After six years and several adventures overseas we decided that 2025 would be a great year to return to a couple of our favorite places: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We were a little burned out on air travel (who isn’t?) and wanted a fun roadtrip that wasn’t overly distant from our home in Colorado. And we had a longing for an outdoors experience to test our new hiking and camping equipment.
One thing I didn’t want to do was rush our visit. Our prior trips in 2010, 2017, and 2019 were all relatively short. In May of 2010 we had four days to cover both parks. In 2017 we had five days of camping with three nights in Yellowstone and two in Grand Teton. In 2019 we camped the entire time in Grand Teton and drove into Yellowstone two days, spending the other three in the Tetons.
In every case, we enjoyed ourselves and brought back good memories, but we also spent a lot of time driving and had to forego many activities because of the schedule. This time I gave us eight nights and nine days to see the parks and some of the surrounding areas too. The slower pace gave us time for activities like horseback riding and kayaking, as well as several days of hiking, wildlife viewing, visits to museums and scenic drives.
I also decided that we should try going in June this time. Our trip in May of 2010 was fun, but the weather was pretty cold and many of the trails were still snow covered. I remember crossing Jenny Lake on the ferry boat in falling snow. And the other two trips were scheduled in July around Independence Day. July is the busiest month in both parks and it is especially true around Independence Day.
But June seemed a good chance to see more wildlife (it was pretty active in May of 2010) with more accessible trails and potentially lighter crowds. Well, June turned out to be as good as I hoped. Tons of wildlife, rushing rivers and waterfalls, and maybe a tad fewer people.
We did have one last minute change to our plans, however. We were initially planning two nights of camping in our RBM tent in Yellowstone. But due to a medical issue a week prior to the trip we decided to swap out the camping days for a stay in the Grant Lodge in Yellowstone and an extra day in a cabin in Colter Bay in Grand Teton.
Once we had my truck packed up it was clear that the cargo requirements for the trip with the tent and all the other equipment would have been very challenging. So the lodge stays worked out and kept our itinerary intact.
Day 1: Sheridan
I decided to stop in Sheridan, Wyoming on our first night of the trip so that we could enter the park the following day on a westerly drive across the Bighorn Mountains with a stop in Cody so we could visit the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West.
With that in mind we had a straight 450 mile drive north to make and one that we had done two years prior on our way to Glacier.
We were able to drive at a fairly leisurely pace and decided to make a couple stops along the way.
Fort Fetterman
After a brief lunch stop we wanted to take a break from driving and followed a sign for Fort Fetterman near Douglas, Wyoming.
Fort Fetterman was an outpost at the southern end of the Bozeman Trail that led pioneers and fur traders to Montana. The only buildings at the site today are a reconstructed officers’ quarters and a toolshed. The rest of the site is marked out to indicate where buildings once stood.
The fort didn’t have as much to see and do as we had hoped, but it was interesting nonetheless, and the views across the rugged prairie are a reminder of just how remote and lonely these forts would have been for soldiers stationed there in the 1800s.
On our way back to the I-25 from the fort we saw some pronghorns and I was able to get some photos from my truck.
As most travelers through Wyoming know, pronghorns are fairly common throughout the state. But I was happy to get these photos only a few hours into our trip.
We still had some time to burn and I looked online for museums and historic sites that we could stop at on our route. There are some museums in Sheridan itself, but by the time we arrived there they would have been closed or near to it.
But there was a historic site in Casper we hadn’t yet visited: Fort Caspar.
Fort Caspar Historic Site
Fort Caspar (notice the spelling is different than the modern city of Casper where it’s located) had a much larger museum and more to see and do than Fort Fetterman.
We spent an hour walking through the buildings and learning about the fort and its history. The recreated barracks and officers’ quarters actually looked fairly comfortable and the surrounding landscape more lush and hospitable than the very stark surroundings of Fort Fetterman.
Fort Caspar sat near the North Platte river and was a trading post and pony express station, then was an army outpost to protect emigrants. The fort is a National Park Service site but is operated by the city of Casper, Wyoming, so you cannot pay for admission with your National Parks Pass.
Following our time at Fort Caspar, we continued north to Sheridan. I had reserved a conestoga wagon at the Sheridan KOA Journey and we proceeded there first before looking for some dinner in the town.
After reviewing our options we decided on the Pony Grill and Bar. We found the rustic, low-key atmosphere to be just what we wanted. the food was good, but nothing fancy. We were tired and just wanted some burgers and beers and the Pony Grill delivered.
After dinner we headed back to the KOA and settled into the wagon. Before bed, however, we decided to make use of the fire pit since we had some firewood and s’mores ingredients.
Overall the conestoga wagon was a good way to have some fun for our first night. The reservation was $180 compared to the $250-$300 per night at the hotels in town. It had a private bathroom, a king bed, and bunk bed for our son.
I slept reasonably well, but my wife did struggle to sleep due to the noise of trains passing nearby the campground. Also someone was shooting off fireworks (we think just outside the campground). Definitely not cool.
Day 2: Sheridan to Yellowstone
As I mentioned before, my decision to stop overnight in Sheridan was driven by my interest in entering Yellowstone on a westerly drive through the Bighorn Mountains. And so the next morning we started up Highway 14 and entered the Bighorns Mountains Scenic Byway.
The road ascended quickly with roadsides telling the relative ages of the surrounding rock formations. Interestingly the rock layers grew older the higher we went.
I had been debating whether to follow Highway 14 or it’s alternate route 14A for months (honestly). Highway 14 would take us to the Shell Falls overlook area (which looked really neat), while 14A would be a steeper route with the possibility of stopping at the archaeological site of the Medicine Wheel.
As we approached the fork known as Burgess Junction my wife (who was driving) asked me to make the decision. At the last second I chose the regular Highway 14.
Within minutes we found a whole herd of moose grazing jus off the roadside.
I was still learning the many functions of my new EOS R50 and tis was one of the first moments where I had to really recall all the functions for focusing at a distance and adjusting brightness in dimmer lighting.
I took a few more practice shots of the surrounding mountains then found this healthy marmot waiting nearby the road for a portrait shot.
Shell Falls
As I mentioned, my primary reason for choosing HIghway 14 over 14A was the Shell Falls Interpretive Site. Well,, when we got there it was closed. Seriously.
Rather than simply drive onward, however, we found a pulloff near the site entrance and walked to a spot with some views of the falls. They were spectacular, even if we couldn’t walk down to the primary overlook.
I was happy to get out of the car anyway and hopefully we’ll come back this way when the falls site is fully open. But then again, we need to go the 14A route too.
We drove onward, enjoying our homemade muddy buddies Chex mix until we arrived in Cody. Once there we made our way to the museum I had planned on visiting before, but failed to see in the prior visits to Yellowstone.
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
The BBCOTW encompasses five museums (Natural History, Buffalo Bill, Firearms, Native Americans, and Western Art). I wanted to visit all five but we were too hungry to stay long enough to visit the Western Art Museum (the Buffalo Bill Museum contains impressive western art too).
We first visited the Natural History Museum and perused the exhibits. The focus is on the natural world of the Yellowstone area, which makes it an informative stop before continuing on to the park.
Next we visited the Buffalo Bill museum and learned all about the life and career of the larger than life western hero William Cody. I have been to a few places that were historically significant to Buffalo Bill including the Scout’s Rest Ranch in North Platte, Nebraska and his grave here in Colorado. But I learned more about the man in this museum than I had anywhere else.
Following the Buffalo Bill museum we went to the Firearms museum, which I consider the best of the museums we visited. The collection is just astounding and more than you can imagine. The entire history of firearms of every sort is on display. And you can test your skills in target shooting (without real bullets but a laser target).
The Native American museum was next and it seemed a little sparse in my opinion. I know that many tribes have demanded that artifacts be removed from museum displays, and sadly this makes it harder to learn the history of these tribes and to be educated about their customs and ways of life.
After that, we were starving and decided to head to the exit (with a stop at the gift shop first). We decided on pizza and followed the directions to Wyo Dough. The directions led us to a less atmospheric building the the photos of Wyo Dough on TripAdvisor. This restaurant was called Cody Craft Brewing.
Apparently, Cody Craft Brewing and Wyo Dough were merged int one restaurant. Fair enough. Some good beer would be nice too.
The pizza was very meh. The beer flights were better. But with a continued drive ahead we couldn’t have much. Anyway, it won’t be at the top of our list when we come back to Cody.
Since it was Father’s Day I thought about going to the Irma Restaurant which is in Buffalo Bill’s historic Irma Hotel. But we were in a rush really. So next time.
We got some gas and set off for the entrance to Yellowstone via the Shoshone River Canyon that Theodore Roosevelt considered the most scenic drive in the country. He never saw the Beartooth Mountains road or Going to the Sun Road, but this is certainly a beautiful drive.
Yellowstone National Park
The east entrance to Yellowstone is over Sylvan Pass and right at that moment we saw a bighorn sheep sauntering past us by the roadside.
The bighorn was molting its winter coat with the transition to summer temperatures. But nevertheless, it was a pretty good ndication of just how plentiful wildlife would be in the park.
We proceeded onward along the shores of Yellowstone Lake (and a sadly ugly stand of dead timber from a past fire) to Lake Junction.
Turning north we proceeded into one of the prime wildlife viewing areas of Yellowstone: Hayden Valley.
We saw our first bison of the trip. It’s always good to see the bison herds and to know that indeed you are in the heart of Yellowstone. It was especially cool to see all the bison calves since it was still only June.
We made our way slowly north toward the Canyon area until we came to a car jam and decided to check it out. I’m glad we did. Our first of many black bears.
This is one of my favorite black bear photos that I’ve ever taken, looking directly at the serenely content bear in the woods.
After unjamming ourselves from the car congestion we continued to the south overlooks for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
I believe the view of the Lower Falls from Artists Point is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in all of the national parks. I’m pretty sure I’m right.
After taking our photos from Artist’s Point I convinced Shelley and Evan to take a little known trail from the overlook toward Ribbon Lake. Alongthe way there are some beautiful views of the canyon.
Along the way there were also some voracious mosquitoes. With no repellant on, we decided to cut the trail short and made our way onward to the hotel to check-in at the Canyon Lodge.
Our room was in a Western Cabin and it was a nice choice overall. It was tucked back from the busier main lodge area, had ice available for our cooler, and there was a trail to the north rim of the canyon nearby. Xanterra put ridiculous sideways recycling trash bins in the room, which I’ll discuss later.
The Canyon area overall, however, for as large as it is and with it being in one of the prime areas of the park, lacks any good restaurant options.
When we camped at Canyon Campground in 2017, there was a sit-down restaurant in the Canyon Village. This is now gone and the only option is a crowded cafeteria-style eatery with limited menu options. The cafeteria was also running out of ingredients and we didn’t get our side dishes because of it.
The staff looked frustrated too and acknowledged that the cost of the food versus the quality was a total mismatch. The woman at the cash register let us have our drinks for free to make up for the missing side dishes.
Xanterra just isn’t doing a very good job managing the lodges and restaurants in Yellowstone, in my opinion. We visited Glacier National Park in 2023 and the restaurants there are also managed by Xanterra, but the menus seemed better and the staff seemed a bit more relaxed.
I will state unequivocally that Xanterra seems too focused on virtue-signaling efforts for sustainability (like the laughable trash bins) and isn’t putting enough into the overall comfort and quality of the visitor experience.
As I wrote in my review, most visitors are there to hike and enjoy the outdoors. When we return from a long, tiring day and want to celebrate with a good meal, the last thing we want is overpriced cafeteria food or ridiculous woke choices like jerk tofu. Seriously. How about BBQ Mac-n-Cheese like we had in Glacier?
After settling into our room we decided to drive over to the north rim of the canyon. I would actually visit the north rim a few times on the trip since we were nearby.
The Brink of the Lower Falls
We drove over to the North Rim (since we hadn’t yet found the trail from the cabins) and stopped off at the Brink of the Lower Falls trailhead.
Evan and I made our way down the steep switchbacking trail to the bottom where a platform overlooks the Lower Falls. And it was flowing at an incredible rate. Almost too fast and powerful for comfort.
We walked onto the platform to view the falls before feeling like the platform would erode away beneath us. It was cool to see, but just a tad too powerful for comfort.
We hiked back up and felt pretty good about the day’s experiences. We were only at the beginning of the trip and had already seen bears, a moose, a bighorn and some terrific scenery. We had a hike planned for the next day and we wanted to be up early to enjoy a full day in the park.
This is my last painting of 2023 and the next of my national park paintings. This is a view over Grinnell Lake from where we hiked last summer on the Grinnell Glacier trail.
Montana now joins the list of wildlife photography pages. In only a few days we saw quite a number of animals and enjoyed the beautiful flora as well. It was unseasonably warm and I think that led to some animals retreating to higher and more remote ground, but I think you’ll find the gallery quite good all the same. View the gallery...
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.
Last week I also hiked the Iceberg Lake Trail in Glacier National Park. It was a very scenic morning hike in the heart of Glacier’s bear country. though I looked for grizzlies and other hikers said they saw one near the trailhead I unfortunately never saw one on the hike.
I did however have a close encounter with another large mammal on the hike. As well as taking in the beautiful vistas, waterfalls, and smaller critter that make Glacier their home.
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.
No state can compare with Alaska for wildlife. In this huge state where wilderness still reigns supreme, the challenge is more about traversing the wild interior than it is about finding nature. The other challenge is that while a plethora of wildlife might be visible, it is often at a GREAT distance. The more powerful the zoom lens, the better. View the gallery…
We’ve been to Yellowstone several times in the past few years and we’ve had the chance to explore a large array of the park’s features. Here’s an overview of many of the various locations, trails, campgrounds and more of which I am familiar...Read on
