GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA
After years of wanting to visit, today I finally got to see Glacier National Park for the first time!
Mom, Dad, and I stayed in Great Falls, MT last night, which is about 3 hours from the park. Far away, I know, but that's the closest town on the east side of the park that is big enough to have hotels; its population is about 59,000 people. It is also where I stopped to buy bear spray for the trail. More on that later!
I was on the road by 5:00 am, with Mom and Dad telling me to watch out for bears as I headed out. (Parents never stop parenting, no matter how old their babies get. ❤️) Mom and Dad would drive up separately and we would all meet at the Airbnb on the west side of the park later that day.
Many Glacier Park Entrance
A single trailhead leads to both Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel and is accessible from the small Many Glacier entrance on the east side of the park, just north of the main St. Mary entrance. The drive into the park is beautiful, following a river with the mountains in the background. Here's a quick snap from my window, just outside the park entrance.
As pretty as this picture is, it's nothing compared to what I got to see later inside the park!
I arrived at the trailhead right around 8:00 am. There was still plenty of parking and the trails weren't busy yet (yay!), so I holstered up my bear spray and headed out.
Iceberg Lake
According to AllTrails.com, this trail is rated A+ for grizzly bear viewing. I just discovered that now as I'm typing this or I would have been far more nervous hiking this trail alone! (Or maybe A+ means you will NOT see a grizzly in your path? Seeing a grizzly up close and personal seems like an F to me!)
The sky that morning was hazy and the clouds covered the peaks of the mountains in the distance, but it made for some pretty incredible shots.
I included this picture below because it shows the thick undergrowth, anywhere from hip to shoulder high, and which seemed perfect for bears to hide in until an unsuspecting hiker, aka "dinner" walks by.
The thing that surprised me most is that all the trails in Glacier National Park smell like Christmas! I'm not sure what kind of evergreen trees are in the park (or even what kind of evergreen is traditionally cut down for Christmas trees -- Douglas fir, maybe?), but I do know there was a constant aroma of Christmas tree wafting through the air. It was heavenly. (Charlie, this is your cue to correct my grossly inadequate botanical knowledge!)
Here's a shot of the mountains in the distance that surround Iceberg Lake. The plants along the trail are at least waist high. To the left is a steep drop off into a deep canyon. Some women on the trail said there was a moose down there, but I couldn't see anything more than a black speck. It is deep!
Getting closer! You can see a tiny lake in this picture, but it isn't the actual Iceberg Lake.
And here it is - Iceberg Lake! It is absolutely beautiful and the water is crystal clear. Plus, the mountains surrounding it are HUGE, which means it is nearly impossible to take a picture close up -- all you can see is water with rock behind it. You can't capture it all from close up.
I stopped and had a little snack lakeside while soaking up the scenery. So pretty.
Ptarmigan Tunnel
From Iceberg Lake, I headed back to the parking lot. About halfway back is a fork that leads to Ptarmigan Tunnel.
Built in the 1930's, Ptarmigan Tunnel is a 240’ long tunnel that spans the Ptarmigan Wall, a 1700’ thin ridge of rock separating two valleys carved by glaciers. According to my google machine, a ptarmigan is a northern grouse (bird) of mountainous and arctic regions, with feathered legs and feet, and plumage that turns white in winter. Hmm. Who knew?
The trail worked its way through a heavily wooded area. There were no hikers around, so I kept my eyes peeled for bears. Then finally, the trail opened up into a wide open area and that's when I realized I had quite the climb ahead of me!
In the pic below, the trail climbs up and to the right, then switches back to the left, and once again to the right along that upper level of the ridge. The tunnel is up and to the right of those two red boxes I drew below. It was FAR.
I finally made it to the opening of the tunnel. Here's a view looking back, roughly south / southwest -- you can see the trail I hiked up. Near that lake is where I took the picture above.
Proof I was there. :)
Ok, let's take a look at that tunnel!
Stupid pretty.
Here's a view from the backside of the tunnel, looking north / northwest. Look at that red mountain!
And here's a view from that same ledge, with the tunnel in the frame. See it off to the left?
Total miles = 14.95
Total elevation gain = 3,001'
Peak elevation = 7,281'
From here, I drove through Glacier National Park on the Going to the Sun Road (which transverses the park from east to west) and drove to my Airbnb in Columbia Falls. Mom and Dad had arrived just before me, so our timing was perfect.
The next morning, I woke up thrilled I wasn't sore. I hadn't done a real hike in nearly 3 months and I was happy my lungs and legs were cooperating after spending the last two months at sea level. Whew!