My wife and I visited Glacier National Park as part of our Rocky Mountain Roadtrip in 2018. I was so excited to visit. It was one of the parks on my bucket list. The Big Sky country was something I have talked about with my kids for years. I loved my time crossing Montana. Now, I could hardly contain myself thinking about those mountains and glaciers awaiting us in the park.
We ended up spending two + days in the Glacier region. I certainly could have spent a week or more there, but that will have to wait for a different time. Although I wanted to spend more time there, I also knew we had many other places we also wanted to visit.On the day we arrived, we drove up along Flathead Lake on the way to the mountains. As we drove, the mountains rose from the shores of the immense lake. It was a picturesque drive. Plenty of opportunity for activities along the lake. As we left the lake, we passed through Kalispell with unique shops and restaurants along the main street. We soon came up along the Flathead River and the main entrance to the park.
Trail of Cedars
We entered the park on a hot, busy day and stopped at the visitor center for a quick break and a map. We headed into the park and drove 10 miles along the beautiful Lake McDonald. The lake has gravel beaches for easy approaches to the water. Once there, you can enjoy the mountains ringing the lake and shooting up to the sky.
We stopped and found parking at the trailhead for Trail of Cedars leading to Avalanche Lake. Halleluia! The trail leads you through a cedar forest and runs along Avalanche Creek, which runs off from the lake above. The water is crystal clear. You can see the rock straight through the water and the rapids run along the trail with such tremendous flow. We met so many amazing people along the trail, from our Harley friends from ND to the friends who meet every summer at a national park for an adventure.
Avalanche Lake
The Trail of Cedars leads to Avalanche Lake. The lake sits in a mountain valley. We spent time wading in the beautiful waters of the lake and just enjoying the majestic scenery of the mountains ringing the lake. All different groups of people enjoying this lovely summer day. As we were hanging out on a log, we met a young couple at the lake. We exchanged snacks out of our packs. As a bonus, they walked us through the best way to conquer the Highline Trail, which was our adventure scheduled for the next day.
It was one of the best hikes on our whole trip. The trail through the cedar forest was the most beautiful hike we took on the trip. Between the dense woods and the rapids along Avalanche Creek, you will think you are in heaven. The hike is a moderate trail measuring approximately 6 miles for the round trip.
Going to the Sun Road
Following Avalanche Lake, we continued up Going to the Sun Road to Logan Pass. What a great piece of road. It is 2-lanes all the way up past 6,000 feet of elevation with switchbacks the whole way. The views were tremendous, although the drive was a bit white-knuckled. There are several places you can pull off and enjoy the view (see pictures below). Even in July, you will encounter runoff from the melting snow and glaciers as it runs down the mountain side. After 10 miles of mountain winding, you reach Logan Pass, with plenty of parking and places to view the mountains.
Highline Trail
I was looking forward to hiking the Highline Trail at Glacier for months. The Garden Wall overlooking the Grinnell Glacier was on my bucket list and it did not disappoint, although the 12+ mile hike did become very grueling at the end.
You have two choices in hiking the Highline Trail. You may either begin at Logan Pass and have moderate uphill hikes over the first 8 miles, followed by a lengthy 4 mile descent after passing the Granite Hill Chalet. Conversely, you may hike the other direction from The Loop and encounter a grueling climb at the beginning and gently descend for the final 8 miles. It seemed like an easy decision. We began at Logan Pass. After completing the hike, I think you could make a compelling argument to get the heaviest effort out of the way in the beginning.
The Hike
We arrived at Logan Pass early, before 7 AM. The morning was cool and perfect for an all-day hike. We loaded up our gear and headed to the trailhead. You find hikers of all skills and ages. Early on, many people moved past us quickly, but we soon settled in with a family from St. Louis. We hiked at the same pace and enjoyed hearing about their week in the park. This was their last major event of the week.
The trail is gorgeous as it navigates along the mountains, overlooking Going to the Sun Road. You can see Lake McDonald through the canyons afar off in the distance. We encountered marmots, ptarmigan, deer and mountain goats right along the trail. I think the marmots have seen so many hikers they have become unafraid of human contact.
The first 8 miles of the hike was challenging but we conquered it really well. At that point, the most challenging part of the trip presents itself – the trail to the Garden Wall.
Garden Wall
The Garden Wall is a gap in the mountain tops where you can see over the east side of Glacier National Park, including the beautiful Many Glacier. The path to the Wall is a spur
What I was not ready for was the view from on top of the Garden Wall:
A truly gorgeous view and the first time in my life to come in contact with a glacier. I climbed around the edge of the wall and took my time surveying the lake below as well as the overlook back toward Lake McDonald (see picture at the top of the article).
The hike down was extremely challenging. The cool morning had turned to a very warm afternoon. Plus, older knees don’t take the punishment as well. Off the Garden Wall, you descend a mile and 1500 feet to the Granite Chalet. After a quick break there, the descent continues 2000 more feet over the remaining 4 miles to return to The Loop.
Back to Civilization
From there, we headed back to our accommodations at Columbia Falls and grabbed a beer and nourishment at Backslope Brewing. The brewery is owned and operated by a former Forest Ranger and his wife. The night we were there, the place was packed. For good reason. The food was fresh in a farm-to-table way and the beer was varied and delicious. After a day of hiking, it was perfect.
We spent the last day in the Glacier region enjoying the company over breakfast at the magnificent Moss Mountain Inn followed by exploration around Flathead Lake. If you are there in late summer, be sure to stop at a roadside stand and buy some Flathead cherries. They are delicious. We had a fantastic time and I didn’t want it to end, but it was time to move on.
Coming Next! Explore Utah and the Great Basin region, including Arches National Park!