Montana

  • Montana

    Two Medicine

    October 9, 2016 - By 

    Leading up to our finals days at Glacier National Park in Two Medicine, Chris and I hiked a total of 49 miles over 4 days, and I tacked on an additional 50 miles by bike on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  Our final day and hike at the park would be the arduous yet rewarding 19-mile Pitamakan/Dawson Pass Loop, totaling our hiking mileage to 68 miles over 5 days.  Not even our aching legs could hinder our spirits to set off on our final hike, especially since the day was the last day of an unusual string of perfect weather. We awoke early enough to catch glorious…

  • Montana

    Many Glacier

    October 6, 2016 - By 

    While Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road seems to attract the majority of its visitors (and predominantly the non-hikers), I assume that Many Glacier attracts the majority of its hikers and nature enthusiasts.  There’s no wonder why–it seems as if the scenery to mileage ratio on any given trail gives Many Glacier an epic factor of 10.  Upon gazing over the glassy, finger-like lakes, glaciers, dramatic cliffs and rock walls, which were all embraced by autumn drapery, we found ourselves lost in a whirlwind of a magical nature land.  To recall we were still in the United States was almost unbelievable. We arrived…

  • Montana

    Going-to-the-Sun Road

    October 4, 2016 - By 

    Towing a 16′ trailer meant we couldn’t drive through Glacier National Park via the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, so we took the long route around the park to East Glacier.  The plan was to camp at St. Mary; most campgrounds along the Going-to-the-Sun Road were already closed, St. Mary was in primitive status ($10/night!), it served as the perfect base to cycle and explore the trails along the road, and it was the launching point for our next destination at Many Glacier. A quick photo stop just outside of Two Medicine: We pulled into St. Mary Campground by late afternoon on a…

  • Montana

    How to Experience Glacier National Park

    October 3, 2016 - By 

    I’ve always heard about Glacier National Park—the wildlife, the glacier-carved mountains and lakes, the unbelievable hiking trails, and the sheer size of it all. But then I read about the complaints: the visitor center’s and trailhead parking lots filling by 8am on any given weekday, the packed shuttle buses, the horrible traffic congesting the single-lane road, the tour buses, the long lines at bathrooms, swarming hiking trails, and all the campgrounds with long queues at the registration booths. That doesn’t sound like a getaway into nature. Then I learned why. Glacier’s hiking season only lasts a little over 3 months…