Three Days of Beauty in Glacier National Park

A few days before we planned to leave on our Montana road trip, a lightning strike started the Howe Ridge fire in Glacier National Park.  The fire quickly grew and the west side of the park was almost immediately shut down.  The subsequent reports led us to believe the fire would not be out prior to our arrival, the west side of the park would still be closed, and the air quality would be poor due to the smoke from fires in Montana, Washington, and Canada.

As we traveled west across Minnesota and North Dakota, we experienced poor air quality.  When we arrived in Montana, it was definitely still smoky.  In fact, our Airbnb on the west side (closer to the fire) was cancelled.  We decided to enjoy our planned time on the east side of the park as best as possible and then wing it for the few days prior to our dude ranch arrival date of August 28th.

On Day #1, we hiked Siyeh Pass, which is accessible off the Going-To-The-Sun road.  We arrived early in the morning to beat the potential crowds.  When we set out, our car was the only one in the parking lot.  The hike started out by traveling through an area exploding with berries which meant BEARS!  We were both armed with bear spray but we attempted to prevent a confrontation by clapping our hands, talking loudly, and singing songs as we hiked.  Our favorite ditty was, “Go Away, Bear, We Are Not Tasty”.  It will surely become a top ten hit.

The trail took us through a valley surrounded by magnificent peaks.  We must have said “wow” about a hundred times.  At the far end of the valley, we began a steep 1.5 mile ascent up to the saddle between two peaks.  That sure got our heart rates up!  From there, it was a long, gentle descent all the way back to our car.  Along the way, we enjoyed our lunch upon a large rock with a view of a glacier and waterfalls.  So amazing! 

Here’s a clip on the clear side of the pass (apologies for any mispronunciations):

And on the not-so-clear side:

On Day #2, we were out the door by 5:45 again.  We noticed it was much warmer and the air smelled strongly of smoke.  As the sun began to rise, we saw the smoke was much worse than the day before.  We decided to continue on to the Many Glacier area (northeast part of the park) to hike Swiftcurrent Pass.  (Our first choice of trails, Ptarmigan Tunnel, was closed again due to bear activity.) 

As we drove into the park, a black bear, who had most likely been trash hunting at the hotel,  sprinted across the street in front of us.  I missed hitting that naughty bear by inches.  Thank goodness for all those years of driver’s training at work.  (On a related note, driving in Montana is so stressful.  The speed limits are high but animals seem to love to hang out on the roadway.  The day before, a horse ran right down the road towards our car.  We’ve had to avoid cows, deer, and pronghorns.  One bird did not accurately perceive how fast our car was approaching and met a rather loud and gruesome death against the car’s grill.)  Anyway, the black bear survived, so we hoped that gave us some good bear karma prior to hiking through bear country.

We were the first people on the trail again and had the trail to ourselves until we turned around to head back.  The hiking was much tougher as the smoke caused our eyes and lungs to burn.  We had to fight high winds, especially as we started to climb.  Still, the scenery was incredible: massive peaks, glaciers, and lakes.  We saw a moose on the far side of one of the lakes. 

When we reached the narrow single track, we decided to turn around and head back.  We didn’t feel safe hiking on a narrow trail with a steep drop off in the high, swirling winds.  This turned out to be a great decision for two reasons.  First, as we began our descent, we passed many hikers and we were thankful we weren’t trying to scoot past them on a trail barely wide enough for one hiker.  Second, we arrived back at Fishergap Lake in time to see a female moose in the water.  She swam and walked in the lake, frequently dipping her whole head under water to graze on aquatic grasses.  Wow!  It was something we felt lucky to see.  (Did you know moose can swim at 6mph for up to two hours?!?   They can also hold their breath under water for about 30 seconds.)

On Day #3 we chose to hike closer to our Airbnb, which is in East Glacier Park Village.  We drove over to the Two Medicine area to hike the Scenic Point Trail, which is part of the Continental Divide Trail.  When we started, the air was smoky and we figured we were in for more of the same.  The beautiful views this trail boasts were greatly diminished by the smoke as we climbed up and up.  When we popped out above the tree line, we were hit by high winds that just became stronger and stronger as we headed to the summit.  The wind was so strong at the summit that it blew me off my feet.  I was an unwilling Mary Poppins, seeing as my landing spot could be in the valley way below us. 

The good news was the winds blew the smoke away and we were treated to blue skies for the reminder of our hike.  Glacier National Park is beautiful despite smoke, but it is REALLY beautiful when the sky is blue and the sun is shining bright.

Much of the hike was over rocky terrain with little plant life.  It reminded us of hiking Mt Whitney.  We fully expected to see mountain goats or bighorn sheep up high near the rocky summit and, as we neared the end of our hike, were talking about how we hadn’t seen any. Just then, we came around a bend and happened upon two bighorn sheep on the trail having a standoff.  They half-heartedly knocked their horns together a few times and then gave each other the skank eye before wandering into the trees.  Yes!  We saw bighorn sheep!  Our day was complete.

But, wait, there’s more!  About 200 hundred yards further down the trail, we came across a herd of bighorn sheep that included a baby.  They were not too concerned with us so we were able to watch them for quite some time.  When they went into the trees, we could no longer hear them.  Pretty impressive for so many large animals to move through the woods with little sound.

We ended the day by taking a quick, easy hike along Two Medicine Lake.  If it had been warmer and far less windy, we would have gone kayaking or paddle boarding on the lake.  Instead, we enjoyed a hot chocolate and a relaxing sit down on a bench near the water.  Life is good!

We have loved our time in Glacier National Park and we are looking forward to returning.  I kept notes about the hikes so if you want any details, just let me know.