Glacier National Park - Tips, Tricks, and Hints
Just got back from 6 days at GNP (US side only unfortunately, no Waterton...this time). It was great. I was with 3 other guys. We did some day hikes, some overnights, some backcountry camping and frontcountry camping. Primarily we were around Two Medicine and Many Glacier. Here are a few obersvations from my trip. This was my first backcountry trip. I borrowed most of my gear, but we all still made it work! Enjoy and feel free to post your experience too!
Do you HAVE to go to certain areas or are you fine with whatever backcountry sites are available? We decided to go with the latter. Showing up early before the permit office opens won't really cut it if you absolutely want to hike a certain circuit. I'd say pay the $30 at least 2 months ahead by planning with the advance registration. We just showed up a few minutes before 7am, were second in line, checked out a few areas and were happy with what we got. We wanted more, but since the trip is over, I can safely say, there are so many spectacular sites that it is hard to go wrong.
We did a 11.4 round trip to Cobalt Lake in Two Medicine. There are actually campgrounds at the lake. We didn't stay as it was full, but it would have been great. Little elevation change. We easily kept a 2mph pace even with pictures. This night we stayed in the frontcountry site at TM and was easily accessible.
We stayed at the same site the second day as one of our campers was feeling a little under the weather. We drove the Going-To-The-Sun road and hiked all of 6 miles round trip to Hidden Lake. There's an overlook 1.5 miles in. You'll meet a lot of people along the way as the trail is on a wooden boardwalk, but the descent to the lake should be relatively clear. We say a few hundred on our way up and maybe 4 people on the way down to the lake! Smooth gravel shoreline is a fantastic place to relax. Mountain goats are plentiful here. We even came across a whitetail deer.
Our backcountry circuit started in Many Glacier. We did a quick 2 mile roundtrip to Apukunni Falls and started on the trail where that ends to go to Poia Lake. Great views, sunrise was awesome on day 2 at the lake. Plenty of running water to fill up your bottles at the foot of the lake. The next day we headed to the head of Elizabeth Lake, crossing Red Gap Pass about halfway. We started at 7:30 and arrived at 3:30 to our site. Red Gap Pass is breathtaking. Great views of two large glaciers and it is pretty easy to see off both edges of the pass. Helen's Lake is just past Elizabeth Lake and is also worth seeing. About 5 miles roundtrip past EL if you have time. Heado of Elizabeth Lake is further in and you must backtrack to get out in the morning, but the view and access to the shoreline is great. We relaxed, saw some people catch-and-release fly fishing while we played cards into dusk.
Ptarmigan Pass and Tunnel is where we headed the next morning. While it as steep elevation from the lake, we had a brisk pace and made it there in about 3 hrs for the 6 miles or so. Views from both sides of this 100ft tunnel are great. We made our way down the other side, coming across female bighorn sheep on our way to Iceberg Lake and our exit near Many Glacier Lodge. I've never seen anything like Iceberg Lake. We actually took a dip on the lake's edge (oh, all the way in) but we were cautious and respectful of the icebergs. They may not be here for much longer.
The last full day we walked the Highline Trail also taking in Grinell Glacier and on up to the watchtower. Probably the craziest elevation I've ever experience. Two of us actually took a break the the Chalet at the base of the watchtower. Most of the pictures that you see of classic GNP were taken from the Highline/Garden trail.
Overall, hope those sites and descriptions help. The free shuttles that run along the Going-To-The-Sun Road are fantastic, especially if you don't want to drive and maybe meet new people. The frontcountry sites are great two, but they are first come, first served; normally they fill up by 11am from what we were told. Plenty of out-and-backs less than 8-10 miles with slight elevation. Great for those of us just getting into hiking. For those with more gasoline for blood, there's tons for you too!
Below are pictures of Hidden Lake and Iceberg Lake.
Cheers, Daniel
