Logan Pass was something on our Glacier bucket list but every time we went there, the parking lot was so full and there was no way to pull off and see this area. Finally, on our last full day at Glacier we decided we were going there no matter what. So we did!
Logan Pass is on the Continental Divide and one of the highest points in Glacier. Water running off the west side of the mountain would go to the Pacific Ocean while water running off the east side would eventually make it to the Atlantic Ocean. It is cool to say we have been on the Continental Divide.
It was Logan Pass or bust today so when we saw how full the parking lot was again, we decided it was time to find the shuttle. We drove passed Logan Pass a few miles and stopped at the Jackson Glacier lookout and parked the truck. From here, we waited for the Park shuttle to take us back up to Logan Pass. The shuttle was also very packed because everyone else seemed to have our same idea. Finally we made it to Logan Pass and began hiking the Hidden Lake overlook trail.
Along this trail, we saw some pretty amazing views and sights. There were waterfalls coming down the mountains from snow runoff, beautiful meadows and valleys, and even some awesome wildlife.
We even got to walk on a real glacier! Okay it was probably just a big snowdrift but we called it a glacier. Everything was so beautiful!
The hike up the trail was just that...up! We had to stop every little while to catch our breath and admire the scenery of course. The kids loved collecting the colorful rocks along the trail. Glacier is known for its colorful rocks. Because of all of the different mineral deposits, there were red, green, gray, and other colors of rocks. The crazy thing about it though is that if you just looked at the rocks, you would think they were just normal old rocks but once you get the rock wet, their true colors show forth. It was pretty cool dipping them in water and finding out what colors the rocks were.
Another cool thing we saw while at Logan Pass and on the trail to Hidden Lake was a herd of mountain goats!
The were so cool to watch! The goats were so close to the trail we could have reached out and pet them. We just stood there for a while and watched them. The funny thing about it though is that the mountain goats were so used to people that they didn't even care that we were that close to them. The cutest thing was watching the mom and her baby walk around and eat the grass. This totally made the hike worth it.
As we continued to hike along, we finally made it to the Hidden Lake Overlook. This was an amazing view. It felt like you could see forever all around you. The view of the lake below was pretty breathtaking. The water in the lake was so clear and blue and the mountains surrounding it added a beautiful mixture of snow caps and green foliage.
We had a great hike up to this point. We really wanted to continue to hike down to the lake but the trail was closed due to maintenance and bear sightings. We decided we didn't really want to become bear food so we didn't continue. Instead we had our picnic lunch while we looked over this amazing sight. The squirrels and chipmunks loved us because we threw them a few crumbs as well.
Before hiking back down, I had to get a inconspicuous picture of this Amish family we met at the top. You all know that I am very intrigued by the Amish people so it was fun to actually see some up close. While we hiked down with them, we found out they were from Ohio and on a family trip. I wanted to keep talking to them but I felt really awkward. Really though they were not that much different than us except for their dress. They had the same hiking backpack for their kids as we had for Charlotte, they were feeding their family peanut butter sandwiches just like us, and they were enjoying nature like us.
On our way back to the Logan Pass Visitor Center, we passed the herd of mountain goats again and watched them for a minute more. Then while we waited for the shuttle back to our truck, we took some fun pictures by the Logan Pass sign.
Logan especially wanted his own picture by the sign that had his name. He told everyone it was his Pass. The shuttle back to the car was packed once again but it was worth not having to search for a parking spot.
As we piled back into the truck, we headed to the last part of the Park we hadn't been to yet, Two Medicine.
Like Many Glacier, we had to go out of the main park at the East Entrance and then drive for a ways before heading back into the park through another way. Two Medicine is at the southern part of the park while Many Glacier is at the northern part.
When we got to Two Medicine, we found the rest of our family. They had been there for a while and had seen some fun things. We all got together to hike to Running Eagle Falls:
This was a pretty amazing waterfall. It looked like it was just coming out of the rocks underground. In high runoff, water runs over the top of the rocks as well so it looks like a double waterfall. Because of this it is sometimes called Trick Falls. We saw it at a lower runoff time so it was just coming out of the underground fall. Up above the Falls, the river actually plummets though a sinkhole in the rocks and flows out through an opening in the cliff face, which is what we are looking at.
This waterfall was awesome to see. After hanging out here for a while with the family, we hiked back to the vehicles and found these beautiful wild flowers.
Charlotte and Logan are our kids that remind us to stop and smell the roses, or wildflowers in this case. They love finding pretty things. The rest of the family wanted to head back to camp because they had been here all day. We did not however because we had just gotten there. We drove to the Two Medicine lake and went for another hike around the lake.
During this hike, we saw some more amazing views. The kids didn't really care about the views as much as they cared about throwing rocks into the water. That is seriously all they wanted to do this whole trip. They love skipping rocks and watching them fly across the water.
It was starting to get dark by then so we hiked back around the lake to the truck. Before leaving, I snapped this picture of Two Medicine lake. I wish the lighting was better because this picture does not do the beauty of this area justice.
Another fun day at Glacier. Tomorrow: north to Canada!
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