More Beautiful Country

As we drove south from the Glacier National Park area to Missoula, we passed through more of the beautiful Montana landscape. There were yellow grasslands, golden wheat fields, green hay fields and mountains.

And then there were views of massive Flathead Lake which is 27.3 miles long and up to 15.5 miles wide. This is what Wikipedia says about the lake.

For much of the trip we were crossing the Flathead Indian Reservation and some of the signs included their language.

We passed through a bison range.

There was a wildlife crossing bridge.

And a wildlife protection area with ponds for birds.

With slightly more than 147,000 square miles, Montana is the 4th largest state in the country and slightly larger than the country of Japan. Long drives are involved in exploring the state but there is so much beauty it's worth it.

Hiking in Glacier National Park

We really wanted to hike in Glacier, but it isn't an entirely comfortable activity. There is lots of bear activity in the area. This is the first time we have seen a sign suggesting bear spray--at the trail head! Taking the hint, we bought a can of bear spray and hiked on the John's Lake trail that begins near the McDonald Lake Lodge. We parked at the Apgar Visitor Center and took the park tram to the lodge. Many others also got off the tram there.

It felt like we were hiking in a rain forest, everything was so green. And dark.

As you can tell if you look closely at the above photo, the trail is very muddy. It goes right by the horse rental facility and is used daily for trail rides. That is probably the activity that brought so many people to the tram stop.

We enjoyed our 4 to 5 mile hike, especially since we didn't see any bears. Would you believe we even saw a sign offering to rent bear spray? They must feel the odds are pretty good the renter won't have to use it.

Stunning, Incredible, Spectacular

That is all we had to say after driving the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. And we are from Colorado and very familiar with Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Maybe it is because this is new and different scenery, I don't know. But it is wonderful.

It had been 23 years since our first visit to Glacier. That time we didn't drive this road. So it was number one on our agenda for this visit. Here in West Glacier where we are staying, the elevation is 3220 and the highest peak, Heaven's Peak, is 8987 ft. Grand Lake, Colorado, at the west entrance to Rocky Mountain NP is 8369 and 12,183 ft. But the Glacier mountains are certainly beautiful, even if they aren't as high.

The Going to the Sun road was built in the 1930s by the CCC--Civilian Conservation Corps.

As the name of Glacier suggests, there are glaciers and snow fields that produce a lot of waterfalls.

The mountains are beautiful.

The crowds were large and the parking crowded at the view points. And in places the road was very narrow.

There are two large lakes in McDonald and St. Mary. This is a view of McDonald. The water in the lakes and rivers is incredibly clear.  Artist Charles M. Russell and his wife built a cabin on Lake McDonald, called Bull Head Lodge, where many visiting artists spent time painting the beauties of Glacier National Park.

This eye-catching island is in the middle of St. Mary's Lake.

This is the only wildlife we saw.

These open-topped buses are used for tours of the park along the Going to the Sun road.

These lights hang in the lobby of the Lake McDonald Lodge, built in 1913.

Glacier on the northern edge of Montana and just across the border in Canada is Waterton Lakes National Park.  The two parks are an International Peace Park World Heritage Site.   You can read about our visit to Waterton Lakes in 2012 here.

Montana Landsdape

As we drove north toward Glacier National Park we passed through the beautiful Montana farm and ranch country before reaching the mountains. There are great expanses of grass and wheat.

All that wheat has to be stored somewhere.

The sky began filling with clouds.

The mountains were striking, especially under that ominous dark cloud.

Then the fog came in.

Then came the rain.

The day we arrived outside Glacier it was cloudy and rainy. Since then we have had sunshine and beautiful scenery.