Road trip part 3: Glacier National Park

We headed out right away for the remaining 3 hours of our trip to Glacier. As we drove we could see mountains getting closer. Our drive to the west entrance took us right around the south end of Glacier. Once we got there we got Jr. Ranger books for the kids and advice from a park ranger about a few trails we could check out. (Unfortunately, one hike I was really looking forward to making was currently closed due to bear activity. The ranger said that since it’s spring, bears are hungry.) We had a picnic lunch at the south end of Lake McDonald, took in those new mountain views and skipped rocks.

Our first hike was John’s Lake, looping about 3 miles at the north end of Lake McDonald. The kids did fantastic, and we took in all kinds of awesome views of McDonald Creek. We also saw a mule deer, not spooked at all by our presence.  After checking in to our lodge at Apgar Village we had dinner at Eddie’s Cafe, the restaurant right next to our lodge. We grabbed cones of huckleberry ice cream and went to the shore of Lake McDonald to explore the rocks. The kids could have played there for hours. Henry gathered the fluffy seeds falling everywhere from the trees, and Olivia played with the rich colors the rocks gave, making a rainbow.

 

I woke up at 5:30 to go to the shore of Lake McDonald to take in the sunrise over the mountains. It was a peaceful, beautiful way to start the day.

Glacier is known for Going to the Sun Road, a scenic road that runs the west end to the east, a national icon for its beauty. Unfortunately, the middle section runs through higher mountain ranges that can still have snow in June. Normally it would be cleared out by this time of year, but it wasn’t. You can drive the road to a certain point from either west or east, but not all the way through as Logan’s Pass was closed for plowing. Knowing this, we decided to spend a day to take the two hour drive it would take to travel the south end of the park to get to the east entrance and see the sights from that side of the park. It was a long, bumpy, windy drive, but with beautiful views at every turn. Right at the south tip of the park we pulled over at Goat Like Overlook to catch a view of a mountain goat. In the spring, minerals are released from the rocks, and the goats come to lick them.

Once at the east side, we ventured to make the approximately 6-mile round trip hike to see St. Mary’s and Virginia Falls. The wild flowers were in great abundance and we came across mule deer on three separate occasions, allowing us to get quite close, and in one case, blocking our path. Other wildlife signs included what I speculated to be moose tracks (mother and young), and what a park ranger later confirmed to be most likely moose droppings.

The hike was beautiful with multiple spots along the way to enjoy the various falls. On our return trip it was incredible to look back and see the small spot of water that was Virginia Falls, coming out of the mountain side. Grand in size when we were right at the base of it, but looking so small from the distance of the start of our hike.

We finished as much of the drive on the Going to the Sun Road as we could until it was closed from that side. In the process we stopped at Wild Goose Island, one of the most photographed spots of the park, also featured in a few movies. We stepped inside the Glacier Lodge known for its historic, rustic architecture. We sipped coffee while the kids worked on their Jr. Ranger books.  I would have loved to hike the 7 miles it would take to see Grinnell Glacier, one of the 25 glaciers that still exist in the park, but that would have obviously been too much for the kids.

Bear Grass, a common flower growing there.

On our drive back to the west side, we stopped at a restaurant outside of the park for a 100% home cooked dinner. Once back to our lodge we treated the kids to huckleberry shakes. How fun to pull up and see a gentleman putting together an alpine horn to play. Nothing like sipping huckleberry shakes in the Rocky Mountains while listening to a man in lederhosen playing an Alpine horn. After, the kids enjoyed another evening of playing in Lake McDonald.

We grabbed breakfast from Eddie’s, the café right next to our lodge. Henry and I shared the mountain goat oatmeal with huckleberries.

There was a trail that brings you to a lake known for wildlife sightings. It would be a 4-mile round-trip hike. The timing was going to be tight to make it back for a scheduled boat ride we had, but we gave it a try. Just the drive to the trail head was a little nerve-racking as most of the road was only wide enough for one vehicle. I was so nervous we would meet another around a bend. I was also nervous because we were in bear country, and being in such a remote place, we didn’t have the comfort of other people around us, helping to warn bears we were there. Pat wore the bear bell we bought on-line, had the bear spray ready, and was clapping his hands. The idea is to make noise so bears aren’t surprised by us. The kids may not have been well recovered from the hike the day before, because their wining told us we weren’t going to win on this hike. Maybe about half way into the hike, we turned around to leave. It may have been for the best. I was so nervous about running into bears. I desperately wanted to see one, but preferably from the safety of our vehicles. I may have even bribed the kids with $5 for spotting a bear or moose for me.

Once back, we attended a ranger program about wolves. There, the kids also talked to the ranger for a bit, showed their finished Jr. Ranger books, and got sworn in a Jr. Rangers, getting a badge and all. They thought that was pretty cool and they wore them proudly.

After grabbing a quick lunch in our lodge, we headed to the north end of Lake McDonald for a boat tour. We boarded an 87-year-old boat. A ranger on board gave us a great history of the area while we traveled. From hearing about a fire that happened on one side of the lake, to hearing how some of the mountains got their names, it was all very interesting.

We stopped for a snack, skipped more rocks, and then went on a hike through the Trail of the Cedars. It’s a hike less than a mile, designed to be wheel-chair friendly. It was absolutely beautiful.

 Then we had dinner at the Lake McDonald Lodge. Also known for the historic and rustic architecture, there were many interesting things to see including animal mounts. The dinner was probably my favorite from the trip. Pat and Henry shared bison meatloaf while Olivia and I shared an elk burger with huckleberry sauce. (Yes, I wanted to try as many huckleberry things as possible on the trip.)

 Back to our end of Lake McDonald (The lake is 10 miles long!), the kids desperately wanted to “swim” in it. Knowing very well how cold it was I didn’t want to hold them back from making this memory. So yes, they “swam” in the glacier waters of the Rocky Mountains. 😊 After warm showers we topped the night off with none other than another huckleberry shake.

Our last morning at Glacier, I woke Olivia up early for her to watch and photograph the sunrise with me. (She was disappointed when I did it the first time without her.) In visiting with another guest, she told me about an eagle perched in a nearby tree. It’s his “fishing” tree, where he sits and waits to dive for a fish. We watched him for a while before heading back for breakfast and packing up the car. It was going to be a 12.5 hour drive to our next destination of Rapid City, SD. I can’t express how amazing our kids did on this leg of the journey! There wasn’t a single whine or complain from them that whole time! They only came out for one quick bathroom break, and then again when we were almost there, for dinner. We listened to The Penderwicks story on CD and they watched Finding Dory. I gave them a magic coloring book, and they each napped a bit. They certainly earned their ice cream treat from DQ that night!

On our drive, we got the biggest kick out of this goat riding in the back of the truck.