Advertisement
Published: August 11th 2010
Edit Blog Post
Entry 18: Glacier National Park Day Two: Going to the Sun Road Drive
August 4, 2010 If one has visited Yellowstone National Park, it’s impossible not to try to compare it to Glacier National Park. Relatively close together in distance and both known for their remoteness in regards to where most Americans live, each Park is spectacular in its own regard. Both Parks rely heavily on their paved thoroughfares, which allow examination of scenic vistas from the comfort of a 40-foot RV. After all, to reach any of the snowy peaks in the distance by foot would require much materials, skills, and time.
Glacier has only 1 main road, which runs through the southern end of the park, rising from McDonald Lake at Apgar campground, up, through and around mountains, and cresting the top of the Continental Divide before miles and miles of downhill to the Saint Mary Visitor Center/Campground on the Park’s eastern side.
Even though I was only driving 104 miles this day, the slow speeds (curvy and dangerous driving conditions, which required much concentration—especially with such unique and stellar views constantly vying for my attention and camera clicks), turn-outs/stops for photos, and construction (up
to 30 minute delays 4 times this season) stretched the day out to a 8-hour adventure.
The first stops were to the excellent river that parallels the road just above Lake McDonald/Apgar Campground. Easy access, steps from the car, put Sophie the dog and I amongst a 40-foot-wide river, which I crossed wearing my river shoes (Sophie stayed on the other side of the bank—she always gets nervous when I get into the water). I took photos of the interesting rocks, and dipped down into the ice-cold glacial water. This is true in both Yellowstone and Glacier: with the numerous “turn-outs,” there’s plenty of space to allow nice, solitary moments, even with the hundreds/thousands of cars traveling the roads, and we were alone at the water for at least 20 minutes before 10 more folks arrived (most viewed the water from their cars, not even bothering to walk the 40 yards down to the water.
I welcomed the long road constructions waits, as it was an excuse to shut off the truck’s engine and step out of the vehicle on a mountainside road. It also led to an unexpected viewing of a bighorn sheep. Many of
the vista pictures are somewhat hazy (and in no way capture the true beauty/scale of the Park) because of cloud conditions/moisture in the air, or a fire, 100 miles away, which provided a hazy, white smoke in the valleys.
I stopped into a couple of the smaller campgrounds, which although offered fewer people, in general, the spaces were much closer together. One cool thing about both Yellowstone and Glacier: They offer “bike/walk-only” campsites (although Glacier still charges $5 per person, and Yellowstone’s free). The first time one sees a “bike camper,” it’s quite impressive, but over my 3 days at Glacier, I saw at least 15 bike campers, including one family of 4, including 2 small kids, who were biking and camping the entire park over 10 days.
Reaching Rising Sun campground, I paused at Saint Mary’s Lake to take a few pictures of my eastern-most foray into the park. Sophie the dog and I started our ride home, into the sun, and witnessing the views when coming from an eastern direction.
Back at the campground, I was exhausted, mostly mentally from the white-knuckled drive. I plugged the computer into the near-the-campground bathroom and promptly
fell asleep on the grass in the sun. Back at the campground, I made a dinner of mashed potatoes and black beans, worked on the day’s photos in the darkness (the best viewing opportunities), and again fell into a deep sleep (over the loud voices of my neighbors).
Tomorrow would be my last day in the Park, which I had reserved for a few final activities: I wanted to get out on a boat/canoe on Lake McDonald, properly swim its cold waters, revisit the river scene from today, and take a quick hike into a Hemlock forest (the number of vehicles parked just off the road near the trailheads indicated to me that it was a cool spot).
Blogged late into the night, editing photos and combing Sophie the dog...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.209s; Tpl: 0.024s; cc: 9; qc: 54; dbt: 0.0727s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb