Our National Parks have a dual mandate. To protect and to give access for visitors. These sometimes work at cross purposes, particularly in the most popular parks during peak season.
One way the NPS deals with this is rationing entry. At Glacier, you can take the Red Bus Tours. You can park at the Visitor Centers and take a shuttle bus. Or, you can try to score at timed entry pass. They only cost a few dollars each, but they can be hard to get.
So, March 1st at 8 AM, I'm online at Recreation.gov trying for some Glacier timed entry passes. The reservations open up for July and I score a three day Going to the Sun Road pass. Great! Immediately, I try for one to Two Medicines Lake which is near East Glacier. A few left. I grab one. Next I try for Many Glaciers. Nope. Sold out.
It was good to have a three day pass for Going to the Sun Road so we could pick the day with the best weather.
That day was July 5th. We headed out early to the Logan Pass Visitor's Center, snagged a parking spot and went for a hike on Hidden Lakes trail.
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| On the way up, we quickly stopped at Jackson Glacier overlook |
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| One of the few Glaciers in Glacier NP. Glacier was not named for having glaciers, but from being formed by them. |
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| We somehow got a spot in the lot at Logan's Pass |
The Hidden Lakes trail leads away from the Visitor's Center and is quite popular - for good reason!
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| Beargrass |
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| Bighorn sheep herd |
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| Snow! |
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| Craggy peaks |
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| Hidden Lake |
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| Trail ended at overlook of Hidden Lake - Bears! |
We took our time on the way back. Lots to see.
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| Flowers and Bighorn Sheep and Mountains! |
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| Marmot |
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| Stream looks like unnatural landscape |
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| Mountain Goat |
After the hike, we drove the west end of the Going to the Sun Road. Gary filled us in along the way.
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| Snow banks like this make it easy to see why the road doesn't open until mid-June most years |
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| Bird Woman Falls |
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| Nice cascade at our lunch stop |
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| Sacred Dancing Cascade |
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| Different color shale in riverbed |
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| Unnatural right angle lines "chisel-checks" in rock |
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| McDonald Lake |
We turned around and headed back after reaching Lake McDonald
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| Iconic Three Arches |
The sun was out so we stopped to get a few pictures along the way
We stopped near the east end to do a short hike to St Mary Falls.
This area had been burned several years prior.
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| Dead trees from the fire. New growth coming in. |
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| Even a bald eagle. |
Back to East Glacier! Tomorrow, we get to use our Twin Medicine Lake car pass.
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