portobelloB

We spent 9 glorious days in Glacier National Park. Our time was split staying 4 nights at Many Glacier Hotel and 4 nights at Lake McDonald Lodge (Cobb room #702).

During Covid we did almost daily urban hikes that were 4-6 miles and feel we are in pretty good shape for being in our early 60’s.

The hikes we did: Most were in and back trails. Mileages is round trip.

Day 1 Swiftcurrent lake nature loop trail 2.5 miles - easy
Day 2 Swiftcurrent, Josephine and Grinnell Lakes - 8.5 miles - easy
Day 3 Red Rock Falls and Bullhead Lake, 8 miles -easy,
Bird walk at 6pm around Swiftcurrent lake 2.5 miles
Day 4 Iceberg lake 9 miles - Moderate
Day 5 No hike
Day 6 Road to the Sun 12 miles - easy
Day 7 Snyder Lake trail - 9 miles- difficult
Day 8 Hidden Lake trail - 5.5 miles - hard due to lots of snow fields
Day 9 No hike

We flew in from Seattle to Kalispell airport and got in around 10 am. It was a good thing I made car rental reservations back in March because there were no cars to be found when I checked closer to our departure. We had to wait for our rental car since none had been returned so we went over to other rentals counter who did have cars available but at over $2000. We kept our high but lower rate reservation.

A friend of ours had recommended to stop in at Whitefish town which was only about 10 miles from the airport. The “Road to the Sun” wasn’t fully open (they speculated not till July 1) so we had to drive the long way to get to the East entrance since we were staying at Many Glacier Lodge for our first four nights. We had some time to kill so we decided to buy some Bear Spray at the Army/Navy store that is right on Highway 93 going into Whitefish. There is a military Jeep that is positioned right near the entrance so you can’t miss the store. They were selling bear spray for $24.88 instead of the $49.99 that the Glacier lodges were selling it for. Whitefish is a cute little Western town to visit.

We stopped at St. Mary closer to Many Glacier thinking we would find a lunch spot but it is a very tiny place. We settle for a quirky cafe called “Two Sisters” which you can’t miss as you head for Babb. The lunch was better than I thought it would be and what really looked good was all their huckleberry desserts. I wish I had room to try one of their pies.

The signage for the Many Glacier hotel is poor as it just says “Many Glacier” and it is a rough gravel road that goes for 11 miles. I thought we were going the wrong way at first. The last part of this road is being paved so there are a few construction stops along the way. Luckily, for us there was a moose by the river so everyone was out of their cars taking photos while we waited about 30 minutes before everyone could continue on the road.

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It’s best to drop off your luggage at the front of the hotel before you go to park your car as the parking lot is up the hill. There are no refrigerators in the rooms. The restaurant is only take out so be prepared to stand in a long line. At Lake McDonald Lodge, you can call in your order for take out so the wait isn’t as long.

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Hiking around the Swiftcurrent lake trail is easy and level. We did this short hike on the first day after we arrived. Ranger Dave did a bird walk during the weekend around the lake and I saw a few birds I hadn’t seen before.

Day 2- We hiked around Swiftcurrent lake (you can also take the boat ride over to the other side of the lake). We hiked over to Josephine Lake and then connected with the Grinnell Lake/falls trail, about 8.5 (R/T) miles. There is a snow field to cross to get to Grinnell lake so wear hiking boots and bring walking sticks if you have them. A grizzly was spotted on the other side of the lake. Returning to Josephine Lake you can go the opposite side as it has pretty wildflowers along the lake. The signage isn’t very clear but after you go pass the boat ramp you will see the signage to head for Grinnell Glacier then you will see the trail along the lake back to Many Glacier. We had originally wanted to do the Grinnell Glacier hike, but you could only go up the first 3.5 miles and the rest of the trail was closed off due to snow.

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Grinnell lake

Day 3: We drove over to the Swift Motor Inn (about a mile away from Many Glacier) where the Red Rock falls trail starts from the parking lot. You can also hike an extra mile from the Many Glacier hotel if you want to. We saw a few mountain goats on the ridge. This was about 8 miles hike because we went further to Bullhead lake and falls.

Back at the Many Glacier hotel, we noticed people on the outside patio with their binoculars and cameras out and they spotted a mother grizzly and her cub on the mountain. We went back to our room (ground level) to get our binoculars and went outside. I was trying to find the mama bear and her cub on the mountain when someone next to me said OMG, there are two grizzlies on the dirt road about 100 yards away from us. The bears took a few steps our way and I was about to jump back into our room and this other couple was planning to pop in with us. Luckily, the grizzlies turned around and went over to the lake side and up the mountain. We didn’t have any bear sightings on our hikes but felt better carrying our bear spray.

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Day 4 - We started our Iceberg lake hike at the Swift Motor Inn since it was 9.5 mile (out and back) from parking lot. This was a moderate trail as it starts with an incline but levels out for most of the way. It was a beautiful hike with wonderful views, the last section was through a large snow field to get to Iceberg Lake. You will pass a smaller lake (that isn’t frozen) before reaching Iceberg Lake. It was too windy and cold to have our lunch at Iceberg Lake since it’s located in the valley of mountains. We did find a flat rock to sit on around the first lake trudging through snow getting there. You need to wear hiking boots and hiking sticks to get through the last mile to get to Iceberg lake.

On our return to Many Glacier hotel, I discovered they sold individuals cans of icy cold beer in the snack store. This place is right next to the gift store on the lower level. The prices were less than at the bar. Too bad I didn’t discover this on our first night when my DH went to get a glass of wine and marguerita at the bar and found both drinks came in cans.

A grizzly was spotted right outside the front of the lodge by my DH. After he came to get me from the patio and everyone else hurried to see the grizzly slowly walk along the hill side.

Day 5 - No hike today as we were traveling to West Glacier entrance to stay at Lake McDonald Lodge. It is a much smaller accommodation and my husband made reservations for the Cobb House which has a cute porch. The view of the Lake McDonald is through the trees. I didn’t realize the other side of the lake was where there had previous forest wild fires from 2008 that destroyed about 50,000 acres. There is no trail that you can walk around Lake McDonald from the lodge. We drove down a long dirt road on the other side of the lake but it was a bit depressing to hike along the burned out forest so we turned around.



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Day 6 - The “Road to the Sun” was still closed but we could drive part of it to the parking lot where the Avalanche Lake trail head starts. You have to get here by 10 as the parking was already full. We changed our minds when we saw as a swarm of people ascending on this trail. We decided to take advantage of the closed section of RTS where you could either walk or bike along the 8 miles that was closed. It was a wonderful walk that we went 6 miles (12 miles R/T) and stopped at all the best views of mountains and waterfalls. There were few people taking advantage of the closed road. It is one of the most scenic roads in the park. Red Rock was one of the amazing views.



Day 7- Many of the hikes near the McDonald lodge start off with a steep incline so hiking to Snyder Lake was no exception. This was a tough trail with a 2650 feet elevation gain. Once we got to the lake, we were a bit disappointed, as it wasn’t a pretty lake and no great places to sit and enjoy the view of the waterfall. We got caught in thunder and rain as we headed back to the lodge. Luckily, we had our rain gear with us.

Day 8- the “Road to the Sun” opened today on June 25. Yeah! We headed out early and drove over to Logan’s Pass Visitor Center. The famous Highline trail was closed due to snow but you could hike the Hidden Lake trail. You MUST have good hiking boots and walking sticks because most of this trail is through SNOW. There are a couple spots where if you have a fear of heights you shouldn’t go too far. There was a bottleneck at one ridge where a few young kids were crying and paralyzed with fear. This was a beautiful hike as the views were stunning. We saw several mountain goats and a big horn sheep along the way. You can hike to Hidden Lake overview and it is another 1.2 miles down to the frozen lake with a 780 elevation drop. You can walk halfway around the lake to find that perfect rock to have lunch on and take in the majestic view. We didn’t think hiking back up was that bad as the trail has a zig zag to it.

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So many people were not really prepared for this hike as they were in sneakers or open toe sandals so couldn’t go too far. I asked the ranger later when all the snow melts and she said it was more likely the end of August.

Day 9 - We got tired of eating take out at both locations. There is one restaurant called Glacier Highline G & R (next to gas station) that is a right before you turn into the west entrance. We ate here 3 times while on the west side. Good pizza, sandwiches, local IPA beers, and homemade huckleberries pies. The cafe has air condition and outside seating.

This was a fantastic trip and Glacier National Park is a magical place to visit. Also joyous was if you are fully vaccinated you didn’t have to wear a mask.

tomarkot

Love your report! Glacier is a gorgeous place, as you described. When we set out on the Grinnell Glacier hike, two hikers coming down warned us of grizzlies on the hike ahead. That quickly changed our plans. Also, there were grizzlies at Logan Pass, and the rangers had closed the parking lot. Beautiful park, but we learned to respect the grizzlies. Glad you had such a great time!