East Glacier National Park

 East Glacier National Park

Another day when we were in the Glacier National Park area, we decided to explore the east side of Going to the Sun Road.  In order to access it, we needed to drive around the southern portion of the Park.  We did see some interesting sights along this route….

For a time, our drive paralleled the route that the Amtrak Empire Builder was taking.  This train route begins in Chicago and travels west, ending in Seattle.  However, in this case, the train was heading in an easterly direction and was also skirting the southern boundary of the Park.

Along the way, we found (on the map) what appeared to be a bit of a shortcut to the East Entrance to the Park and took that.  Due to the very winding road along this “shortcut”, we felt we really didn’t save any time.  However, we sure got to see some lovely views of the outside of Glacier National Park East!

Just after entering the East Entrance, we got to see a peek at St. Mary Lake.  We also noticed some interesting rock formations.  Notice how the rock layers are somewhat curved.  Over millions of years, the curved formation would have been caused by shifting of the rock layers, which typically would have occurred due to continental drift.  The glaciers would then have carved into the rock layers, exposing what we see here. There were also some wildflowers blooming, adding a nice touch of color.

Off to the right of the road were the Baring Falls.  Here are a couple of views of the lower end of the falls.  You can see in the image on the lower left, how fast the water was flowing.  This is not some lazy river, meandering down the mountain!!

Here are a couple of views of the higher part of the Baring Falls, that we could reach by walking up some steps and a path leading to the top of the falls.  These views don’t represent the top, but are partway up.  Notice how fast the water is rushing.  The image in the lower right is of the water rushing over some rocks.  It’s very, very clear and rushing just as fast as it is clear.

This was as far up as we could see the Baring Falls, as it flows through the Sunrift Gorge.  The trail goes up the falls about ¾ mile.  We didn’t scramble up that last part, but this view was pretty without the scramble!  Again, notice how clear the water is!

Here’s a view of Virginia Falls from the road.  The hike out and back to the falls is about 2-3 miles and not one we chose to do.  Still, the falls is rather pretty, even from a distance.

Just across from Baring Falls and Sunrift Gorge is a view of Wild Goose Island in St. Mary Lake.  I purposefully took a wide view shot of the island, so you could see how small it truly is.  The sky looks very threatening in this image.  It was a rather overcast day but didn’t really seem as threatening as the image shows!!

Sometimes, along the creeks and streams, there are some small blossoms.  Seeing such tiny pieces of nature’s perfection amid such grandeur, I just must pause and relish these tiny bits of inspiration.

We did see two more creeks along the road, across the way from St. Mary Lake – the Creek at Rising Sun (on the upper left) and Rose Creek (lower right).

A peek at Jackson Glacier was as far as we could travel on the east side of Glacier National Park.  There is a platform where I suppose one gets a clearer view of the glacier – however, I prefer this sort of peek at it through the trees.  It just feels truer to the feel of the Park.

I thought I’d end this recap of Glacier National Park on a bit of a lighter note, with a couple of images of some mountain goats we saw on our drive back to the campground.  If you look closely at the image on the right, you’ll see what I think is Mama Mountain Goat relaxing on the side of a mountain that was perhaps a bit steeper than a 45-degree angle.  And, to her right, almost hidden by the trees, is her little baby.  The image on the left reflects, I believe Papa Mountain Goat.  There is a stream at the base of this mountain that they had been drinking from, and then they climbed up here to relax for the afternoon!

Enjoy!