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!

 

Camas Road (Glacier National Park)

 

Camas Road (Glacier National Park)

There is a road just off the west entrance to Glacier National Park.  I am guessing that many folks miss taking that road, and in fact, may not even realize that it’s there.  It’s not very long and has some interesting views….

Camas Road is fairly short – only about 11 miles or so.  It does pass an alternate road into the Village Inn and Apgar Visitors’ Center.  We drove on past that, and saw some very nice scenery, like this view of the Lower McDonald Creek.  This creek flows south into another river, the North Fork of the Flathead River.  I found this view rather relaxing, looking toward the mountains of Glacier National Park.

Also, along this route is an old, deserted barn and some farm machinery.  Here you can see an old broken-down truck, or what’s left of one!  At least, it still has its engine!!  And, in what’s left of a barn, there was an old John Deere tractor nestled in the weeds!

Here’s the barn I mentioned.  From the angle of the first image (on the left), it does look like it’s falling apart some, but it’s not until you walk around to stand in front of the doorway, that you can see how sad it truly is.

Here’s another view of the mountains and Lower McDonald Creek.  From this angle, you get an idea of how green everything is, and can enjoy a tree and some flowers as well!

Enjoy!!

West Glacier National Park

 

West Glacier National Park

One day, we headed out to explore as far up Going to the Sun Road as we could, approaching from the west entrance.  No one could drive the entire Going to the Sun Road, because the top (middle) third of it was still snow covered and they were still plowing it to clear that part of the road.  Still, we could see 2/3 of the road, and this post is about the fabulous sights we saw on the western side.

Lake Mc Donald in Glacier National Park, is the gem of the park.  The Park has many gems, but Lake Mc Donald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park, and is sometime synonymous with the park (aside from the glaciers!). 

It is an oligotrophic lake, typical of the type of lake that is created after a glacier retreats.  Its waters are clear and cold.  The lake is almost 10 miles long and about 472 feet deep.  It’s about 1 ½ miles wide, and its surface temperature rarely exceeds 64 degrees – brrrr!  Its clarity is generally greater than 50 feet in late summer.

We needed to be careful as we drove on the windy road.  We had to watch for not only cars, but wildlife as well.  They certainly didn’t show much fear from people or cars!

One beautiful site to see are the Sacred Cascade Falls, part of McDonald Creek.  After a short walk, we stood on the footbridge crossing over the falls.  These falls are revered by the local Native Americans.  They consider the mist that rises from the falls as a connection between heaven and earth.  It is also considered to be the place where the First Man and First Woman were created by the Moon Transformer. With that last statement in mind, it’s easy to see why some couples choose to have their engagement photos taken on the rocks along the shore.

A bit farther upstream, we got to see more of the rushing waters of McDonald Creek.  Although the scene looks peaceful, the sound of the water rushing was far from soft and soothing.

These images help to show just how powerful the water was in this part of the creek.  As you may be able to see in the left image, the water is incredibly clear, and we could see the rocks at the bottom of the creek bed as the waters rushed over them.

Our travels upstream came to an end at Avalanche Creek.  This creek flows into McDonald Creek, and the waters are a bit rougher here than when they reach McDonald Creek.

Isn’t this an interesting rock?  I saw it along the shore of McDonald Creek at Avalanche Creek and had to photograph it.  It wasn’t chipped or anything, the apparent texture is just embedded in the rock and the surface of the rock is quite smooth.

This is McDonald Creek, just after Avalanche Creek flows into it, and before it begins to pick up speed as it makes its way down to Lake McDonald.  This marks the end of our trip along the west side of Going to the Sun Road.  What will the East Side show us?

Enjoy!