When I noticed (in March) an open campsite in the Many Glacier Campground for August, I reserved it immediately and started making plans. And now that I have gone once, I am already wondering when I will be able to go back again.
Nearly 70 percent of annual visitors see Glacier during July, August, and September, when enough snow has melted for the world-famous Going-to-the-Sun Road to be fully accessible by car. The Sun Road crosses through the entire park from west to east, and I think most visitors tend to stay somewhere along this road for their whole trip.
For my trip, I stayed in the Many Glacier area, which is not on the Sun Road but still easy enough to get to. The Many Glacier area has been called, "the Heart of Glacier," and it is a hiker's haven. Since I stayed there for nearly all of my trip, I won't be able to comment on the other areas of the park.
Day 0 - Arriving to Glacier National Park
After we flew into Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, Montana, we had a short drive into the west side of the park. Our first stop was Apgar Visitor Center and Apgar Village, which lie on the west end of Lake McDonald. Apgar Village was like a tiny resort town, with restaurants, ice cream shops, and outfitters for lake activities like kayaking. At Apgar Visitor Center, we were able to purchase special glasses for viewing the solar eclipse, which would occur during our trip. We were really excited because we had been unable to find glasses in Chicago, where every store seemed to be sold out.
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| Lake McDonald from Apgar Village |
Next, we drove the remainder of the Sun Road and exited the park on the east side at St. Mary. We passed the Logan Pass Visitor Center on our way, but we knew the parking lot would be full at that time of day, so we didn't make plans to stop there. I had been following the park's Twitter updates, and I learned that the Logan Pass Visitor Center fills up by 9a on most days during peak season.
In St. Mary, we bought groceries and supplies before heading up to Many Glacier.
Day 1 - Hike to Grinnell Glacier
When I decided to go to Glacier National Park, I knew I wanted to hike to a glacier. I had heard that the glaciers were retreating at such a pace that they would be gone in my lifetime, and when I got to the park, I learned that they would be gone by 2030, which is way too soon.
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| Overlooking Grinnell Lake on the Grinnell Glacier Trail |
The steepest part of the hike was at the very end, but it was a short climb to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook. It was chilly by the glacier, so bring some layers if you plan to stay there for awhile.
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| Grinnell Glacier |
Day 2 - Kayaking and Hike to Redrock Falls
We decided to have an easier day in the middle of our trip, but it was still a great day. The boating company recommended that we go kayaking in the morning before it got too windy in the afternoon. So in the morning, we went kayaking on Swiffcurrent Lake, near Many Glacier Hotel. It took us less than an hour to kayak around the whole lake, so afterward, we checked out the hotel, which was another big and beautiful Swiss-style lodge.
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| Kayaking on Swiftcurrent Lake |
After lunch, we hiked to Redrock Falls, and this was an easy hike without much elevation gain. There were lots of wild huckleberries, thimble berries, raspberries, and blueberries on this trail. When we got to the waterfall, there were lots of kids (and some adults) climbing around on the rocks.
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| Redrock Falls |
Day 3 - Hike to Iceberg Lake and the Solar Eclipse
The hike to Iceberg Lake was really pleasant and easy - after the first part anyway. The first part of the hike was really steep, and it got my heart rate going. But after that, the steady incline was very reasonable, and I think the hike was easier than the hike to Grinnell Glacier.
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| Hiking to Iceberg Lake |
Iceberg Lake is a beautiful blue lake that has icebergs floating in it year-round. The icebergs move, so if you don't get a good picture of them when you first arrive, try waiting for a few minutes. We arrived to the lake around 10:30a, right when the solar eclipse was beginning. The sky was clear, and it was a great setting to experience the eclipse.
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| Iceberg Lake |
Day 4 - Leaving Glacier National Park
We woke up early to pack up camp and get on the road with enough time to drive to the airport in Kalispell. When we first arrived and drove through the park, we noticed that there were some portions of the Sun Road that were under construction and down to a single lane. We knew that we could get stopped in some of these areas for up to half an hour, so we left plenty of time to spare.
It was impossible to experience Glacier National Park without facing the reality that the park would lose its namesake glaciers in a very short time. Even without its glaciers, the park would still be beautiful. But since scientists have predicted that the park would lose its glaciers by 2030, it would be a shame to wait too long to go (again).
