Glacier National Park

Happy Weekend! I’m spending it getting back into my everyday routine. I did a lot of cleaning and laundry for the past few days since I’ve been home.

I’m so excited to share with you my trip to Glacier National Park. All of the photos in the world could never do this place justice. It’s truly a beautiful place that you need to experience for yourself to really appreciate it. Before I tell you all about the amazing things we did in a short amount of time, I need to give a shoutout. 

 

Growing up, my parents took me all over the country exploring new places just about every summer. I have been to almost all 50 US states and over 10 different countries. I grew up extremely fortunate to have parents who could afford to travel and enjoyed showing me the world. All of the trips and places I’ve been wouldn’t have been possible without my parents. My dad especially, for planning every vacation we’ve taken. I’m so thankful for each and every trip.

 

So, are you ready to hear about Glacier?

 

 

We took the LONG drive all the way from Wisconsin to Glacier National Park. If you’re not familiar with this national park, it’s located in the northern part of Montana, close to the Canadian Border. Glacier National Park is full of mountains, lakes, wildlife, flowers, waterfalls, streams, rivers, and active glaciers. There is so much to see, it would take months to explore it all. And even then, you wouldn’t have covered it all.

 

We stayed in a cabin-style hotel in West Glacier which is located near the West Entrance of the National Park. On the way to our hotel, we took the world-famous ‘Going to the Sun Road’. This road is filled with waterfalls, incredible views, and breathtaking sights.

 

Each day, we explored different areas and went on hikes. We saw a few active glaciers that will someday be completely melted. We also took a boat ride on St. Mary’s Lake.

 

The hikes we did included Logan’s Pass (Hidden Lake Trail), Highline Trail, St. Mary’s Falls Trail, and Running Eagle Falls Trail. 

 

Logan’s Pass has tons of wildflowers, streams, and chances to see wildlife. While on the trail we saw bighorn sheep, mountain goat, marmot, and tons of squirrels. The family of bighorn sheep we saw, came extremely close and didn’t seem to be phased by humans.

 

 

Once you hike to the top of Hidden Lake Trail, you see just that. A beautiful hidden lake with water so blue. The lakes in Glacier National Park are all a gorgeous shade of blue. This is due to the rock flour that the glaciers created when grinding rocks as they moved. The sun reflects on the rock flour and creates a beautiful blue color to the eye.

 

 

The scariest and most thrilling hike was on the Highline Trail. This hike comes with many warnings about the wildlife you may encounter, uneven trails, drop-offs, and narrow walkways. The trail itself becomes a small path on the edge of the mountain very quickly. While there is a cable to hold onto, it doesn’t last the whole trail.

 

The next hike we did was lead by a GNP park ranger. We took a boat ride on St. Mary Lake to the St. Mary’s Falls trailhead. At the top of the hike, we did manage to see a moose in the distance bathing in the lake. We didn’t encounter any other wildlife on the trail. The destination of this hike is the beautiful St. Mary’s Falls which has two falls that enter into a big stream.

 

Lastly, the shortest hike we did was the Running Eagle Falls Trail. It’s a very short and quiet trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall. Depending on the time of year you see this waterfall, it could look completely different. The waterfall flows into a large river with amazing colorful river rock.

 

 

While on our hikes, we did not encounter a bear which I was thankful for (although we did have bear spray). We did see a grizzly bear very close to the road near St. Mary’s, eating huckleberries. We were able to stop, get out of our car, and watch from afar for about 10 minutes before he disappeared.

 

 

If you’ve never been to Glacier National Park, I highly encourage you to plan a trip. I’m not usually super intrigued by nature or hiking by any means, but Glacier is a whole different experience that everyone should have.

XOXO,

CR