For our second day at Glacier National Park, we spent the day exploring Going to the Sun Road and West Glacier. Since this was Traci and Jen’s first time at Glacier, they designated us as the guides. We don't really like being guides but we did our best.
Driving through Going to the Sun Road is pretty spectacular. Since we were coming from East Glacier, we did not need a special permit which was really nice. Going to the Sun Road is the scenic byway through the park. This road takes you from one side to the park to the other and gives you access to all of the trails and sites. As you drive along, the views are amazing! Coming from the East, we first saw the beautiful St. Mary's Lake then we drove around to Jackson Glacier overlook, then Siyeh Bend with a pretty little waterfall going under the road. As we passed the Bend, we made our way up to the peak of the park and Logan's Pass. Off to the left as we climbed to Logan's Pass we could look off and see for miles below us into the valley. It was cool to see the U-shape of the valley which let us know it had been formed by a giant ancient glacier. Driving around Logan's Pass, we made our way down the other side of the mountain and into even more amazing views from the top. Rounding the bend at Logan's Pass we could look out and see even further down into the valley on the other side of the mountain.
We had to stop and just take in the views instead of rushing through it. We stopped at a semi-safe pull out and ran across the street dodging cars to see this leftover mini glacier on the side of the road.
The kids liked hiding under it like a snow cave. On accident they poked a hole in the top... It was still exciting to be able to touch a glacier.
Back in the cars, we drove a little ways down right passed Haystack Creek Falls.
This little waterfall was so close to the road that we could reach out the window and touch it! The water ran right under the road through a covert.
Our next stop was Weeping Wall. This is literally what it's name says, a weeping wall. Water was just pouring out of the side of the mountain right onto the road. We had to roll up the windows so we didn't get wet! So cool! At this point on the road, there was a bigger pull out spot at Big Bend with parking spots so we stopped and did a little hike up to the a little waterfall.
This was also part of Weeping Wall so it was cool to see the water seeping out of the rocks.
We had to get a group picture here because the waterfall was stunning. As we sat at this little water fall stretching our legs for a bit, we could take in the cool views of the Bird Woman Falls across the valley. Bird Woman Falls is probably the tallest waterfall in Glacier. It starts near the continental divide and falls all the way to the bottom of the valley. It would be fun to get closer to those falls but I am not sure if there is a trail to get there.
As we continued west on Going to the Sun Road, we went around "The Loop" a really big switchback on the road. From the Loop parking area, you can access many hiking trails including the trail to the Granite Park Chalet. I want to do this hike someday. I wanted to do this hike and the hike to Grinnell Glacier this week but no one would go with me. Next time I guess when the kids are older.
We continued our travels down to the west side of Glacier. Here we stopped at the Avalanche Creek campground and headed out on a hike through the Trail of the Cedars and then up to Avalanche Lake. Everyone was excited to get out of the cars and out in nature. Walking through Trail of the Cedars was really wonderful. The trail was perfect for kids. Most of the trail was on a boardwalk and we walked through some magnificent trees. The trees were so big, it made you feel small in comparison. The area was so lush as well. There were trees and bushes everywhere and so dense the sun barely shone through.
The hike up to Avalanche Lake was about 2 miles so 4 miles round trip. We gained about 800 ft in elevation on this hike which doesn't sound too bad but with little kids, a heavy backpack, and steep inclines it took a little longer than we expected. It was fine though because we had a great time being together.
The kids loved hiking with their cousins and making up games to play along the way to pass the time. Logan, Johnathan, Anna, and James made up funny comic book stories as they walked along. Brooklyn and Olivia played princess power up with Aunt Jen. Anytime they started getting tired, they would touch a tree or flower for a power up and keep going. Charlotte and Kari just chatted the whole way sometimes playing with the little girls and sometimes joining in with Logan's group. It was incredible to see them making memories together.
We finally made it to Avalanche Lake and the view made the whole trip worth it!
While taking in this extraordinary view, we ate our lunch and played in the water. The water was ice cold obviously because it came right off of snow! The kids didn't care though. They waded right in. The water was pretty shallow for quite a ways so they could easily wade around without getting too wet. I will admit, the cold water did feel good on my feet for a minute. This lake is fed by four waterfall springs coming out of the mountain. You could see the four falls making their way down the mountain to the lake. As we were looking out over the lake, we could see something floating out in the water. It looked like a log or a rock but it kept moving. Through our binoculars, we could see that it was a bear! We watched the bear swim from one side of the lake to the other and then climb out the other side and walk up into the trees. This was such a magnificent site! The bear was swimming so fast it seemed too. We were excited to see a bear and it was far enough away that we were not afraid. We just watched it in awe.
We didn't want to leave Avalanche Lake but we decided we had better hit the trail if we wanted to see more things. Back at the parking lot, we had some more snacks and cooled down a bit before getting back into the vehicles for more driving. Back on the Going to the Sun Road, we made our way to West Glacier and Lake McDonald. We stopped at a few more parking areas along the way to see the sites of the river.
The water was so clear and so blue! It was also rushing really fast. We did not let the kids get very close to the water's edge but they did like throwing rocks into the water.
We finally made it to West Glacier surrounding Lake McDonald. We walked around the little town and the Visitor Center for a bit then we decided we needed ice cream.
We stopped at a little shop, bought some very overpriced ice cream, and enjoyed every bite of it in the shade. These ice cream trips are some of our favorite memories while on vacation.
Reluctantly, we decided we had better start heading back to camp before it got too late. We still had a long drive back over the Going to the Sun Road.
Ever since our last trip to Glacier in 2019, Russell has been wanting to go swimming in the river here at Glacier. He remembered the perfect spot from 6 years ago. On our way back to we stopped to see if it was still the best spot. It was! The boys quickly changed clothes and got ready to jump in. Emily wasn't going to let them have all the fun so she joined in too. Charlotte, Brooklyn, and I were not about to freeze to death so we just put our feet in the water. Okay Charlotte and Brooklyn wanted to swim too but I wouldn't let them.
At this spot in the river, there was a slow pool area by some rocks. This made it the perfect spot for cliff jumping. The water was so clear you could see to the bottom so there was no fear of hitting anything you couldn't see.
The water was so cold but that did not stop them from jumping in multiply times. There was an undercurrent in the pool though so they had to swim kind of fast to the edge or to the more shallow side. Jen, Kari, and James also came down to the river edge to watch. James was all for jumping in with everyone. He didn't care about the temperature either. We probably spent about a half an hour here just swimming, jumping, and splashing in the water.
On the way back to the camp and as we were driving by Logan's Pass, we looked up and saw this Big Horned Sheep just posing on top of the cliff.
It was almost like he was asking us to take his picture! We thought that was pretty cool. While driving we also saw some mountain goats.
We had a rather exciting day today!
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