GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA
Glacier National Park is packed with trails. Here are some of the shorter, easier hikes I did.
Avalanche Lake via Trail of the Cedars
Wed, 15 Sep 2021
After work, I headed into the park to hike Avalanche Lake Trail. It was a gray dreary day and the house was (too) quiet after Mom and Dad left early that morning, so it was especially good to get outside.
I started my hike just before 4:00 pm and the trail was PACKED! I met a steady line of people, both on my way to and from the lake. Not my ideal hiking situation - I prefer the trail to myself so I can pretend I'm the only person who has ever beheld these sites ... at the ends of well-trodden trails. :) But on the bright side, I didn't have to worry about running into a bear on such a busy trail!
I love how, on all my hikes through Glacier National Park, the air smells like Christmas. The fresh air with hints of pine is heavenly.
Here is a picture of Avalanche Lake. I'm sure a bright blue sky would have been more impressive, but the darky moody clouds make a dramatic view. Notice the waterfalls running down the mountainside.
On the way back, I completed the Trail of the Cedars loop, which took me around the other side of Avalanche Creek on a boardwalk where I saw this awesome gorge with pristine blue glacier water.
You can't really see it from this angle, but in the back, there is a tiered waterfall through this slot canyon, with the same smooth rounded walls that I saw in northern Arizona and Utah. LOVE!!!
Total miles = 4.9
Total elevation gain = 739'
Peak elevation = 3,989'
Apgar Lookout
Thu, 16 Sep 2021
Today was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and those big white clouds I love so much. I decided to do Apgar Lookout Trail after work. This was a quieter trail - I ran into just a couple small parties on the hike, so I had to keep my eyes open for bears this time.
Here is the view halfway up:
Along the way, I passed a family - a dad, mom, and two young girls, maybe 6 and 8. The dad was playing 90's music from his phone and the girls were singing along at the tops of their lungs. The dad explained they use music instead of bells to scare the bears away. It seemed to be working and was ADORABLE to boot!
The leaves are starting to change color so I got a little bit of color toward the top as well:
At the of the Apgar Lookout Trail is, you guessed it, an actual lookout! I wasn't expecting this, but sure makes sense in retrospect.
And proof I was there, although it looks like I took this in front of a painted backdrop.
On the way back, I passed another family - a young couple, probably mid-20's, and presumably the parents of one of the young people. I noticed the dad was carrying his bear spray in hand, like a cocked gun, ready for use.
I inquired and the young woman said she had seen a bear just a minute ago, ahead on the trail. So the dad had the bear spray out and ready to use just in case. Up until this point, I just had my bear spray in my holster, but learned from them that carrying the spray can in my hand wasn't a bad idea, particularly on trails where I'm the only one around.
No bears for me today and that's fine by me!
Total miles = 7.2
Total elevation gain = 1,934'
Peak elevation = 5,250'
Aster Park Overlook & Rockwell Falls
Wed, 22 Sept 2021
Two Medicine Lake is an area on the southeast side of Glacier National Park, with its own entrance near East Glacier Park Village. I had read about this lake and decided to check out the Aster Park Overlook and Rockwell Falls Trail.
The trailhead is an hour from my house in Babb, but it took me longer to get there because I had to keep stopping along the way to take pictures. How pretty is this with all the fall foliage?
Sorry, I know it's a lot of roadside pics, but just one more. How can I not?
Ok, I'll stop with the road side pics. I finally made it to the trailhead, which starts at a huge parking lot along the shore of Two Medicine Lake. Less than half a mile in, I saw several people standing next to the shoreline. checking out these two moose enjoying the water. It's a good thing the people were there or I'd have walked right by and missed them. How cool is this?
I finally got to see real live moose in the wild ... AND at a perfectly safe distance from me!
The rest of the hike was far less eventful. The two highlights were one, the INCREDIBLE fall foliage ...
And two, the Rockwell Falls!
In the shot below, look through the trees to the second tier of the waterfall above.
Proof I was there. :)
Total miles = 8.41
Total elevation gain = 1,272'
Peak elevation = 5,776'