When autumn arrives in Colorado, we love to visit the high country to enjoy the vibrant colors that light up the mountain sides. One of the best places to enjoy the leaves of gold is Rocky Mountain National Park.
My 19-year-old, college student son Daniel and I spent the prior night in Estes Park, right outside Rocky Mountain. I had planned out the trip in advance and got Bear Lake Road reservations on August 1st, the moment the reservations become available for dates in September (they are gone within minutes for weekends in the summer and fall). We stopped briefly to get some gas and a quick bite of fast food breakfast, then entered the park at first morning’s light.
After passing the checkpoint to verify our access reservations we drove up to the parking area near the Glacier Gorge trailhead (which leads to Sky Pond), but unsurprisingly the small parking area was already full. We then continued onward to the much larger Bear Lake parking lot further up the road and found it was already completely full as well. We were far from the only early morning hikers ready to enjoy the fall colors.
On the drive up I saw a small parking area just below Glacier Gorge and told my son to drive back down to it, hoping that there would still be a place left there while cars passed us heading up to the full lots above. Sure enough, there was a spot left for us at this little parking area about 3/4 miles below the trailhead. A little extra hiking wouldn’t hurt us a bit.
We started down the trail and made fairly good time as we passed by Alberta Falls in the first mile, then The Loch at about 3 miles, the first of the lakes along the way to Sky Pond.
The trail passed alongside The Loch and after another mile we arrived at the point where the trail becomes a bit more challenging. You must climb a small cliff alongside Timberline Falls with cold water tumbling onto the rocks along the way. We made it fairly easily to the top of the cliff where we were rewarded with the sight of The Lake of Glass.
Many hikers mistake the smaller Lake of Glass for Sky Pond, but the trail continues onward past some boulders that obscure the path at the outset. Following alongside the Lake of Glass we ascended a bit further to arrive at Sky Pond.
With the jagged Shark’s Tooth piercing the sky above the lake, we knew we had arrived. Years before, when he was a seventh grader, we had tried the very same hike but had been turned back at deep snow at Timberline Falls. This time, at the right time of year, we had succeeded and could cross this bucket list Colorado hike off our list.
On the hike back we saw some pika hiding amid the rocks and some trout swimming casually in the Loch. The weather was pleasantly warm and and we would be well ahead of any afternoon rain that might move in.
It was a pretty easy-going hike for the both of us, and a good way to usher in the fall.
Our last day of the trip we had intentionally left fairly open as far as our itinerary. We had gone to the visitor center the day before and saw that there was a ranger-led hike at Taggart Lake on the southern end of the park at 9AM.
Since we had never been to Taggart Lake this seemed like a good activity for the morning. The ranger-led portion was just to the lakeside for about 2 miles. Then we could continue on our own to complete a 4 mile loop back to the trailhead.
Instead of the usual cereal and protein shakes in our cabin, we decided to have a hot breakfast at John Colter’s Ranch House. It was a nice change of pace on a less busy day. Yes, we save quite a bit of time and money by not dining out every meal, but sometimes it’s good to have pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Taggart Lake
It was about a 45 minute drive from Colter Bay to the Taggart Lake trailhead (with another stop for air in my right-front tire). Once we arrived we waited for the ranger to appear along with the rest of our group then started the guided hike.
It was a bit windier and chillier early in the day as a cold front began to move into the area. That was ok though, it was still a very nice day and we had just gotten really lucky to have such ideal weather the whole trip.
As we made our way along the route the ranger would ask questions of the group. We answered most of them. And he had no qualms about letting us answer them all :).
We’ve been teaching our youngest to not feel embarrassed about ‘showing off’ his knowledge and intelligence. Some kids at school made him feel awkward in science and other class for being a nerd or know-it-all. Let them feel stupid all day long.
So we answered the name of the plant with the yellow flower as ‘arrowhead balsamroot’, that grizzlies love to eat moths, and every other assorted question the ranger had. We also walked into the forest off trail with the permission of the ranger to remind us to take time to let our senses appreciate nature free of all the noise and distractions of life.
As we continued from the lake shore around the loop we saw plenty of vistas of the Tetons, wildflowers, and butterflies, but no significant wildlife.
The Taggart Lake area leads upward to many more trails that I might try in the future such as Delta Lake.
Jackson Hole
I know the town is called Jackson, but everyone calls it Jackson Hole. Which sounds cooler.
We decided to have lunch in JH since we were fairly close to the south entrance and hadn’t been in JH since 2010. Back then we stayed in Jackson, which I realized was pretty distant from the park’s main areas and a bit unsatisfying if you want to enjoy the park.
Jackson has changed a lot in the past couple decades with all the billionaires moving in. We drove past the city park with the elk antler arches (which are pretty cool) and parked on a side street.
We decided to eat at the Merry Piglets because we wanted Mexican food. I had heard of the Merry Piglets because of a famous, recent missing person, murder case that ended in the Tetons not long ago. But regardless of that sad notoriety, we just wanted some burritos.
My food was lukewarm when served, and Shelley’s and Evan’s was almost cold. We sent their food back. I was too hungry to stop and think that my food should have been warmer. They got their remade dishes, which were correctly piping hot. But overall, I can’t really recommend it.
After eating we drove back north into the park and along the way we saw a bison herd. Plenty of junior bison as well.
That was pretty cool and made up for a lackluster lunch.
Colter Bay
We drove back into Colter Bay and parked at our cabin. We wanted to go to the two-mile loop trail that leads to a peninsula off of Colter Bay and afterward we could visit the gift shops one last time.
Shelley and Evan had hiked this trail the day before and were able to point out many things along the way, such as the bear claw marks on a tree (a warning to other bears) and some frogs lurking the mud near the Jackson Lake waterline.
Wile we were hiking back a few people told us a black bear was just seen crossing the path where we were walking. But unfortunately, we missed it.
We walked over to the general store to get some ice cream and met an unusually unfriendly, odd looking guy behind the counter. Almost all the staff we met working at the resorts were nice. This guy was not. Oh well.
We stopped at the visitor center and while inside we heard that the juvenile grizzly had just run past the marina. We stepped outside and there was a crowd there, as well as some rangers at the far end of the marina path. The grizzly was in the woods and the rangers seemed to want it to continue going in that direction.
Well, I had seen bears 6 days of the trip, but so far had struck out today.
We returned to the cabin to start packing up in preparation for departure the next day. We rested a bit, then at dinner time made our way over to the Ranch House again for dinner. It was good and we like it. As far as national park eateries go it’s a good place.
Day 9: Tetons and Wyoming
The next morning I got up early to do the morning hike around the loop trail, hoping to see some wildlife along the way. It was a very chilly 30F degrees and other than the random squirrel or bird in the dim light, the animals were not out and about.
I finished reloading the truck and walked to get some coffees at the coffee shop in Colter Bay. It’s always nice to start a drive with some good coffee. And it helped warm my hands after the biting chill of the hike. The weather had certainly changed overnight.
We left Colter Bay and made one last stop at a pullout before exiting the park.
We’d had a great trip and enjoyed ourselves. But we could still stop along the way at anywhere that looked interesting.
As we were ascending Highway 287 to cross the continental dive, it started to snow. June can still be winter in northern Wyoming.
As we made our way back down toward Dubois, Wyoming the temperatures increased and we were back in summertime.
Entering Dubois we saw a sign for the National Museum of Military Vehicles. Sure. Why not?
The National Museum of Military Vehicles
This museum blew us away. We were thinking we would have an hour stop and peruse the museum like most any other. Instead, after two hours we still weren’t done.
The museum is absolutely huge and full of historical military vehicles, rifles, and everything else related to American military history. It is laid our in chronological order and delves into the experiences of war at places like The Battle of the Bulge in WWII, in Korea, and Vietnam.
Included in the exhibits are German, Soviet, Japanese, and Chinese equipment from the various theaters of war. It was fascinating to see and we wondered how this immense, impressive museum had remained under the radar since it apparently opened in 2020.
Whatever the reason, this museum is a definite stop to make in Dubois, Wyoming.
I will be make a video of the museum and will be posting it here when it is ready.
After the museum we were pretty far behind schedule and needed to make up some time on the drive back.
We tried to get coffee again at the Buffalo Bean in Casper, but it had close for the day by the time we arrived. We had to settle for coffee at the travel center down the road (not as good but decent).
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed this trip overall, and it was a good change of pace back to a roadtrip after several years of plane travel. I was also glad that we gave ourselves a few more days and this made it a bit more relaxing, allowed us to see and do more, and never feel rushed.
I always have a number of goals for a trip and this trip really met and exceeded in everything we hoped to accomplish. We saw more wildlife than I could have hoped for and all the major ones (bears, moose, wolves, etc). We completed all the hikes that we had planned out. We used our new cooler and hiking equipment to save time and money and to improve our overall experience. We got great photographs and video footage. We did fun activities and still left some places and activities for future visits.
I don’t know when we will be back, but it won’t be six full years again. These parks are only 1-2 days away and I’d be curious to visit in the fall even if visitor services are starting to close for the season. I’d definitely return in June though.
In Colorado there are four national parks and numerous national monuments, historic sites, and recreation areas. Florissant Fossil Beds is a small national monument in central Colorado, just west of Pikes Peak.
Florissant Fossil Beds is a unique and enjoyable place in a relatively quiet spot in Colorado. This December we made our second ever visit to the monument and saw that it had a new visitor center and a more expansive trail system.
We were last at Florissant Fossil Beds in 2012. At the time Shelley was pregnant with our youngest son Evan, who was born in December of 2012, almost exactly twelve years prior to our most recent visit. For Evan, this was his first real chance to visit the monument even though he was phyically there the last time 🙂
We found that in the intervening years a nice new visitor center had been built and we took some time to peruse the exhibits inside, learning quite a lot about the history of the monument and the many fossils that have been found at the site. We learned for instance that more butterfly fossils have been found at Florissant than anywhere else in the world.
Once we stepped out of the visitor center we made our way to the primary attraction that makes Florissant famous: the great, fossilized redwood stumps.
Redwoods?
Yes, Fifty million years ago the climate of central Colorado was warmer and more humid, though the elevation was still quite high. The climatic conditions allowed huge redwood forests to thrive in what is now a dry, alpine environment.
The redwoods were fossilized by a volcanic eruption that happened about thirty miles from the current site of the monument. That volcano is now extinct, but the ash fall that accumulated at their base ensured that the stumps would remain to the present day.
There are several redwood stumps to be seen within a one mile perimeter of the visitor center. Two are only about one hundred feet away, covered by the protective roof. One of these is a triple trunk that originates from a single base.
To see the others, we took a leisurely stroll along the one mile Petrified Forest Loop Trail. Along the way is the most famous of the stumps, called the “Big Stump”. This stump still bears the rusted remnants of a saw blade from a century old attempt to cut into it. Fortunately that attempt failed and the stump remains for our enjoyment today.
I highly recommend visiting Florissant if you are in this area of Colorado. It’s quiet and relaxing compared to many of the more famous attractions in the state and quite interesting. For us it was also kind of fun to bring Evan there so close to his birthday to reminisce and give him the chance to appreciate the park.
Colorado has many terrific national park sites and we decided to try our best to visit as many as we can in 2025. We think we can visit all four national parks in 2025, and we’ll hit many of the national monuments as well. We’ll share our journeys as we go.
This past August weekend I decided I needed to do a bit of Colorado mountain hiking before the short season ends. August is the prime month for 14er hikes since the weather is warm and the snow cover has almost entirely melted off of the peaks.
I didn’t have time to make a multi-day trip so I decided to return to a peak that I hiked back in 2018: Quandary Peak. Quandary Peak is located just south of Breckenridge and is the 13th highest peak in Colorado at 14,265 feet. It is probably the most climbed 14er in Colorado due to its accessibility and relatively short 6.5 mile round-trip trail distance, but its still a good challenge with a 3300 foot elevation gain.
The last time I did this hike there were numerous mountain goats nonchalantly hanging out near and on the trail. The presence of the goats is another factor in the trail’s popularity. Unfortunately on this hike the mountain goats were nowhere to be seen. Pikas, however, were abundant, as you can see in the photos below.
Also, having completed six 14er hikes now, I’ve never encountered wind as strong as what I encountered on this hike. A very strong westerly wind was blowing right down the trail and really added to the difficulty. The prior time I did the trail the wind was minimal and it was much easier, even if a light snow was falling at the summit.
In October of 2023 we took a road trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas. It was part family visit, but also a chance to see a part of the country which was entirely new to us. We had a good time overall, with a few surprises along the way.
As you can see from the map we traveled through Kansas as well, but due to time constraints we weren’t able to see any sights in Kansas, though we did spend two nights in the Sunflower State along the way. Don’t worry though, we’ll travel that way again in the future and give Kansas a closer look.
Day 1: Tulsa and Owasso, Oklahoma
Evan in the Gathering Place rope course
Our primary purpose in visiting Tulsa and Owasso was to visit family. But we did venture to Tulsa’s Gathering Place park. The Gathering Place is a huge urban park full of fun outdoor activities for kids and adults. My kids really enjoyed the very, very vast playground attractions which cover many acres.
We walked around the park, enjoyed the koi at a lake, traversed the many trails, enjoyed the nature and bought some ice cream and drinks. This is a good place to go to spend some free time while in Tulsa. The park has free admission too.
Day 2: Owasso, Oklahoma to Hot Springs, Arkansas
The second day was one that would involve a number of stops as we traversed a portion of the Talimena Scenic Highway to Queen Wilhelmina State Park, Mena Arkansas for lunch, the Crater of Diamonds (a longtime interest for the family, and ending at our hotel in Lake Catherine outside Hot Springs.
Queen Wilhelmina State Park
Overlook at Queen Wilhelmina State Park
My original plan for our stop at Queen Wilhemina State Park (just across the border in Arkansas on the Talimena Scenic Highway) was to take the short trail to the Lovers Leap Overlook.
Unfortunately when we arrived it was very windy and chilly and we were not prepared for the weather as this short video shows.
So instead we took a few photos from the overlook and made a visit to the lodge and gift shop.
Afterward we walked over to the historic 1920s steam train engine nearby, and then the odd Wonder House, which is a multiple story historic house made of stone that was built in the 1930s.
Somehow this little house has nine stories. You can only look into the windows but you can start to understand that the stories are not conventional ten-foot floors as you would normally expect, but are rather split-level floors at staggered elevations of the house as it sits on a slope.
Mena, Arkansas
Our next stop was Mena, Arkansas which is a small town in west-central Arkansas. It is the end point in the Talimena Scenic Highway and a great place to visit on its own.
I had one place in mind for lunch and it turned out to be as good as advertised: The Ouachitas.
Bar at the Ouachitas
I’ve seen the Ouachitas called Ouachita Coffee Roasters as well, but it’s a pretty cool mix of coffee shop, beer brewery, and pizzaria. The pizza was exellent and if we weren’t heading onward to the Crater of Diamonds I would have loved to have tried the beer and coffee as well. The interior is cool too with a lounge area and long tables for dining. It’s one of the few places that seems to do many different things well.
Crater of Diamonds State Park
I have to admit that my plans tend to be a bit ambitious and time is always my worst enemy. The Crater of Diamonds State Park closes at 6 PM but the diamond mine (the crater) closes at 4PM. So in other words we had to hurry.
Driving in Arkansas is slow going over most of the roads. They are long and windy and traveling 50 miles takes over an hour. When we arrived at the Crater of Diamonds we had less than an hour to dig, but we were not going to miss out. I had packed digging tools with us for the trip just to dig for diamonds.
Evan and Daniel digging in Crater of Diamonds
The garden tools turned out to be pretty good at turning over the hard soil quickly. The best tool was actually a weeding tool that I could push down into the hard surface soil to break it up.
We found some quartz and jasper and brought home a few rocks that we found interesting. I’ve heard there can be diamonds within the rocks so we may break a few open to see if there are hidden gems.
Despite the rush, this was a fun stop for us and we made another stop at a gift shop to add to my shot glass collection.
The drive to Hot Springs from Crater of Diamonds was a bit more relaxed and easy. When we arrived at the Staybridge Suites at Lake Hamilton (just south of Hot Sprinsg) we had a two room suite and two days to relax a bit after the rushed day of driving and site-seeing.
Day 3: Hot Springs National Park and Garvan Gardens
I have to admit that our first impression of Hot Springs was a bit underwhelming. The town south of the national park appears a bit run down and congested. On arriving in the historic town we saw a lot of buildings that appeared to be historic but many were in a vacant state of disrepair.
After finding a place to park in a parking garage just off the Bathhouse Row, we ambled down to the Pancake Shop, another often-recommended restaurant that we fit into our itineray.
There is no shortage of food at the Pancake Shop and the food is delicious. I ordered the Deep-Fried French Toast with eggs and bacon. It’s a little more expensive than typical breakfast restaurants but I still think it’s a good morning breakfast before exploring the national park.
Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park is an unusual national park considering it focuses on historic bathhouses and has a relatively small natural area amid an urban setting. But that has a lot to do with the history that surrounds its establishment.
Long before the idea of national parks existed in the 1830s the hot springs of Arkansas were considered a place of special importance. The United States government under Andrew Jackson decided to create a “Hot Springs Reservation” to protect the hot springs. The town grew up alongside the reservation.
When the national park service was established and the first national parks were established, Hot Springs Reservation was absorbed into the park system as Hot Springs National Park. Unlike most national parks the focus is on man-made structures and history, but the natural features (primarily the hot springs) are well worth seeing.
Our first stop was to the hot springs on the Grand Promenade. But before visiting the bathhouses we wanted to hike up to the mountain tower. It was a short uphill hike on the Peak Trail as you can see in the video.
I decided to take the stairs up to the tower museum and viewing area, which was a bit of an added challenge but there is an elevator to the top. The views of the surrounding mountains and bathhouse row are pretty impressive. You’ll learn a lot more about the history of Hot Springs and it’s importance to the early days of baseball in the museum.
After hiking back down from the mountain tower we walked the Grand Promenade to the Bathhouse Row. The bathhouses are an amazingly beautiful representation of Gilded Age luxury and we walked through the Superior Bathhouse Museum run by the national park service.
Ceiling stained glass in the Bathhouse Museum
Garvan Gardens
After touring the museum we left Hot Springs National Park for arvan Gardens. Garvan Gardens is a huge outdoor garden area operated by the University of Arkansas on a peninsula southeast of Hot Springs.
I have to warn you that Garvan Gardens is not small and really takes a couple hours to fully explore. We walked about through about half of the total park before fatigue started to wear on us from all the previous hiking.
The park is not only full of plants of every imaginable kind but also unique structures and even interesting wildlife, like a green snake. We hoped to see the chapel too but unfortunately there was a wedding going on at the time of our visit.
After a long, tiring day we were ready to eat a good dinner. Since we were also celebrating my birthday the next day I chose the German restaurant Steinhaus Keller. It was great and they brought be a desert cheesecake with a Roman candle 🙂
Day 4: Hot Springs to Eureka Springs
The next day we woke up and had breakfast in the Staybridge Suites before starting off on the slow, windy, but scenic drive north to Eureka Springs. My initial plan was to go first to Mount Magazine State Park, then to Whitaker Point, and then to finish the evening at Eureka Springs where we would also see a magic show at the Intrigue Theater.
So heading north we made our first stop just before noon at Mount Magazine Lodge. My sons and I set off for a hike to Signal Hill which marks the highest point in the state of Arkansas while Shelley called in for a work meeting.
Mount Magazine State Park
We made a video of our hike and as you can see from the video we had a good time. The fall colors were by now really starting to show and that made this trek in the Ouachita Mountains highest point particularly enjoyable.
After returning to the lodge we met up with Shelley and had birthday lunch (for me) at the lodge. The lodge restaurant was meh and if there had been other options nearby I would have considered that instead. Still, the view was nice.
At lunch I decided against stoping at Whitaker Point, which is arguably the most photographed spot in Arkansas. Even had fallen and cut his leg right at the end of the hike to Signal Hill, Whitaker Point is considered a semi-dangerous hike for kids (there have been fatal falls on the trail), and I wanted to get into Eureka Springs a little earlier so we could amble around town and eat dinner before the magic show.
The drive north was on the Pig Trail which is Highway 23. It is a very scenic drive through a forested canopy. The trees were fully at the height of fall colors as I had hoped, but it was still a really pretty drive. Along the way a groundhog crossed the road and I got a quick photo of him as we were passing.
Overlook on the Pig Trail
Shortly thereafter we arrived at the historic town of Eureka Springs.
Eureka Springs
Eureka Springs is one of the major tourist spots in Arkansas and I was looking forward to seeing it. It mostly lived up to my expectations but I did find it a bit difficult to fully grasp.
We stayed at the Quality Inn and I was wise to make reservations early since we would be there on a Friday evening in the fall, the height of tourist season. After we checked in we changed into clothes for the evening and drove into the downtown district.
Family photo in Eureka Springs
The downtown district is very popular and the sidewalks and streets were full of people ambling from one location to another. I was hoping to stop at a restaurant in the town but I found it a bit difficult to find a good place for the family and we ended up driving to a different spot outside the downtown area.
Eureka Springs is a bit eclectic and has a varied crowd. Not every place seems very family-friendly (one place I walked into was the New Orleans hotel which had a 21-and-over sign at the bar). But it is a really cool downtown architecturally and historically so it’s worth walking the very uneven sidewalks and crossing the bridges from one side street to another.
We ended up going to the Rockin’ Pig Saloon. Truth to tell, I was a little disappointed with the Rockin’ Pig despite the good reviews online. The crowd was a bit edgy (two types of people seemed to hold sway in the restaurant and if you were neither than you seemed a bit out of place). The BBQ food was good overall but the service was also overwhelmed by the number of people in the restaurant. It was a bit disappointing too since it was my birthday.
After the dinner, we drove quickly back to the hotel before going to the magic show at the Intrigue Theater.
Intrigue Theater
I don’t have any photos of the Intrigue Theater but I will tell you that it’s a small old church that’s been converted into a venue for a magic show. The show is really good and with so few people in the audience almost everyone gets to be involved. My son Evan was brought up on stage for one of the tricks.
If you really want to be in the show pay the extra for front row seats. He called on the front row many times more than the rest of the audience.
I figured out how a few of the tricks worked but most of them are really baffling. I highly recommend it.
Day 5: Eureka Springs to Haysville, Kansas
The next day would be a drive back to Oklahoma for another visit with family, followed by an evening drive to Haysville, Kansas for the night. I truthfully had trouble sleeping and woke up at 4 AM to walk outside and took this picture of the Orion Constellation over the forests by the hotel.
After finally returning to the room for a last few hours of sleep and a pretty good breakfast at the hotel, we started west from Eureka Springs toward Owasso, Oklahoma.
There was one stop I really wanted to make sure to do before we left Eureka Springs and that was to the Thorncrown Chapel. Fortunately the fall colors were really taking hold by now and I was able to get some nice photos of the chapel at its seasonal best.
Thorncrown Chapel
The chapel is right off US 62 west on the way toward Bentonville so it was an easy stop on the drive. It was nice and peaceful and well worth the stop.
After the chapel we continued on our way back to Oklahoma. I had one more stop in mind before we arrived back in Owasso to visit with family. The Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma.
Natural Falls State Park
If there was one place that truly exceeded my expectations it was this state park in Oklahoma. I hadn’t read much about the park and my older brother who lives only an hour away had never heard of it. But we found the scenery and the trails there to be very nice. The falls and the grotto of dripping water along the cliff face were stunningly pretty.
The attached video shows our exploration of the park. This time Shelley was able to accompany us as we went low and high to see the falls and surrounding nature.
After the falls we headed onward finally ahead of schedule to visit with family and we did have birthday cake at my brother’s house. It was a nice visit, including testing out his swimming pool.
Finally we drove onward through the Osage Reservation north of Tulsa to our final stop in Haysville, Kansas.
Day 6: Haysville, Kansas to Home
I was hoping to stop off at a museum or two on the drive back through Kansas. Unfortunately,, it seems most everything along the way is closed on Sunday and we had limited time to make the long drive. Kansas, we will be back and see you in more detail.
Overall it was a good trip. I do feel that all the driving was a bit exhausting especially in such a short amount of time. Covering 1400 miles in a week is a bit exhausting. Additionally, I would have liked more time to relax and see more in places like Eureka Springs, the Arkansas Ozarks, Oklahoma and along the way in Kansas.
So I’m going to back off for a little while on long road trips and focus more on shorter drives and flights to locations. Having your car is nice however as you can be as spontaneous as you want and don’t need to worry about returning a car.
I had never been to Arkansas and it was nice to finally see this last of the states west of the Mississippi River that I had never visited. Additionally I had only just barely been to Oklahoma and that was just across the western panhandle in 2018. Finally, it was good to see Kansas again after 23 years. It was almost as though the entire trip was one of new discoveries.
I have a new hike to add to my list of The Greatest Day Hikes in the USA. The DeCaLiBron Loop is a 7.6 mile hike that leads to the summits of four of Colorado’s 14er mountains. The trailhead is located at Kite Lake, which is up a 4-wheel drive road from Fairplay, CO.
7.6 miles isn’t usually that difficult, but the elevation changes as you summit one mountain, descend and reascend the next one make it challenging. My teenage son and I were both pretty tired after completing the hike.
You can complete the hike in either direction, starting with Mount Democrat, then continuing to Mount Cameron, Mount Lincoln, and finally Mount Bross. Or you can do them in reverse, as we did. I don’t think there is an advantage in going in either direction, but the scenery might be better going in the reverse direction.
There are a couple things to know in advance before starting this hike. The first is that once you start it and advance past the first summit there is no quick return to the trailhead. Thus you must keep an eye on the weather and start early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms. We saw people arriving at 10AM and hopefully they weren’t trying to hike more than one mountain.
The other thing to know is the trail and the mountains themselves are on private land. Because of a recent lawsuit private landowners are reluctant to allow the public to use trails on their land. Fortunately the landowner is allowing the public to use the trail as long as they complete this online form the day of the hike: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/c2d3wpisftzvbznpjhsbnb/kiosk/ .
My son and I battled through the wind and cold, the altitude, steep terrain and later the heat and loose rocks to complete the loop. Overall it’s something to be proud of once you finish it.
Despite living in Colorado for 12 years, we had not yet driven up the Mount Evans Scenic Highway as a family. With summer winding down I decided it was time to finally do this before winter set in (the road is only open a couple months each year in the mid to late summer).
I had once before taken a drive up to the summit with my older brother all the way back in 1997 when I was in college. Now twenty-six years later I wanted to take my family to the top to enjoy the scenery and the alpine wildlife, which frequently includes mountain goats, bighorn sheep, marmots, and pika.
We actually had more of an experience than we planned on. We hit a torrential downpour on the I-70 west of Denver that cleared up before we took the road south toward the mountain at Idaho Springs. Then we hit some of the thickest fog we’ve ever driven through. Still, like many others on the road that day, we carried on with a can-do spirit and had a really enjoyable time, even if we couldn’t see for a hundred miles.
We saw plenty of mountain goats and I took the short hike to the very top to get a photo of the very worn survey marker. When the clouds did part we had some fleeting vistas with impressive displays of light and cloud.
I’ve wanted to travel to Montana for a while, and Glacier in particular. As a family we’d only just barely visited Glacier a few times on trips to Yellowstone (West Glacier, Cooke City, and a Paradise Valley horseback ride). As for Glacier it was a place I last visited 30 years ago (yes, 1993) when I was a teenager and only once before when I was 4 years old.
So while I had been to Glacier and Montana it was so long ago that for the most part our trip this year felt like the first time. And even when I was a teenager we didn’t do any extensive hiking so I was looking forward to getting back and hitting the trails in earnest.
And not only Glacier, but the rest of Montana beckoned. From Little Bighorn Battlefield to Bozeman there was just A LOT that I was eager to see. And to be honest, even after getting home there’s still a lot more I want to go back and see and do: more hikes, more rafting to enjoy, boating to try out, historic sites to visit, wildlife to appreciate, museums to peruse.
So here is the trip we took this July of 2023 into Montana, and briefly across the Canadian border to Waterton Lakes National Park.
Our actual first day would have been the drive from our home in Colorado to a hotel in Sheridan, WY, but since this was exclusively a driving day without any stops I’ll save a discussion of Wyoming for the drive home.
We stayed at the Fairmont Inn in Sheridan and I can say it was a very nice hotel, probably one of the best in the city of Sheridan. The breakfast was good too (actual hot breakfast instead of cold pastries). We didn’t have much time to spend in Sheridan but I do plan to be back on my next foray into Wyoming.
We left in the morning and drove north on I-90 planning to stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. While this probably wasn’t a hugely significant stop for my kids, it was a place I had always wanted to visit and checked a box off my bucket list.
Little Bighorn Battlefield
Most people already know the story of Crazy Horse and Custer and the Sioux and Cheyenne and the 7th Cavalry. The site is sobering as it is a rather beautiful prairie landscape marked by grave markers and monuments to commemorate those that fought and died there in 1876.
We spent some time in the visitor center and listened to a ranger discuss the various locations at the monument. As the ranger explained, the national cemetery is not related to the battlefield. He explained that the Last Stand Hill is the first stop to visit and various trails lead from there to places fighting occurred. You can drive onward down the Battlefield Tour Road but we only had time for the hilltop and a short jaunt down the Ravine Trail.
We found the markers for Custer and other members of the 7th Cavalry and we found the monument to the Sioux and Cheyenne to be a fitting tribute. Nobody really won at Little Bighorn despite the defeat of the 7th Cavalry.
We started down the Ravine Trail and were warned by a ranger right away about a rattlesnake. My teenage son and I decided to go on while my wife and youngest son returned to the visitor center to wait for us. After a short walk we found the rattlesnake and I did get a photo of it in the grass off the trail. We walked a bit further and photographed more markers but felt we would be wise to head back and not risk getting blocked by a rattlesnake on the trail back.
We retured to the truck to continue our roadtrip north. I had debated heading straight to Billings for lunch and continuing onward to Great Falls. But then I decided to ad-lib a stop in between. Since it was only 10AM I felt we had time for Pompey’s Pillar.
Pompey’s Pillar National Monument
The Pompey’s Pillar stop was kind of a controversial decision amongst my family because it impacted the time we had for our next stop. But personally I enjoyed the monument and found it to be very worthwhile.
Pompey’s Pillar is a sandstone bluff that rises along the shoreline of the Yellowstone River outside Billings, Montana. It was climbed by William Clark we he explored the river after departing Lewis on a subsequent journey and his inscription remains on the bluff (the only physical proof left of the expedition).
We climbed the stairway to the top of the bluff and took in the view, reading Clark’s remarks on it from a sign at the top. We also walked through the small museum and along the riverside trail.
We probably should have sped up our visit a bit more (it lagged, especially in the gift shop). But we had a long drive to make to another Lewis and Clark spot and I underestimated the slowness of that drive to Great Falls on two lane highways with construction zones added in.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
This is a really good museum outside Great Falls, Montana and you really need a minimum of two hours to take it all in. The museum is full of interactive exhibits that really engage both kids and adults and it tells the whole story of the expedition from beginning to end.
As it was we arrived at about 4:30 PM and the museum closed at 5:00 PM. Not to be deterred we entered anyway and sped through the exhibits as best as we could. Frustration was rightfully voiced to me about not getting more time there and questioning the stop at Pompey’s Pillar. Had our drive gone more smoothly (including not missing a turn to the museum in Great Falls) we probably would have been able to add a full hour and that would have worked out much better.
We still did get the see a lot in that blitz through the museum and I made sure to take enough photos to be able to read through some of the exhibit information. But we will have to get back and visit again, taking the needed time to really enjoy it.
Giant Springs State Park
Giant Springs State Park includes the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in its boundaries so there is no reason to not see both. The only difference is the Giant Springs stay open until sunset so we had much more time to spend at the springs.
Lewis and Clark actually discovered the springs on their journey when they arrived at the Great Falls of the Missouri River, which are now largely dammed to provide hydroelectric power for Great Falls and beyond. Lewis and Clark had to portage past the falls overland and in doing so encountered the springs.
The Giant Springs are incredibly clear and I put my GoPro in the springs so you can watch the video and see how they appear from the sub-surface. They also create a very short river that runs directly into the Missouri. The visitor center was closed but there was a robin’s nest on the light fixture which we cautiously watched as the mother fed its chicks.
After enjoying the springs we headed off to dinner in Great Falls at the Mackenzie River Pizza. We ate at two Mackenzie locations on the trip and enjoyed it both times. I only wish they could open one in Colorado.
Finally we completed the day’s long drive in Shelby, Montana. I chose to stop in Shelby because it would position us near enough to Glacier and Waterton parks for the following day at a location that had a reasonably well-rated Best Western hotel.
Day 2: Shelby, MT to Many Glacier
On Day 2 we were leaving Big Sky country behind to travel to the mountains. As everyone knows, the Canadian wildfires have affected air quality across both countries throughout much of the summer of 2023. For the most part Montana and the Rocky Mountain states have been mostly only minimally affected, but we noticed a haze to the air in Shelby which was the result of the fires.
Fortunately the winds that had shifted and brought the smoke from the north were shifting back to the southwest that day, pushing the smoky air away from Waterton and Glacier.
Our agenda that day led us to drive west toward Browning then north into Waterton Lakes National Park via the Chief Mountain port of entry. I remembered our passports and so we were able to make this trek across the border. The site of crystal blue skies and mountain vistas was instantly elating as I was genuinely worried we would face a smoke-filled week in Waterton-Glacier National Parks.
Once past the border crossing we made our way down to the park entrance which sits in a valley surrounded by lofty peaks. The haze was definitely noticeable but it wasn’t going to affect our day.
Waterton Lakes National Park
We took the turn to go first to Red Rock Canyon which travels along a narrow road up a river valley. The forest here was unfortunately largely lost to the huge fires that affected Wateron Lakes in 2017. A huge percentage of the park’s forest were burned in the fires that year and, much like the Yellowstone fires of 1988, the forest will return but it will take decades to regenerate the losses.
When we arrived at the parking area I noticed that the vast majority of the license plates were from Alberta with only a very few plates from the USA. I think that cross-border traffic has dropped considerably owing to to the passport requirement (in past decades it was as easy as showing a drivers license), the devastating fires and their effect on the scenery, and there being just generally less to see and do in Waterton as opposed to Glacier.
But personally I think Waterton is still a very worthwhile excursion and there are some really great hikes and still intact forests in Waterton Lakes. Had I the time and if my family was all old enough, the Crypt Lake trail is reputed to be among the best in North America. And the Prince of Wales Hotel and Waterton town are great stops in their own right (but more on those later).
Red Rock Canyon
We took the loop trail around Red Rock Canyon and then I walked up the waterway with my sons in our water shoes. The water was cold but it felt good as the temperatures were going to be in the 90s the rest of our time in Alberta and Montana. I used my waterproof digital camera while walking in the water but I’m also realizing it’s photo quality just isn’t up to par since I only used one photo from the few I took in the canyon.
After finishing up on our brief trek in Red Rock Canyon we proceeded to the Prince of Wales Hotel and my family really got to appreciate both the beauty of Waterton Lakes and this cool, historic hotel.
Prince of Wales Hotel
By now the skies were really clearing and the view over Upper Waterton Lake from behind the hotel was incredible. It was also pretty hot and the site of the water and people paddling in it below looked very inviting.
We stopped by the gift shop and got a much-needed coffee and bought some much-desired souvenirs, then enjoyed a trip up the historic elevator in the lobby. It’s from the 1920s and requires an attendant to operate it, but they were happy to give my son and I a trip up to the second floor.
Waterton Town
Since it was now lunch time we traveled down to Waterton town to find some lunch. We made our way to Trapper’s Mountain Grill. The food was average and a bit pricey but the beer was really refreshing.
Afterward we walked to the lakeshore to enjoy the scenery. It’s a great spot to see the Prince of Wales Hotel on the hilltop above and a deer casually strolled over to us on the walk back to the car.
Ready now to travel south to Many Glacier we passed back through the border crossing and we were lucky enough to unwittingly be witnesses to a special wildlife encounter.
Glacier National Park
I had not heard the bison could be found in Glacier, unlike Yellowstone. As we were traveling south on the Chief Mountain road a bison cow and calf crossed the road in front of us and disappeared into the forest. I was lucky enough to get a quick photo with my phone.
I didn’t know what to make of these bison at the time. Were there wild bison in Alberta that crossed the border or did they escape from a private ranch? Were they owned by the Blackfeet as a private herd?
The answer came when we were on a boat tour later on in the trip. In early July 2023 the Blackfeet released 20 or so genetically pure bison back into Glacier National Park in the Chief Mountain area to repopulate the species which had gone extinct due to hunting in the late 1800s. These were two of those bison that are the first wild herd of bison in Glacier since that time!
When we were told about the newly reintroduced bison we showed the tour guide and told the same story to another guide on our rafting trip. hopefully these bison thrive and their numbers grow over the coming years.
Many Glacier
The road into the Many Glacier area is one of those iconically beautiful national park driving experiences. The view of Lake Sherburne, the surrounding mountains, and later Swiftcurrent Lake and the Many Glacier Hotel is something to enjoy. Yes, the gravel road is a bit rough until you get to the entrance gates, but that only adds. tothe feeling that you are leaving civilization behind to step back in timeand enjoy genuine wilderness at its finest.
When successfully I made the lodging reservations at 2AM on July 1, 2022 for Swiftcurrent lodge in a 2 double-bed room it was only after all the available rooms in the Many Glacier Hotel had sold out and I had spent two frustrating hours watching the Xanterra server time out. However, I will tell you now that if you enjoy hiking, the Swiftcurrent Motor Lodge is better. And we had one of the best rooms in the entire park to enjoy the Many Glacier area.
When we arrived the lodge area was pretty busy with cars parked in every available spot along the roadside for access to the trails, but the crowds dispersed quickly thereafter. And the Swiftcurrent Motor Lodge’s rooms are actually tucked away from most of the crowds in a peaceful area. The rooms are small and simple, without A/C, but they are clean and comfortable and you can’t get closer to the trails.
To get to the Iceberg Lake Trail I walked out the door and about 100 feet to the right. To go to the Swiftcurrent Pass trail (that passes Fishercap Lake, etc) we walk 50 paces to the left. To get to the Grinnel Glacier/Swiftcurrent Lake trail we walked about 1/2 mile back toward Many Glacier hotel and never had to move the truck.
Also, the crowd at Swiftcurrent is 100% hiker. I felt completely at home among my people. I truthfully never saw a more athletic and healthy group of people all in one place (it was a world away from the cruise we went on in March out of Florida). And Nell’s turned out to be a really good and reasonably priced restaurant and we ate there about 5 times.
It was noticeably more stodgy and expensive at the Many Glacier Hotel and nowhere else we were felt as relaxed and cool. When I go back it will be to the Swiftcurrent.
Fishercap Lake
One of the nice things about our access to the trails was that we were able to take a quick jaunt from our room down the Swithcurrent Pass trail to Fishercap Lake. While the lake itself is beautiful it’s the near-constant presence of at least one moose feeding in the lake that makes it a fun stop to visit.
We walked the short half-mile to the lake our first night in Many Glacier and a few times after that to watch the moose feed in the lake.
Day 3: Many Glacier
Grinnell Glacier Trail
If there was one hike I was determined to do more than any other it was the Grinnel Glacier hike. Initially I planned for all four of us to go together but that morning my wife and 10-year-old son decided they would do the more casual stroll around Swiftcurrent lake and allow my 16-year-old son and I to tackle the more difficult hike together.
The hike is about 11 miles roundtrip from the Swiftcurrent Lake trailhead and 12 miles from the motor lodge. It’s one of the most scenic hikes mile-for-mile that I’ve ever done and we saw more moose along the shore of Lake Josephine. We did start down a side trail that neared the glacier but stopped short along the shoreline of Upper Grinnell Lake.
Coming back it was definately hot and the trail was a bit more crowded. I highly recommend going up early if you can. The temps were in the 90s and we were quite warm by the time we finished out the hike.
We were back at the room at about noon and we all went to lunch together at Nell’s. Shelley and Evan hiked the Swiftcurrent trail and then stopped at Nell’s for breakfast. We also ate at Nell’s for dinner.
They have Huckleberry beer and the Huckleberry cheesecake is great. You can never have too much huckleberry anything.
Red Rock Falls
We all spent a couple hours resting up and decided to do a full family hike to Red Rock Falls along the Swiftcurrent Pass trail, then have dinner. We would make a stop at Fishercap lake to see if there was a moose (there was), then continue on to Red Rock Lake and the falls.
While the scenery was great I have to tell you that this trail in the late afternoon is plagued by flies. We sprayed ourselves with mosquito repellant but the flies still flocked to us like crazy. It was a bit hard to convince my 10-year-old to continue on and bear the annoying insects, but he did get to Red Rock Lake where you could look across and see the falls.
After that we sped back to the hotel room at a quicker pace. And yeah we went back to Nell’s for dinner. The BBQ mac and cheese is really good and filling.
Day 4: Many Glacier, St. Mary Lake, and Logan Pass
This was a pretty busy day that I had planned out to try to get as much in without exhausting the family. My family wanted to rest sore legs in the morning from the prior day and while I had a sore back I wasn’t going to not do the Iceberg Lake hike. Heck, I don’t even need to move the truck.
Iceberg Lake
I woke at about 5:30 and gathered up the bear spray, the water, ate a couple protein bars, and put on some sunscreen. It was time to see a grizzly. Maybe. Or at least a really cool lake.
The rangers will tell you that of the day hikes in Glacier, the one that has the most grizzly activity is usually Iceberg Lake. On the way up you pass through an area filled with huckleberries and serviceberries, a favorite food of theirs. Knowing that, and seeing the ‘Bear Frequenting’ poster I was pretty hopeful to get a really cool grizzly photo to eagerly show my family when I returned.
I did not see a grizzly although hikers before and after me said they saw one on both sides of the trail near the trailhead. The hike was very scenic though and a moose walked up to near the shoreline while I was there.
The hike was 10 miles roundtrip and I had now logged about 26 miles in about 24 hours. My feet were fortunately completely fine but I was feeling the effects of carrying a backpack not intended for long hiking trips. I bought a camera case/backpack a year ago and while it is great for protecting the cameras it’s not ideal for protecting your back from aching a lot.
Many Glacier Hotel lobby
Once back at the room we quickly got into the car and sped over to Many Glacier. I told my family that after the hike we’d go have breakfast at the Ptarmigan Room. Only problem was I was about a half hour late and the Ptarmigan Room was closed. So we sauntered down to Heidi’s Coffee Shop on the bottom floor and had breakfast pizza and coffees. Then we got some souvenirs. Because well, you can’t not get souvenirs.
While we were still a bit early for a 4 PM boat tour on St. Mary Lake we decided to drive there anyway. While we could have driven up the Going to the Sun Road we wisely decided to wait and instead just waited an hour by the windy lakeside, trying to stay cool by wading in the waters and sitting in the shade. We also watched a girl preparing to SUP in St. Mary Lake despite the very windy conditions. We had doubts about her likelihood of success but our boat departed before
St. Mary Lake Boat Tour
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the boat tour but I would say it was very good overall. And I think St. Mary Lake is probably one of the better boat tours.
We were taken to the far western end of the lake and then docked at Baring Falls where we took the family photos above. It also felt really good to stand on the deck and feel the breeze on the lake. Did I mention it was really hot?
Also the tour guide was pretty informative and it was from her that we learned about the bison that were recently released into the park, as well as the fact that many trees just stay in small bunches near the ground (called krummholz) and that some trees will freeze and exlode in the winter. And we learned about the fire that killed many trees by St. Mary Lake.
I guess I might add though that there were some words like ‘colonizer’ that the guide used which we didn’t feel were necessary. The history of the US and the west is complicated. Let’s just say that. Beyond that, it was really good and worth doing.
After the boat ride I had made up my mind that we would be eating at Two Dog Flats at Rising Sun. That was a great decision because we didn’t have to go outside the park, the food was good (huckleberry BBQ pulled pork sandwich with huckleberry beer), it was reasonably priced, and it would be easy to go up to Logan Pass afterward when the parking lot wouldn’t be crowded and (with luck) the wildlife would be more active.
After filling ourselves with huckleberry-related foods and an apple pie for good measure, we drove up to Logan Pass and found parking easily.
Logan Pass and Hidden Lake Overlook
We arrived at Logan Pass at about 7 PM and the visitor center was closed, but there was still plenty of daylight and I cajoled the kids to follow me up the Hidden Lake boardwalk trail in search of mountain Goats, bighorns, and a pretty lake at near sunset. Shelley wasn’t feeling completely well at that point and decided to wait happily at the pass while we went up the trail.
We arrived at the overlook and along the way we saw many Colombian ground squirrels, a ptarmigan, and a very distant bighorn (in the hillside image above on the right side. But I wanted to see more. The heat had driven the animals to higher ground elsewhere.
The overlook was beautiful of course but I felt a little downcast as I returned to the parking lot. But strangely, nature has a way of making no sense whatsoever. There was a bighorn ram right by the bathroom. Licking the ground.
Not the most scenic backdrop, but it’s still a bighorn ram.
We returned to the car rather amused after all, and I was feeling the effects of about 30 miles of hard hiking in less than 48 hours. Shelley was feeling better by now and started down the Going to the Sun Roa.. We got lucky quite quickly as there were more mountain goats but in a much better location amid some trees.
Now these rams were certainly in a more ‘natural’ setting.
We got back to the Swiftcurrent hotel at nearly 10 PM but only just seconds before sunset. Still we were completely worn out (at least I was) and needed a good rest. We had an early day again. tomorrow. And we finally realized there was a window fan in the closet of the room.
Day 5: Many Glacier to Columbia Falls, MT
I had logged 12 (Grinnell Glacier) + 4 (Red Rock Falls) + 10 (Iceberg Lake) + 4 (Hidden Lake) = 30 miles of mountain hiking in 48 hours and I was really getting sore. But there was no time for rest.
I booked a 7:45 horseback ride for my sons and I and we decided to all go to breakfast at the Ptarmigan Room at Many Glacier beforehand.
I’m going to say flat out that unlike the great meals I’ve had at other higher-end national park lodge restaurants (Old Faithful Inn & Roosevelt Lodge in Yellowstone, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, and the Ahwahnee in Yosemite) the breakfast at the Ptarmigan Room at Many Glacier isn’t nearly worth the price, even with the nice lake view from the table.
Horseback Ride at Many Glacier
After eating my sons and I walked across the parking lot to the stables for the two-hour ride to Cracker Flats.
The trail ride stayed on mostly level loop through the forest and along the shore of Lake Sherburne but it was pretty scenic and enjoyable. My son suffered a sudden nosebleed along the way and the guide stopped to help clean him up. It was my youngest son’s favorite activity despite the nosebleed.
Afterward we went quickly back to the room to pack up and bid farewell to the Swiftcurrent Lodge that we enjoyed for three days to travel to the west side.
We left the park and headed south to renter at the St. Mary entrance to travel to the west side over Going to the Sun Road.
Going to the Sun Road
I’ve driven many of the most scenic drives in the country: Highway 1 in California, The Million Dollar Highway in the San Juans of Colorado, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Highway 1 in the Florida Keys, Highway 441 across the Great Smoky Mountains, the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire in fall, the Road To Hana on Maui, the Seward Highway 9 in Alaska, 89A in Arizona between Sedona and Flagstaff, and Highway 12 in Utah between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon. I’m only missing one that I hope to do in the next couple years: The Beartooth Highway outside Yellowstone. I’ve certainly driven enough to write a good blog post on scenic drives.
I would rate the Going to the Sun Road as one of the top 2 or 3 in terms of pure scenic splendor and it’s an engineering marvel as well. There is zero reason to go faster than 10 MPH over much of it. There are a bunch of pull-offs and if you can park (many times you can’t find a space) go ahead and do so. I saw people standing in their vehicles through the sunroof and while that might not be perfectly safe it’s the one place it’s understandable.
Also, the sunrise and sunset in the summer in Montana gives many hours of sunlight so you don’t need to drive this road between the core hours when you need a reservation. We had a reservation and personally I think the reservation system is a necessity.
There was one definite stop that I was intent on making as long as we could find parking is the Avalanche Creek/Trail of the Cedars area. This is a short loop trail through a unique temperate rainforest that you would not expect to find in the Rocky Mountains. It also includes one of the most photographed spots in Glacier at Avalanche Creek.
Avalanche Creek
You can also take a side trail to Avalanche Lake and I honestly wish we had no matter how tired I already was. It was left for a future trip (along with a ton of other hikes).
We continued on along the shore of Lake McDonald and passed by the Lake McDonald Lodge and Apgar Village but due to the crowds and lack of parking (and ensuing hunger in my family) we failed to stop to do the boat rental that I had wanted to add to the itinerary.
We finally exited the park and stopped in West Glacier (which was insanely hot and crowded and walked into the first place we saw for food: Freda’s Bar and Grill. I’ve seen this place is highly rated on some travel sites but I found it horrendously overpriced and loud. We paid $17 for each burger with no sides and $16 for an elk sausage. If my family hadn’t been excessively hungry there is no way we would have paid that for lunch.
Glamping
Our room for the night was a glamping tent at the North 40 Resort just west of Columbia Falls. The North 40 Resort is primarily luxury cabins but they added a glamping tent which we enjoyed for two nights as a ‘research’ experience.
My wife and I have discussed opening a glamping resort of our own as an employment/retirement project. We just haven’t decided where to build our resort (it could be Montana.
We enjoyed the glamping tent with its spacious interior, king sized bed and pull-out bed, electricity, refrigerator, interior and exterior tables, A/C and outdoor. deck. Unfortunately it had no sink (you had to walk over to bathroom to even wash your hands and the A/C was overwhelmed by the temperatures.
We drove down to Kalispell to buy some groceries and cooked out two nights to cut down on some of the dining costs. It took a while to light the charcoal but the steaks were great.
Day 6: West Glacier and Kalispell
Being an El Nino year the mountains of Montana and Glacier have received considerably less snow than in normal years, and the temperatures have also been much hotter. The jet stream carries the moisture further south to California, Utah and California.
In La Nina years, and in the interim years, the reverse is generally true. Montana receives a lot of snow and moisture while California and Colorado are hot and dry. Consequently the frequency of fires increases in either region depending on the climatic swings.
Rafting on the North Fork of the Flathead River
I booked the rafting trip on the Middle Fork of the Flathead months ago not realizing that when we finally went the water levels would be like that of a typical September, because of the aforementioned El Nino cycle. Therefore the half day rafting trip was slower and less exciting than I was hoping for. We still had fun though and the dip the Flathead water was refreshing on a day with 95 degree temperatures.
Because I didn’t carry my camera with me on the rafting trip I don’t have any pictures from this activity. We did buy a couple photos from Glacier Rafting Company that they took, but I don’t post photos on this blog that I didn’t take.
Afterward we made another stop at a MacKenzie River Pizza in Kalispell for more Huckleberry beer (it wasn’t as flavorful) and pizza. It was a good, air-conditioned meal we needed. Then we went back to the North 40 Resort to rest and wind down. I did consider driving back to Glacier for one last hike, or south to Flathead Lake for a fishing spot, but decided it was wise to just chill for a bit.
After lazing away awhile I decided to walk the short trail at the North 40 Resort. I did see a deer but it bounded away too quickly to photograph. I also realized I had no photos for the day so I took some pictures of the wildflowers.
Day 7: Flathead Lake, Bozeman, and Billings
I had plans for the day and but we were all a bit slow getting up and out for the long drive ahead. Eventually we made it to a Kalispell coffee shop and then proceeded south along the shores of Flathead Lake.
I did not know until I was driving along the shore of Flathead Lake that it was a prime cherry-growing region. After seeing a few dozen cherry stands I eventually pulled over and bought some cherries. My youngest chose Rainier cherries.
After acquiring the local produce we continued to what I decided for. a stop on Flathead Lake at Yellow Bay. I wanted at least one stop on Flathead Lake to enjoy the scenery and water before continuing on with the drive.
Flathead Lake
It was very windy and the bay on the eastern shore was just not the ideal spot to admire Flathead Lake. After about an hour of trying to get the most out of the shoreline walk we returned to the car to continue on our drive to Bozeman and the Museum of the Rockies.
Museum of the Rockies
We arrived at the Museum of the Rockies with 45 minutes to spare before closing time but we refused to be denied. We got in for free at the late hour but still took in the Dinosaur Hall, the Da Vinci exhibit, and the Living History Farm.
This is an outstanding museum and it pained everyone that we AGAIN had to race through another great museum. The Dinosaur exhibits are among the best I’ve ever seen. The Da Vinci traveling exhibit was cool and the Living History Fram was fun and engaging. We missed out on the Planetarium and barely had time to read the displays. Should I have skipped the stop on Flathead Lake? Probably.
Afterward it was time for dinner and we wanted something good. We chose the Montana Ale Works. It was a converted train depot and they too had huckleberry beer.
Waiting outside for a table at the Montana Ale Works
Afterward, we completed the relatively easy drive east to Billings and our hotel for the night, a Best Western. There was a television. I hadn’t seen one of those in…days. And didn’t miss it. The hotel was nice though and they were able to give us a roll-away bed for added space.
Day 8: Billings to Home
On our last day we had another long drive to make from Billings and across Wyoming to our home in Colorado.
Pictograph Cave State Park
We gassed up and ate a breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, we made a short stop at Pictograph Cave. Sometimes for fun I let my youngest make our GoPro video and narrate our activities as we go. He’s usually pretty entertaining unintentionally.
I was truthfully a bit underwhelmed by the cave art viewable at Pictograph Cave. It was barely visible, if at all. But it was still good to get out and walk a bit with a long drive ahead.
We continued on past Sheridan and onward to a museum we could actually take our time visiting: The National Trails Museum in Casper, Wyoming.
National Trails Interpretive Center
I don’t know why they are starting to call museums interpretive centers, but this was a good museum and well worth the stop halfway through the drive. My kids learned quite a lot (and so did I) about the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail and the Pony Express at the museum.
And we didn’t have to rush through it. My son used a tablet to go through the quiz game and earned a certificate for completing it with a good score.
After leaving the museum we ate lunch and completed the 300 mile drive back to Colorado.
It was a long, but fun and memorable journey. My truck suffered an endless battery of bug debris and a scrape on its running board on the Going to the Sun Road but was a champ the whole way. We all had our share of wear and tear and my wife managed to get a respiratory bug (from a moose?), but it was a great trip nonetheless.
My son and I completed the Grinnell Glacier Hike in Glacier National Park last week. It’s one of the most scenic hikes I’ve ever done and every bit worth the effort of a 14-mile round trip.
We started from the Swiftcurrent Lodge and saw moose along the shore of Lake Josephine and near Grinnell Lake. The wildflowers, waterfalls, and arriving at the glacier made it all a great experience. We finished with a well-deserved meal and drinks at Nell’s at Swiftcurrent Lodge.
I’m going to write a larger blog post about our entire Montana trip which covered a lot of road miles, tremendous hiking, historic sites, and more.
