here.
Many Glacier is one place where
you might want to secure a reservation before visiting. It is perhaps the most
popular destination in the park with the fewest resources, and campground and
hotel reservations go fast for the summer.
The Many Glacier Hotel, built in 1914, is worth a stop
even if you don’t stay there.
On a previous trip to this park, I had hiked around these
lakes and was stunned by their beauty and peacefulness — and terrified at the
large bear tracks in the trail mud. On this trip, there were no bears in sight,
and fewer people on the trails than I remembered. It was really a walk through
paradise.
Leah Etling is on an extended road trip
through the Western U.S. and Canada. Email her at etling@hotmail.com.