June 1, 2009
Russell and I have both wanted to see Glacier, the most remote of national parks, for years. In each of our previous trips to Montana we did not have time to get that far. So this was a MUCH anticipated destination. We headed to the more remote, rugged east side at St. Mary partly because it is the closest to the Canadian portion of the park.
We had been beating the season in each of our stops with good results, fewer crowds, more moderate weather and a lot of luck. This native Texan did internet research in planning each destination, but weather hadn’t been a focus. We had no idea that roads would still be closed on June 1 when we arrived at the KOA. The campground did have a few visitors, even though they had only just opened that week. Fortunately, we bought groceries on our way north, sensing that shopping would be limited in St. Mary. After several days at camp, we were low on several basic foods. The only grocery store in town had not gotten stocked yet!
The highlight of any trip to Glacier is the Going-To-The-Sun Highway, climbing between rugged peaks over the continental divide. An avalanche had occurred earlier in the week, closing the central and most spectacular section of road. This was certainly bad news for us, far worse for the crews who would have to repair the damage, but we were not sympathetic at the time. Going-To-The-Sun is the only road crossing Glacier NP. As with most national parks, there are several entrances; Two Medicine in the south, Waterton in Alberta, Canada, West Glacier, near Kalispell, St. Mary and Many Glacier in the east. Going-To-The-Sun connects St. Mary to West Glacier, while each of the other entrances is isolated from the others. We got to go to all 5 major entrances!
Driving the 14 miles west from St. Mary along St. Mary Lake, you can almost see melting snow and glaciers scraping away the terrain. Extreme winters leave their mark, resulting in razor sharp summits with only bare rock to tell the story. The colors of rock are deep cranberry, turquoise, slate, olive. We hiked to St. Mary Falls and you didn’t have to go far to witness rushing creeks and the river. The sounds of cascading water were everywhere. The white waterfall and rapids filled emerald lakes. Glacier fed lakes just have a different color than other lakes, certainly very different from the sandy-bottomed man-made lakes of Texas.
We drove to Many Glacier – hunting for bear…with our camera. Lovely drive, quaint, not-yet-opened lodge, no bear. We drove to Waterton Lake in Canada past Chief Mountain. Chief is imposing for several reasons; he is sitting all alone, larger mountains are off in the distance, he is more of a butte, flat-topped, not jagged and spiked like the surrounding mountains. He dominates the landscape from the north, but is not at all visible from the south.
The village of Waterton is purely for tourists. The Prince William Lodge, not yet open, sits high on a cliff above the village, kind of like Chief Mt. in the south, now that I think about it. Waterton is a wide finger lake that straddles the border of the USA and Canada. The southern tip of the lake is a point of entry to the USA for hikers only. You must have a passport to go past the shore. Waterton is called International Peace Park, the only park that crosses an international border. On the boat ride from the village south, you cross a roughly 10 foot stretch of land, running east-west, which is free of trees and a marker on each shore of the lake denoting the border. It is the easiest border crossing in the world. The guides joked that you feel a bump in the lake as the border is crossed.
We had carefully timed our Canadian trip to allow for boat trip, sight-seeing, and a return before 6PM, when the most convenient border crossing would close. The next week, their hours extend to 10PM, but we would be gone. We arrived at the dock to find that the summer schedule had started that day and the boat we expected to find had already sailed. The next available trip put us past the 6PM deadline. So we got to see more of the area, have a nice dinner and go bear hunting again. This time we were successful! We caught glimpses of two cinnamon bears playing and eating in a marshy area, seemingly unaware of us on the road above. What fun! We also snapped several pictures of a bald eagle perched only a few feet away from us. We could not believe our luck! Unfortunately, most of the shots were with the 35mm that was not properly loaded. No photo evidence exists to show how close we actually were.
The drive through Alberta to the next border crossing was a nice bonus. The terrain is rolling grassland with cattle and ranch houses dotting the landscape. Only random glacier-droppings of boulders remind you that you are not in Texas or Oklahoma. And there in the background was Chief Mountain welcoming us back to the USA. We also enjoyed driving through the picturesque town of Cardston, Alberta on our way to the border. We crossed the border uneventfully, but it was interesting that we had far more questions coming back to our own country that entering the one we visited.
Whenever we had an opportunity to visit with the local folks we asked, “What do ya’ll do in winter?” The answer was unanimous, “LEAVE!” The eastern side of glacier can reach temperatures of 65 below. Snow covers everything. Freezing temps can occur during any month up there. There was snow just before our visit and just after. Not just snow, but storms. Angels were smiling on us yet again. Further down the road, we talked to a man who had been at St. Mary just days after we had left. He fled in a driving snow storm!
NEXT TIME: JULY!
Russell and I have both wanted to see Glacier, the most remote of national parks, for years. In each of our previous trips to Montana we did not have time to get that far. So this was a MUCH anticipated destination. We headed to the more remote, rugged east side at St. Mary partly because it is the closest to the Canadian portion of the park.
We had been beating the season in each of our stops with good results, fewer crowds, more moderate weather and a lot of luck. This native Texan did internet research in planning each destination, but weather hadn’t been a focus. We had no idea that roads would still be closed on June 1 when we arrived at the KOA. The campground did have a few visitors, even though they had only just opened that week. Fortunately, we bought groceries on our way north, sensing that shopping would be limited in St. Mary. After several days at camp, we were low on several basic foods. The only grocery store in town had not gotten stocked yet!
The highlight of any trip to Glacier is the Going-To-The-Sun Highway, climbing between rugged peaks over the continental divide. An avalanche had occurred earlier in the week, closing the central and most spectacular section of road. This was certainly bad news for us, far worse for the crews who would have to repair the damage, but we were not sympathetic at the time. Going-To-The-Sun is the only road crossing Glacier NP. As with most national parks, there are several entrances; Two Medicine in the south, Waterton in Alberta, Canada, West Glacier, near Kalispell, St. Mary and Many Glacier in the east. Going-To-The-Sun connects St. Mary to West Glacier, while each of the other entrances is isolated from the others. We got to go to all 5 major entrances!
Driving the 14 miles west from St. Mary along St. Mary Lake, you can almost see melting snow and glaciers scraping away the terrain. Extreme winters leave their mark, resulting in razor sharp summits with only bare rock to tell the story. The colors of rock are deep cranberry, turquoise, slate, olive. We hiked to St. Mary Falls and you didn’t have to go far to witness rushing creeks and the river. The sounds of cascading water were everywhere. The white waterfall and rapids filled emerald lakes. Glacier fed lakes just have a different color than other lakes, certainly very different from the sandy-bottomed man-made lakes of Texas.
We drove to Many Glacier – hunting for bear…with our camera. Lovely drive, quaint, not-yet-opened lodge, no bear. We drove to Waterton Lake in Canada past Chief Mountain. Chief is imposing for several reasons; he is sitting all alone, larger mountains are off in the distance, he is more of a butte, flat-topped, not jagged and spiked like the surrounding mountains. He dominates the landscape from the north, but is not at all visible from the south.
The village of Waterton is purely for tourists. The Prince William Lodge, not yet open, sits high on a cliff above the village, kind of like Chief Mt. in the south, now that I think about it. Waterton is a wide finger lake that straddles the border of the USA and Canada. The southern tip of the lake is a point of entry to the USA for hikers only. You must have a passport to go past the shore. Waterton is called International Peace Park, the only park that crosses an international border. On the boat ride from the village south, you cross a roughly 10 foot stretch of land, running east-west, which is free of trees and a marker on each shore of the lake denoting the border. It is the easiest border crossing in the world. The guides joked that you feel a bump in the lake as the border is crossed.
We had carefully timed our Canadian trip to allow for boat trip, sight-seeing, and a return before 6PM, when the most convenient border crossing would close. The next week, their hours extend to 10PM, but we would be gone. We arrived at the dock to find that the summer schedule had started that day and the boat we expected to find had already sailed. The next available trip put us past the 6PM deadline. So we got to see more of the area, have a nice dinner and go bear hunting again. This time we were successful! We caught glimpses of two cinnamon bears playing and eating in a marshy area, seemingly unaware of us on the road above. What fun! We also snapped several pictures of a bald eagle perched only a few feet away from us. We could not believe our luck! Unfortunately, most of the shots were with the 35mm that was not properly loaded. No photo evidence exists to show how close we actually were.
The drive through Alberta to the next border crossing was a nice bonus. The terrain is rolling grassland with cattle and ranch houses dotting the landscape. Only random glacier-droppings of boulders remind you that you are not in Texas or Oklahoma. And there in the background was Chief Mountain welcoming us back to the USA. We also enjoyed driving through the picturesque town of Cardston, Alberta on our way to the border. We crossed the border uneventfully, but it was interesting that we had far more questions coming back to our own country that entering the one we visited.
Whenever we had an opportunity to visit with the local folks we asked, “What do ya’ll do in winter?” The answer was unanimous, “LEAVE!” The eastern side of glacier can reach temperatures of 65 below. Snow covers everything. Freezing temps can occur during any month up there. There was snow just before our visit and just after. Not just snow, but storms. Angels were smiling on us yet again. Further down the road, we talked to a man who had been at St. Mary just days after we had left. He fled in a driving snow storm!
NEXT TIME: JULY!
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