Cross Country Adventure 2022 (day 15)

 West Glacier KOA campground, Glacier National Park, Montana

31 July 2022

Marc-  We started out early this morning at 06:30 in order to get into the park and up to Logan Pass before all of the parking spots were filled.  It is also the time of day to see the most wildlife.

We took the Going to the Sun Road through the center of Glacier National Park.  This is an incredible road built during the Great Depression and well built.  My only complaint is that there are many sheer cliffs along the edge of the road.  The view of the mountains and lakes (even a glacier) is incredible.  We made it to the Logan Pass Visitor's Center and trailhead area in time to get a parking space, albeit on the side of the road.  We took the Hidden Valley trail that takes you up over snowfields to view a hidden valley and yes, a hidden lake.  It was on this trail that I saw the three goats.  Two of them looked very healthy and one not so much (losing lots of its fur).  I forgot to mention that it was 51 degrees at the campsite this morning and 92 degrees in the afternoon.  Still it was in the 70's when we were up at Logan Pass.  Sue spotted a local squirrel called a Columbian Squirrel, which looks like a cross between a squirrel and a chipmunk.

Our adventure continued as we visited two waterfalls and several lakes. We did a picnic by St. Mary Lake.  We stopped for dinner at West Glacier at the Glacier Park Lodge (massive wood construction) across from the Amtrak train station.  (Both the hotel and the station were built by the Great Northern Railroad 100 years ago.)

I was half expecting Julie Andrews to jump out and begin singing "The Hills are Alive".

Intrepid skiers climb to the top of this snow slope and ski down.

Wild flowers everywhere.

                                                                    This is Penstemon

This is called bear grass.

This is Mountain Indian Paintbrush

Sue leading the hikers across the snow field.

This mountain Goat just walked right up on the trail.

Hi there!

Hidden Lake

Another goat on return down from Hidden Lake.

Columbian Squirrel

Jackson Glacier

Horse tunnel (there are horse trails in the park).

St. Mary Lake

Ford Tour Buses circa 1940s

St. Mary Lake

Burned forest on our way to St. Mary Falls.

St. Mary Falls

Glacier National Park is really an international park.

Amtrak

Glacier Park Hotel

Douglas Fir tree interior.

Western Red Cedars on the exterior.

Running Eagle Falls (the river comes right out of the mountain).

Running Eagle River

Two Medicine Lake