Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

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mewithout14ers
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Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by mewithout14ers »

Hey! So the fam and I are heading up to Glacier NP around July 12th and, having never been there before, wanted to know all the must see spots and places to go/see. So far, Crypt lake (Waterton) is definitely on the list, but what else is there?
"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without even wondering." - Augustine
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Tory Wells
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by Tory Wells »

Doesn't anyone do their own research anymore? National Geographic's "Guide to the National Parks of the United States" has been invaluable to me in my journeys through the parks. Part of the experience, for me, was learning a little about the history of the park, the geography, and what else is nearby. Then when I arrived, I had a good idea of what was what, where I should stay, and what I should do (in the case of Glacier) to avoid getting eaten by a bear. As you no doubt surmised from this post, I did not get eaten by a bear.

You can also follow the already existing Glacier thread on the forum:
https://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t ... 02#p488702
"Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earthbound misfit, am I." -David Gilmour, Pink Floyd

"We knocked the bastard off." Hillary, 1953
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Hillary, 2003
Couldn't we all use 50 years of humble growth?
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Tory Wells
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by Tory Wells »

And of course the NPS can be helpful during these dark, information-deprived times:
http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/index.htm

The hiking guide is especially helpful:
http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/h ... trails.htm
"Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earthbound misfit, am I." -David Gilmour, Pink Floyd

"We knocked the bastard off." Hillary, 1953
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Hillary, 2003
Couldn't we all use 50 years of humble growth?
-Steve Gladbach
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midwestcoast
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by midwestcoast »

oh burn.

You can't go too wrong anywhere in glacier. Piegan Mtn is a shortish steep scramble if you want to get on top of something. Otherwise, I'm partial to the western part of the park, the road that goes up to Polebridge and the lakes up there, forget the name.
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MuchosPixels
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by MuchosPixels »

Must hikes and stops:

Avalanche Lake: Popular, easy Hike. even though it's an obvious choice it's still amazing.

Hidden Lake Overlook (Logan Pass): Again, also popular, also amazing. Early morning and dusk are best. Lot's of Mtn. Goats around. I went in late july last year and there were long stretches of slick snow. Microspikes would help a lot if there is still snow specially at dawn.

Granite Park Chalet: Longer hike but amazing views and the highline trail is legendary.

St. Mary Lake: Stop at the goose island overlook next to the road. Quick stop but amazing views. Classic spot for sunrise photos.

Swiftcurrent Lake (Many Glacier): Stunning views. Easy access next to the road.

Also, don't be fooled by the "low" peak heights compared to Colorado. Vertical relief in GNP is overall is pretty big since the valleys are low in GNP. 5,000 ft vertical relief is pretty common in the park. Also, snow hangs around later and at much lower elevations in some spots. You can expect snow as low as 6500 feet in july in some areas.
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atbaritone
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by atbaritone »

Look up the montana vortex on a search engine. Totally campy and totally worth it, especially if you have some 12 and unders in tow. Optical illusions and such. In Montana Falls.
An unsuccessful day climbing is better than a successful day working.--Me.
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Cruiser
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by Cruiser »

Spend a night or 2 at Lincoln Lake if you have the time. The 8.3m hike from Lake McDonald to Lincoln Lake is fairly strenuous but it means that you'll have some real solitude at camp. And the 1300' waterfall at the far side of the lake is pretty spectacular.

Logging Lake to Grace Lake is another beautiful walk with some real opportunities for solitude at camp.
Where ever you are... There you are.
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kman
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by kman »

mewithout14ers wrote:Hey! So the fam and I are heading up to Glacier NP around July 12th and, having never been there before, wanted to know all the must see spots and places to go/see. So far, Crypt lake (Waterton) is definitely on the list, but what else is there?
Many excellent suggestions have been posted here. Good call on the Crypt Lake hike from Waterton. Take a look at this link: http://www.hikinginglacier.com/glacier- ... -hikes.htm This is some person/persons list of top 10 hikes in Glacier Nat'l Park, and I concur with them. Although I would add that no matter what trail you set foot on in Glacier, you will be rewarded with many good experiences and views. One of my personal favorites is the hike to Granite Park Chalet via Swiftcurrent Pass, and then ultimately to the fire lookout which sits atop Swiftcurrent Mountain. The fire lookout is the highest point in the Park that is accessible by trail. The 360 degree views of the Park from up there are, as you can imagine, spectacular. The 1st picture shows a view taken from near the fire lookout. The 2nd picture shows the fire lookout itself. The 3rd picture shows a view taken through one of the four glass walls from the inside of the structure (which was built in 1936) looking out. If you are fortunate enough to be there when the fire lookout "attendant" is there, you will almost certainly be invited in. Have fun!
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mountaingoat-G
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by mountaingoat-G »

Has anyone ever boated on St Mary Lake?
Or biked Going-to-the-Sun highway?
We will be there in mid-august and plan on doing these things, not to mention doing some hikes... Never been before, would appreciate any input
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MuchosPixels
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by MuchosPixels »

mountaingoat-G wrote:Has anyone ever boated on St Mary Lake?
Or biked Going-to-the-Sun highway?
We will be there in mid-august and plan on doing these things, not to mention doing some hikes... Never been before, would appreciate any input
I saw people biking on the road last year. It's best done very early in the day before the traffic increases. It is an awesome climb up to Logan pass. There is some road construction still going on west of the pass so I would expect some rough sections and debris in places.
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by lordhelmut »

Anything in and around Many Glacier. Papillon did a TR last month -

http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... ki=Include

From Logan Pass :

Highline Trail
Oberlin Peak
Reynolds Mountain
Mount Siyeh (from Siyeh Bend - a 10er)

From Many Glacier :

Cracker Lake
Swiftcurrent Pass/Granite Chalet/Switcurrent Peak fire lookout (one of the most scenic hikes I've ever seen, hands down, no questions asked, even more so than Highline Trail and less crowded, starts directly at Swiftcurrent Hotel)
Grinnell Glacier
Iceberg Lake/Ptarmigan Tunnel

This is all just stuff I did and can vouch for. Probably even more cool stuff around Two Medicine Area and then Waterton up in Canada.
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DurangoJenn
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Re: Tell Me 'Bout Glacier!

Post by DurangoJenn »

mountaingoat-G wrote:Has anyone ever boated on St Mary Lake?
Or biked Going-to-the-Sun highway?
We will be there in mid-august and plan on doing these things, not to mention doing some hikes... Never been before, would appreciate any input

I don't know if boating is allowed on St. Mary Lake. I know you cannot rent boats to take on that lake because of the rough water. You can take a scenic boat tour on St. Mary. What kind of boating are you planning on doing? Your own boat or renting one?

You can bike Going to the Sun Road, but there is road construction going on as mentioned. Also, you cannot bike from Apgar Campground to Sprague Creek Campground in either direction or from Logan Creek to Logan Pass eastbound between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/bicycling.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was just there for 8 days a few weeks ago camping and hiking with my kids. It was awesome. Two Medicine and Many Glacier were definitely my fave spots. I much prefer the east side of the park to the west.
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