I wanted to do something fun after the Cactus Coulee Crawl. I was on the fence about heading to Waterton National Park because I know there’s a lot of bear activity right now.
Shannon suggested I explore Glacier National Park in Montana, about an hour and half from Lethbridge. Since I have never been there (or quick frankly heard of it before), I was game.
My plan was to drive the famous and wildly popular Going-To-The-Sun road and do a little hike at each point of interest.
At the visitor information centre, I took a look around at the maps. Since it was relatively early in the season, there was still a lot of snow on the road. The road is not fully open until it is completely plowed but parts are open all year long. I was able to drive about 13 miles before I would have to turn around.
The St. Mary Visitor Center was surprisingly busy for a Monday. I would hate to see what it was like during the summer. There’s a shuttle bus that travels the length of the 50-mile or so road, which makes sense because there was little parking along the road. Again, I bet it’s a gong show in the summer.
Glacier National Park, along with Waterton Lakes, is the world’s first International Peace Park and the world’s first International Dark Sky Park.
It was challenging not to stop every half kilometre to take a picture. Gosh the views were breathtaking.
My first stop was at the Sunrift Gorge. I parked next to a couple who looked like they were serious hikers. I asked about hiking in the area and they mentioned that they were going to see the “gorge.”
After I got myself sorted, I headed up a trail. I quickly realized it was not the gorge trail. I kept thinking about how the couple had just seen a grizzly cross the road.
Because I was seriously spooked out I turned around about a kilometre later. I learned later that the burnt out trees (above) were damaged in a big fire in 2015.
I headed back to the parking area where I saw a bus full of tourists. The occupants were all headed down to the gore/waterfalls. Clearly I turned right when the two hikers ahead of me turned left.
I saw them again and they were about to hit the road for the next stop. They pointed me in the direction of Baring Galls, half a kilometre away.
Next up I drove to the next popular spot – St. Mary’s Falls Trailhead and Virginia Falls. The parking lot was jammed full and I was lucky to snag a spot. There were lots of people milling about. Since it was so busy, I knew I didn’t have to worry about bears too much.
There were great views of Saint Mary Lake and the mountains in the distance. Someone told me their names … but of course, I forgot them all by the time I got back to the Qashqai.
It didn’t take long to reach the St. Mary’s Falls, about 1.5 kilometres. There were several people lounging about and taking photos. The spray of the waterfalls was truly refreshing. It was becoming a very hot day. I welcomed the breeze.
I didn’t stay too long because I wanted to keep moving. It a nice hike to Virginia Falls, which we could see through the trees along the trail. There wasn’t a person in sight when I reached the falls. It was loud and beautiful. A woman came up behind me and I handed her my iPhone. I don’t usually ask people to take my picture but I really wanted to capture this moment.
As I stood in the freezing water I could see a rainbow to my left. Beautiful.
On my way back I got to talking to an older man from Whitefish. He had a bunch of camera gear so naturally I chatted him up near the waterfalls. He caught up with me and we chatted the whole way back.
He does a lot of hiking and scrambling in the area. He told me about his recent bear encounters, which everyone loves to share. I loved hearing more about the history of the park. Once I told him I was a sometimes trail runner, he gave me some suggestions for running in the area.
End of the road
Jackson Glacier Overlook was the end of the road. It all came too soon or did it? I asked another couple if they were going to hike to another trail. They said there was a short one that led to a waterfall. I had my fill of waterfalls so I asked a group of people who were walking back to parking lot from the closed road.
They had just come from a “tunnel” where they had seen a herd of big horn sheep. I want to see sheep. So I decided to trek up this road. I didn’t think to ask how long the trek would be or any important details.
I caught up with a group of people who were also in search of the sheep. We had no idea how far “just around the corner” meant. As I kept walking and walking, I kept thinking the sheep will be gone when I finally reach this tunnel.
I kept looking back to make sure the others were behind me. A couple kilometres later, they were gone. I came across another couple walking down. This time I thought to ask more questions. They told me I had to go up this winding road and the sheep would likely be gone by the time I reached the tunnel. They guessed it was about two more miles ahead.
I felt like I had been walking for hours. I was kicking myself for not wearing my sneakers. My sandals were not the most comfortable for running. A few cyclists passed me on my climb up this dang road.
I contemplated turning around a couple of times but I would probably kick myself for walking all this way for nothing. At least I got to see another perspective of this road. It is rare you can walk in the middle of a street in such magnificent surroundings.
FINALLY … I made it up this long and winding road. Ahead I could see more sign of life .. cyclists. I knew I had to be coming close to something. I was about to lose my mind. I kept hearing “things,” which I knew was ridiculous because there was clearly nobody on the road but me and a bunch of squirrels.
Those damn sheep better be there.
Nope no sheep. I was hot as hell and I was sure tired of looking at the yellow line down the middle of the road. I was relieved to finally reach the tunnel. I had to navigate across a big skiff of snow and water dripping from the mountain.
I chatted with a couple of cyclists who were hoping to go a little further up the road. But like me they turned around at the tunnel.
And you’re right if you guessed it … no sheep.
Challenging … it’s really challenging to express in words or demonstrate in iPhone photos how I was feeling this day. As I took in the natural wonders of the mountains, I felt renewed. I feel so very lucky that I have the means (health and a reliable vehicle) to explore as much as I do.
My heart is full every time I witness another part of this wondrous natural world. I don’t feel anxious, sad or lonely. I feel content. Renewed. Life is good when you are outside.
Find out more about Glacier National Park here. I definitely will be back to do some proper hiking.
Wow it looks so photogenic! Did you see much wildlife? i’d love to see a bear, we dont get them here in the UK.
No not much — some deer here and there.