We had been
following the status of the roads and weather at Glacier National Park. The Going to the Sun Road was ready to open
when a blizzard in June dropped a lot of snow and created an avalanche covering
a road and destroying a guard rail they had just installed for the new
season. When we left Missoula headed to
West Glacier they had no idea when the road would be open.
The drive
from Missoula, MT to West Glacier took us by Flathead Lake. It is huge and beautiful! Anyone with a boat who does not mind cold
weather should be on Flathead Lake. They
had marinas with sail and power boats surrounded by cabins and homes
overlooking the lake and mountains. I
took a lot of pictures as we drove by. We went to Fish Creek Campground in Glacier
National Park where we spent two nights.
We enjoyed exploring the Lake McDonald Lodge and walking around their
property. Our campsite was fun because
we had a deer that was not afraid to come to the edge of the woods to eat. We saw it eating there on three different
occasions and once walking with another deer down the road.
Flathead Lake from the overlook
Around Lake McDonald Lodge
The Going to
the Sun Road was still closed but they had a shuttle that would take you from
the Visitor Center up to the Loop Road, where you could then walk. We took the shuttle and walked as far as they
would let us, 3 miles one way, on the Going to the Sun Road. The road was clear with no car traffic, only
a few trucks used for the cleanup came by and lots of bicycles. We learned later that we had a rare
opportunity because we were allowed to walk the road. In the 3 mile section there are not many
overlooks, so we got pictures not many tourists are able to take. Between Wayne and I we took almost 900
pictures that day !!! Every direction we
looked there was another breathtaking view.
Walking on Going to the Sun Road
We then
moved over to St. Mary’s Campground which is on the East Glacier side of the
park. It was another pretty trip from
one part of the park to the next. We
have enjoyed watching all of the trains which often run parallel to the road. After getting settled at St. Mary’s we
checked out “town” and the St Mary’s Visitor Center. We drove as far as we could up this end of
the Going to the Sun Road. They have a
resurfacing project going on, so it is a dusty trip. They let us go as far as Jackson Overlook
before we had to turn around. We found
out that they had opened up the Going to the Sun Road not long after we had
left it ! YEAH !!! That means we could ride the whole road J
On July 3rd,
we awoke to a cloudy, overcast morning.
We continued with our plans and drove over to Many Glacier. After exploring the visitor center, lodge and
campground the weather cleared. We hiked
up to Apikuni Falls. The hike was only a
mile one direction but I think most of it was uphill. The falls were very pretty and worth the
hike. We ate lunch at the picnic area
and then took pictures of Swift Current Falls near the Many Glacier Lodge.
Apikuni Falls
Swift Current Falls
Check out Part 2 for more pictures from Glacier National Park !
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