Traveling to Glacier National Park in Montana on I-90 and then Rt. 93, we drove through green ranchland surrounded by streams, lakes and glacier-capped mountains.
We pulled off the road to fix dinner at an observation and rest area on a knoll near the National Bison Range http://www.bisonrangemontana.com/ and decided to stay the night. We weren’t certain what the sign meant about a buffalo preservation area, except the mosquito that bit me was used to buffalo hide. We were the only ones there except for a university student working on some photo setups since the place offered great views and color, especially with late evening's slanted light, lasting well past 9 p.m. that far north in July. Eventually the student left, and we spent the night alone in our RV atop the hill after scanning for buffalo, but never seeing any.
Next day we passed Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, heading to the West Glacier entrance on Highway 2 with the goal of traversing the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan’s Pass at about 10,000 feet. As we entered the park the attendant said the Sun Road had opened only two hours before, and that crews were still clearing the road. A wall mural in our home depicting glacier-covered mountains and a broad field of bright colored wildflowers had been identified as Logan’s Pass, so we wanted to take a photo of the same spot.
West Glacier to East Glacier is about 41 miles, but we stopped halfway at the lodge at Logan’s Pass the next day after spending the night at Avalanche camp ground in the park. To our dismay, 8 feet of packed snow covered the dazzling wildflowers of our mural. We surmised the flowers might poke through by September. But it was warm, and glacier melt had created dozens of waterfalls cascading down the steep surrounding black granite mountains onto the road during the drive up.
One particular passage called "Weeping Rocks" displayed waterfalls cascading down from probably 2,000 feet over the canyon wall in dozens of spots. The park provides shuttle buses to traverse Going-to-the-Sun Road, something we recommend after driving it in our 21-foot RV. http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm
The park contains 13 campgrounds, and slightly more than 1,000 campsites, with seven of them allowing RVs no longer than 21 feet. However, several surrounding RV parks accommodate all size RVs. Three lodges are also available inside the park, and many private ones outside.
Avalanche Creek, with its own waterfall that we hiked to from our campground was glacier- blue with its sparkling waters at their peak. The short trail to the waterfall leads through old growth cedar-hemlock trees, one of few areas in the country that hasn't burned in 500 years.
In addition to deer trotting throughout our campsite, the park, laced with lakes, rivers, streams and waterfalls is home to about 70 species of mammals including elk, moose, grizzly bears and gray wolves.
After visiting the park’s Apgar Village and Visitor Center http://www.glacierparkinformation the next day we hiked a trail bordering the McDonald River that flows into Lake McDonald. Once back at camp after a light afternoon rain, the sun returned and we hiked back to Avalanche Falls for another look-see before dinner.
The following morning we hiked up to Avalanche Lake -- a round trip of little more than four miles. It follows Avalanche River through the rain forest with water running or trickling down everywhere. The awesome natural lake is fed by the glacial water we saw cascading down the sides of the dark alpine mountains in the distance.
Our last night in camp we met a just-retired New York woman camping with her partner, both of whom had camped in every state in the US including Alaska and Hawaii, plus Nova Scotia. Also, they had hit nearly all of the national parks and forests. She talked with a fast non-stop New York accent, reminding me that many had gone before us traveling the diverse landscapes throughout the United States. Another couple we met had put 25,000 miles on their RV the previous year.
On the road next morning near Flathead Lake I took photos of an osprey sitting in a nest atop a telephone pole. Then its mate came and made my day for photo taking.
From Rt. 93 we headed to Hwy. 29 and then Hwy. 135 encountering huckleberry fruit stands every mile or so, and those huckleberry pancakes we ate for breakfast nearly outshone the ospreys.
Rita Robinson, an award-winning journalist and author of 11 books, writes from Fawnskin, a mountain community in California. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or http://ontheroadwriters.com.