It's About the (RV) Journey....: Glacier National Park-Hidden Lake Overlook Hike......

Heading east, we traveled two days through Washington and Idaho to Glacier National Park in northern Montana. WOW! Another beauty! For more information on Glacier National Park, click here. We arrived in West Glacier around noon, so after setting up in our new backyard, we headed out to the Visitor's Center, just 10 minutes away. We had a great discussion with the ranger, who guided us in picking out some hikes for the week. We then headed out to get some supplies at Costco, so we were all set for the week as far as food goes. (Someone even bought a nice warm, weatherproof jacket for $20 AND a new pair of zip-offs for another $20! Gotta love Costco)!!

Glacier National Park is very large, with several distinct sections. We are closest to the west side, near Lake McDonald. There is ONE road that traverses the park...Going-to-the-Sun Road. This road is about 50 miles end to end, and is a two-lane, steep, narrow, curvy, sometimes scary road with the most magnificent views! The road is a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and one of the most scenic roads in the United States. About half way, the road crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass.

We were warned that the park is extremely crowded in the summer, and parking at trailheads could be a problem. After setting the alarm for early o'clock, we got up and out and made it to Logan Pass before the crowds arrived, and easily scored a parking spot. We only stopped once on the way, and that was to get a nice picture of Lake McDonald while things were still quiet. Other than that, we were saving any scenic stops for later in the day. I did take a few scenic pics from the car as we drove along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Amazing views!

Lake McDonald

Lake McDonald-notice the flat water

waterfall cascading down....right next to the road

view from the road

waterfalls everywhere

gorgeous

the road is "on the edge"!

stunning views

another waterfall alongside the road

Logan Pass is at over 6000 feet elevation, so the weather was a bit colder than when we left home...by about 20 degrees! We were also trying to beat the rain that was expected, but we were prepared with rain gear just in case. Once we got to the trailhead behind the Visitor Center, I decided to break out my nifty new jacket, and was I glad I did! It kept me perfectly comfortable in the cold, windy weather on the mountain.

Logan Pass Visitor Center

we may run into these guys on the hike

well hello there little guy

The trailhead is right behind the Visitor Center, and the views just spectacular the entire hike. The meadows were filled with wildflowers, and the mountains in the background were the perfect backdrop. It was gorgeous and a very enjoyable hike! The trailhead goes to the Hidden Lake Overlook, and if you want, you can continue on to Hidden Lake, a 700 ft drop down to the lake. We decided we wouldn't be going down to the lake because of bear activity on that section of the trail.

check out the meadow full of flowers

so pretty

hydrating for that trail behind me :) plus....we are at elevation

don't have to tell me twice! we'll just go to the overlook

snackin'

stunning waterfalls....beautiful meadows

ready for the boardwalk?

so pretty

sweet

its a little chilly with that wind whipping through

love the wildflowers!

these are the easy steps

unbelievable views

pretty

The trail is on a boardwalk with steps for much of the beginning of the trail, and is quite steep in some places. Luckily I have to stop a lot to catch up with myself at the steep parts and catch my breath...so I really get to enjoy the views!! Spectacular!

this is a break point for a lot of people!

the views are amazing no matter where you look

glad I have my new jacket! the zip-off hiking pants are good too! ahhahah!

look at the views!

snow melt everywhere too

getting there

We passed several waterfalls along the way as well, which we also enjoyed. The scenery was awesome.....water and wildflowers everywhere.

enjoying the waterfall views

so cool to follow the water down the mountain

more waterfalls...and look at the rocks...such awesome colors!

isn't this a great hike?

beautiful wildflowers everywhere

gorgeous views

wow!

so pretty no matter where you look

another waterfall up ahead

snow in July

There was only one very short part of the trail that was "scary" for me with the height issue. Of course, no pictures of that part,since its all I can do to keep it together at those points. Hahah. I was able to overcome my fear on the way up, but on the way back I succumbed to a little hand-holding. Ugh! I'm really trying! Really! (Tom is my hero)! After that section, we spotted a special hiker on the trail, who eventually moved off to the grassy meadow area.

may be a little scary here for ya Susie!

well hello there!

heading out to the meadow

a zoom...he wants to cross the trail again

There were a few shallow ponds as we gained in elevation. I didn't notice if they were fed by waterfalls, but I can tell you the water was so clear in these! Very pretty.

a few ponds here

look at the wind on that water!

such pretty views!!!!

what a view!

view of a glacier

After a bit more climbing, we had our first glimpse of St. Mary's Lake. Just beautiful! There was a little viewing boardwalk at the Overlook, and we spent some time admiring the view and checking out the glacier across the way. I understand there are only 25 glaciers left in Glacier National Park, and they will all be gone within a few more decades.

heading up

our "first look" of St. Mary's Lake and the glacier overlooking it

just magnificent!

the lake is beautiful, and the mountains surrounding it too!

at the Hidden Lake Overview

Overview

this is so nice!

amazing views

we aren't going down to the lake today:)

We saw a bit more wildlife on our return hike. The family of mountain goats was adorable! Especially the young ones. All of them crossed the trail at a point when the trail was really crowded. We were surprised. Everyone pretty much stayed together in a group, with theirs cameras out, and gave them plenty of room. We were thrilled to see the mountain goats!

chippy

coming through again?

here comes the whole family!

aren't they adorable?

approaching the trail

stay together now

heading across the trail

up into the upper meadow

lots of photographers!

hurry up little one!

The rest of the walk back was great...especially since it was mostly downhill and the views were AMAZING!

great views on the way down!

beautiful!

look at these views!

some really dark clouds are moving in

so pretty no matter where you look

still with me Susie?

so so pretty

a biologist "listening" for the radio collars on the mountain goats and spotting them with her scope there

more wildflowers :)

so pretty

the meadows are blooming....lucky us!

and the waterfalls are flowing

dark skies over the pretty meadows!

Back at the Visitor Center, we stopped briefly to do a little shopping. We always buy a hiking stick medallion for Tom and patch for me , but only at places we have actually hiked. That is our reward...hahahah. Eventually we will put the medallions on the walking stick, and hopefully I will make a wall hanging (or something) with the patches. Hahaha. I may have bought a little something soft and furry for our very-soon-to-be-born grandson:)

new look in hiking attire??

we made it back to the Visitor Center before the rain:)

look at this little goat

We finished our hike and shopping just as the skies opened up! We did have rain gear with us, but it was so much nicer hiking without it. It was just a shower, and the rain let up on our drive back down to Lake McDonald. We had some excitement too! Tom spotted a Grizzly bear on the side of the road next to the rock wall that lines the road. He popped up, and just walked along next to the wall. We were so surprised, because I can tell you that its pretty darn steep on the other side of the wall in most places. Anyway, it happened so fast, I didn't have a chance to get my camera.......hahhaha.

heading back with weather moving in quickly

gorgeous views from the road....can you imagine seeing a grizzly walking next to that rock wall?? Not on the road side of the wall-but the other side? We were surprised!

Glacier National Park "Red Bus" tours

waterfall along the roadway

We had driven by a few scenic spots earlier in the day, and on the way back, we stopped to admire some of the views. The water is so turquoise in some places....just beautiful! Lots of waterfalls too.

down near Lake McDonald area....at much lower elevation

more tree fungus....

the water is beautiful

check out that turquoise blue...sooooo nice!

some of the rivers are clear

and some are beautiful blue/turquoise

a view into the forest

so beautiful....good spot for a picnic! (if you could get to it safely)

beautiful

glacial meltwater

its so pretty here! everywhere!

it's amazing what you see people do for a "closer" view!!

lots of waterfalls

and fast water

We then stopped at Lake McDonald in a few different spots. What a beautiful lake. There were actually whitecaps on the lake due to the windy, and a bit wet, weather. Earlier this morning, the water was flat. What a difference a few hours can make. Actually, a few minutes! The weather can change really quickly in the mountains, as we are finding out!