August 1, 2011 Glacier National Park

It’s much warmer at Glacier than it was at Yellowstone which just seems wrong.  You would think that a place named “Glacier” would be cold, cold, cold.  Upon closer inspection of the map, it must be due to the altitude drop.  At this campground we are at about 3,100 feet and the highest road pass in Glacier is at 6,600 feet.   We camped at 7,200 feet in Yellowstone.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.  I’m just surprised.

The forest surrounding the lower elevations here is amazing.  It’s a little like a rain forest without the pesky rain.  There are cedars and fir, pine and cottonwood.  And the underbrush is thick – a change from all the other parks we visited this summer.  As you climb into the mountains though, the scenery changes back to alpine forest. 

Trail of the Cedars

We drove the Going To The Sun Road today, taking us from the west side of Glacier to the east and crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass in the middle.  It’s this small, 2-lane, curvy road with indescribable views.  If you ever get the opportunity to drive it, do so.  The tourist traffic was high and road construction is taking place near the pass, so a 50 mile road took us 7 hours to cover.  Of course, we stopped for photos, hikes, a picnic lunch and wildlife spotting along the way. 

Gerry:  [negotiating a hairpin curve]

Me:  Oh, wow!  Pull over!

Gerry:  [trying to keep the mirrors on the car and not hit the tour bus]

Me:  Look at that!  Did you see that waterfall?!

Gerry:  [stopped for construction]

Me:  [out of the car, taking photos]

Gerry:  Get in!  We’re moving!

Haystack Falls

Logan Pass from the south

Looking north from Logan Pass

Saint Mary Lake looking west

This is another park we would love to visit again with our backpacks and no kids.  The backcountry looks breathtaking, and there are multiple backcountry campgrounds.  Plus, they have this awesome shuttle system here that is FREE and picks you up/drops you off at choice locations.  For example, you can exit at Saint Mary Lake, hike a gorgeous lakeside trail for 3-4 miles, then catch the shuttle at the end of the trail.  My only regret is not knowing about this in advance of our trip.  Clearly, we needed a better tour book. 

We arrived back at the campground early in order to decompress.  Tempers ran hot in the backseat today and clearly everyone needed a break from each other.  At Logan Pass, I moved all the kids’ seats around (and was consequently disgusted and livid at what was under the booster seats.  Gross!).  It was so bad that we had to pop “Ice Age: The Meltdown” into the DVD player on the drive back.  It seemed appropriate for both the scenery and attitudes. Going to bed early was definitely in order.

Say Cheese!

Alas, tonight is our last night of camping.  Cry or tap dance?  Sing or sob?  But our trip isn’t over yet.  We’ve still got another entire week to go!