Hi friends! It’s been too long since I updated this blog, but since I have an excess amount of time on my hands with the coronavirus quarantine, I thought now we be a great time to post more. You might be thinking, “Yeah, cool, but what are you planning on posting about since we’re stuck inside?” Lots of catching up here! Starting first with a trip we took in June 2018 (yikes!) to Glacier National Park.
Matt’s sister, Heather, signed up for a running race around Glacier and we thought we would tag along since Matt has always wanted to go! Funny thing is, the only places you could see runners was at the beginning and the end of the race, so we never saw her running. It was a weird plan, but here’s how it panned out: we booked a flight from Denver to Calgary, Canada, rented a car, and drove to Montana. Makes sense, right? It was actually the cheapest option to do that.
Our flights got in late, which meant we were driving the 4 hours to Montana even later in the evening. So late, that the first border crossing we came to was closed. We considered sleeping in the car and waiting for them to open in the morning, but ultimately trucked Jeeped on (only after pulling up close to the gate to successfully use our cell phones, none of which were set up for international travel). We had to drive another hour to the next crossing, but it was open 24/7. We thought it would be no big deal, but as we drove through at 2 a.m., the agent asked that we all get out of the car so that it could be searched. I’m pretty sure they were searching every car that came through at that odd hour, but it didn’t help that the agent clearly thought our flights-to-canada-are-cheaper story was suspicious. We eventually got on our way to Cut Bank, Montana, which is where Heather and her running mates had booked a place to stay.
Early the next morning, Matt and I wished Heather luck on her run, and headed to Glacier National Park. We stopped by the Visitor’s Center and asked what we should explore in our limited amount of time. The parks staff was fantastic and had some good recommendations. The odd thing about Glacier is that it’s very much divided into a west and an east side when the main road connecting them is closed for the winter. To get to the west side from where we were would mean driving an extra 2 hours each way, and with our time constraints, that just wasn’t in the cards. So, first up, we headed to the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Actually, first first was stopping by a store and buying bear spray and an ax. Priorities! Then Going-to-the-Sun-Road.
This road closes during the winter months due to avalanche risks, and was scheduled to open the following weekend after our visit, but while the road is closed to cars, hikers and cyclists are allowed on it. We walked up the road until we could see the highest point, about 3.5 miles up from Jackson Glacier Overlook, before turning around. We saw a lot of animals and peaks, the sun was out, and it was a really great way to see the park. The farther we hiked, the fewer people we saw and, we didn’t know it at the time, but it was also the best weather we were going to have, so in retrospect, I’m glad we spent the day in such an exposed area.
Once we were back to the car, we took our time driving back to the entrance. There had been a lot of things that we passed on the way in, and earmarked it for the next time we drove past, including the Jackson Glacier Overlook, Sunrift Gorge, and Wild Goose Island Lookout.
At the end of the day, we found a camping spot at the Many Glacier Campground and got dinner at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. Pretty fancy in our book! But, honestly, and you’ll have to take my word for it because I have no photo evidence, that campground was beautiful. In a valley, at the end of a lake. Highly recommend, but a little pricey at $23/night.
The next morning, we were happy that we had been too lazy to set up our tent (and had instead slept in the large Jeep Grand Cherokee), because it was raining and, spoiler, it rained for the rest of the time we were in Glacier. So, after a visit from a few deer who strolled through our campsite, we set off that day to explore some outdoor activities and some indoor.
First up, only a couple minutes from our campground was Many Glacier Hotel, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1914-15. It has a quintessential Swiss lodge feel. There is a Swiss flag on the door of every hotel room, which doesn’t include a tv or air conditioning, there is a lot of natural wood, a gigantic lobby with a huge fireplace, and absolutely stunning views from the large decks. After exploring the mini-museum-like displays around the lobby, we picked up some snacks from Heidi’s and sat outside for breakfast.
The hotel was built by the Great Northern Railway because they were trying to compete with the tourism in the Estes Park area of Colorado. There were some great advertisements to “See America First” and the “Playground of the Northwest,” all geared to lure Europeans who were taking long vacations to the United States. The tourism also helped Glacier become a National Park. All rather cool to read about.
We drove thru rain and hail to the Glacier Park Lodge to try and meet up with Heather, but I don’t think we ever did… Then, we set out to try and find a new campground in that area of the park. We ended up getting the last lake front site at Two Medicine Campground. At some point during the day, we ended up doing a little hike on the Continental Divide Trail to Appistoki Falls, as well as an adventure on South Shore Trailhead to Aster Falls, where we had our closest Moose viewing to date. Of course, because it was so rainy, I have photos of none of this. You’ll just have to trust me.
The next morning we got up bright and early, drove to Cut Bank, picked up Heather, and continued on to Calgary Airport. We were, again, stopped at the border, but the Canadian agent was much more pleasant to talk to. She thought our idea of flying into Canada because it was cheaper was so obvious! Hahah. Gotta love Canadians. Once at the airport, we dropped off Heather, but Matt and I weren’t done with our trip just yet.
More to come once I write that part!
Love, Shauna
The only part of Canada I’ve been to was Winnipeg! Glacier National Park has always been on my list though, I just can’t wait for Quincy to be old enough to camp. Some of these shots remind me so much of Scotland! Can’t wait for Part II.
Lake Louise, here we come!
Love your storytelling. The photos are great too!