Glacier National Park


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North America » United States » Montana » Shelby
July 30th 2019
Published: July 31st 2019
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Today we set out to visit a park that we have visited four times before. Glacier National Park. We left the hotel in Shelby at 8 AM and 59 degrees. It promised to be a chilly day in the park, but did not turn out that way at all. At Logan Pass it was 65 degrees. The sun was shining all day and the air was clear and bright.

The drive to the park took us almost two hours. On the west side of the park is a town called Kalispell, and it is relatively close to the west entrance. But on the east side, there really is nothing much closer than Shelby. So we made the drive, through more construction and all, and got there around 10 AM. We saw a lot of farms with golden fields growing mostly grain, and lots of grain elevators and trains. And the further west we drove, the more prominent were the silhouettes of the Rocky Mountains on the horizon, sitting stately in a purple haze. We came up close and personal with free-range cows that were gathering at the road’s edge and crossing it in front of our car. And we drove right up beside a group of incredible horses, brown ones and palominos, young and grown. I pulled out my camera as quickly as I could and got a couple of quick shots as we passed them. I could have reached out the window and touched them had I not been holding the camera. And it seemed that they were moving closer as if they wanted the human interaction that we could give. But with other cars on the road, Steve felt it best to keep on moving.

We entered the park at St. Mary Lake where the first half hour of the drive is along this beautiful, crystal blue lake, the surface glistening in the early day sun and surrounded by tall evergreen trees and mountain bases of gray and tan stone. We then passed through an area that had been burned by a forest fire a few years ago. We remembered the fire well, as we had planned our first east side entrance that year and the morning we were to drive to it, we saw a notice on TV that the east entrance was closed that day due to the fires in the area. The destruction from that fire is still boldly evident in the stands of toothpick trees, charred black and devoid of any vegetation.

The roadside was lined with bouquets of wildflowers in pink and yellow and while all mixed in with ragweed. And the road passed through alleys of tall Douglas fir, young and mature, aspen and other trees in various shades of green. Cars were parked everywhere along the roadside and in small pull-offs, either for the purpose of enjoying the vistas with the great mountains, some donning haloes of white snow, or to hike a trail through the woods to points not seen from the road. And to add to the surprises were occasional waterfalls bringing fresh runoff down from the mountains.

We arrived at Logan’s Pass around 11:15 where, as is always the case, the parking lot was full, the line to get into the parking lot was long and cars were circling around and around hoping for a lucky break. We got ours. As we drove in, a handicap spot opened up right next to the restrooms and the visitor’s center. So, we had easy access to both. Since I sat with the dog while Steve climbed the hill for better views, I studied the huge rock formation behind the parking lot which is stone on top and sand down the sides. I knew from earlier visits that mountain goats live on this hill, but they are very difficult to see, as they blend in with the terrain and are so far away, they are almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Not so, however, with a zoom lens. We found them and I was able to photograph them. I took a video, but cannot post videos here and actually still have no idea how to post them anywhere. I guess I will have to rely on my Iphone for videos from now on.

From there, we continued on up Logan’s Pass, which is a narrow winding road through the mountains that surround a deep cavernous green valley, riding between sheer rock faces only inches from the car on one side and the outer edge of the road protected only by a low rock wall on the other. Two way traffic makes it difficult and people on bikes make it harrowing. We went as far as the weeping wall. Just before that point there is a large pull-off where we parked and had lunch while we enjoyed the view and watched others enjoy it, as well.

We turned around at that point, for going any further would have meant an even longer drive back to the hotel so, knowing that we had seen the best of the park, we turned and made our retreat. On the way past the lake again, we stopped at a picnic area and took a short walk down to the water’s edge where we were able to see just how clear the water was.

We have now been here 5 times. And the glaciers seem to be getting ever smaller with each visit. Soon they will be gone. Does that mean the world is getting warmer? Perhaps, but if so, the world has been getting warmer for millions of years, because it was once covered with ice and now it is not.

Tomorrow we have a long drive to the eastern side of Wyoming where we will position ourselves for a first-time visit to Devil’s Tower.


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Mountain goatsMountain goats
Mountain goats

See light spot in meddle of photo...mountain goats


31st July 2019

Gorgeous place to visit
Envy your journey. You are so right about the spender & beauty of Glacier National Park/ We need to get back there.
31st July 2019

5th Time in Glacier National Park a winner
About the best picture: Steve walking Beamer.

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