Giant Springs and Waterfalls

We had planned to stay three nights at the Mountain Pine Motel in East Glacier Park; but, since we had seen and done more than we had planned on the day we arrived, we decided to leave a day early. As we were leaving Luna's Restaurant, where we had had breakfast that morning, we met a couple who lived in Great Falls, Montana. When they found out that we were planning to stay in Great Falls that night, they told us that we must go see Giant Springs State Park and the Great Falls of the Missouri.

I have a pretty strong interest in the Lewis and Clark expedition, so their recommendation appealed to me. First, though, we had one more place we wanted to visit in Glacier National Park before we took off for Great Falls.

So our first stop on September 18, was Running Eagle Falls (formerly known as "Trick Falls") in Glacier National Park.

Running Eagle Falls

It was formerly known as "Trick Falls" because, in wet seasons, the water flows over the top of the cliff, obscuring the waterfall that comes from inside the cliff.

After visiting Running Eagle Falls, we were on our way to Great Falls, Montana.

We were so glad that we had run into the couple who had recommended a visit to Giant Springs. I hadn't even remembered reading about it in the Lewis and Clark Journals. Giant Springs was discovered by Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase in 1805. It is one of the largest freshwater springs in the world, with an average discharge of 156 million gallons per day.

Giant Springs

Giant Springs empties into the Roe River, which runs a total of 201 feet (61 m) before spilling into the Missouri River. Thus, the shortest river in the world empties into the longest river in North America.

Giant Springs

Pelican flying over Giant Springs

After visiting Giant Springs, we set out to find the Great Falls of the Missouri River. The Great Falls are actually a series of five waterfalls, located in a 10-mile (16 km) area of the river. Three of the original falls have been altered with the construction of dams. One, Colter Falls, has been submerged behind the Black Eagle Dam.

Rainbow Dam and Falls

Black Eagle Dam and Falls

Ryan Dam and the Great Falls 

Crooked Falls is said to be the only one of the five falls still remaining in its natural state, but we didn't get to that one. The ones we did see, were suffering from the drought conditions of this past summer and so were not flowing as they most likely would have been during a wetter year. Still, it was a treat to see them and to imagine what they would have been like when originally discovered by Lewis and Clark.

More from Glacier National Park

September 17th was our second day at Glacier National Park. We decided to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road again, as far as Logan Pass. This was partly because we wanted to see that portion of the road in the morning light since the afternoon light of the previous day hadn't been ideal for photography, but it was also because we wanted to hike the trail to Hidden Lake, which began just behind the Visitor Center at Logan Pass.

I meant to include the above photo in the previous post, because that's when it was taken, but I somehow missed it in that post. We had driven down North McDonald Road, and the dust raised by a passing car combined with the sun shining through the trees to make an enchanting picture.

Above is one of the Red Buses that are available to provide tours of Glacier National Park for those who would prefer to enjoy the scenery without the distraction of paying attention to their driving. These buses have been serving Park visitors since 1936. The buses of today are basically the same buses, having been completely renovated and restored. The drivers of these buses are called "Jammers" by the locals, a name which carries over from the days when the buses had manual transmissions and the drivers could be heard "jamming" the gears as they drove the steep and winding Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Clemments Mountain at Logan Pass

Along the trail to Hidden Lake

Mountain goat seen near the trail to Hidden Lake

Trail to Hidden Lake (looking back from whence we came)

A panoramic view of Hidden Lake 

The hike to the Hidden Lake overlook is 1.5 miles (2.4 km). The uphill grade is gentle, but the elevation of nearly 7,000 feet (2,134 m) makes it difficult for those who aren't used to it. And, since I live at an elevation of approximately 750 feet, I was struggling for breath much of the way.

After we had reached the overlook and taken our fill of photos, we turned to start the hike back down. A young woman, probably in her thirties, was just arriving at the overlook. She looked kindly at me and said, "You did well."

Until I let my hair return to its natural gray color, no one ever complimented me for a successful hike .

We saw this Hoary Marmot on our way back down from Hidden Lake. It looks as if he's been successfuly "porking up" for a long winter hibernation.

Going-to-the-Sun Road

Leaving Great Falls, Montana on September 16, we drove to Glacier National Park, arriving at the Mountain Pine Motel in East Glacier Park, Montana about 12:30 PM. Ninety-year-old Doris, whose son, Terry, owns the facility, checked us in, then proceeded to share her wisdom on what we should see during our visit. She advised us to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road that day if we possibly could, saying that a section of the road was scheduled to close for the season the next day.

Well, that same section had been closed when we were in Glacier two years ago, and we really wanted to see it. So we carried our things into the room, ate the lunch sandwiches that we had brought with us, and headed out to drive Going-to-the-Sun, arguably the most amazing highlight of Glacier National Park. It's an engineering marvel, spanning 50 miles (80 km) through the park's wild interior, winding around mountainsides, and treating visitors to some amazing views.

Following are some scenes from our drive that day.

Saint Mary Lake, the second largest lake in Glacier National Park

Wild Goose Island on Saint Mary Lake

For a bit of Montana Folklore on how the island got it's name, click on this link: http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2008/09/goose_island.html

A Mountain View on Going-to-the-Sun Road

A view from Going-to-the-Sun, on the west side of the park

Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park

It was getting on toward dusk by the time we had driven the full length of Going-to-the-Sun Road, and then followed a more southerly route back to East Glacier Park. About a mile and a half before reaching the little town, we saw a bear loping across an open area, preparing to cross the road in front of us. Doug stopped the car, and I fumbled for my camera; but the bear wasn't inclined to pose for pictures. It turned tail and disappeared into some brush. We waited and watched for five minutes or so, but it didn't make another appearance.

Does it count if you see a bear but don't have a photograph to prove it?

More of Glacier National Park to come.



Our Third and Final Day at Glacier National Park

We were so grateful to Doris, the lady who checked us in at our motel in East Glacier, for her suggestions on how to see Glacier National Park. Her suggestion for our third day was to drive over to the western entrance to the Going to the Sun Highway and drive eastward to the road closure. Doris' other tips had proven to be well advised, so we followed her tip for this day, too. 

The western half of Going to the Sun is all paved and is without the sometimes harrowing driving conditions of the eastern half. It goes through thick forest and follows McDonald Lake much of the way. It was different from the eastern half of the road but just as beautiful in its own way. And there were no porta-potties involved.

At the road closure, there was a seven-tenths-of-a-mile loop trail through some large cedars. We decided a walk would do us good, so we started down the cedars trail. Halfway around the loop, another trail took off, going two miles up to Avalanche Lake. We hadn't planned on taking that one, but other hikers told us we shouldn't miss it.

So we finished the Cedars loop trail and returned to our van to eat some sandwiches for lunch and gather up some extra camera batteries and an extra tape for the camcorder, as well as water and snacks, and started the hike to Avalanche Lake. 

It took us a little over an hour to reach our destination, but it was a lovely spot. The lake itself wasn't quite what we had expected, but it was surrounded by mountains; and there were four waterfalls streaming down the mountain faces. The trail was, at times, difficult, especially considering that we flatlanders have few opportunities to practice uphill walking; but we were glad we had decided to make the trek.

This is a roadside waterfall that we found on our way to West Glacier.

These low-hanging clouds were beautiful against the green forests on the mountains.

McDonald Lake was graced by this low-hanging cloud.

A short trail led from Going to the Sun Highway to this waterfall.

Okay, so maybe I was a little obsessed with these clouds.

This was another pretty stream along Going to the Sun Highway.

This was a scene on the western half of the Going to the Sun Highway.

Avalanche Lake

I zoomed in a little on this shot, to show two of the four waterfalls at Avalanche Lake.

Toadstool (or mushroom) growing along the Avalanche Lake Trail

After our hike to Avalanche Lake, we had to retrace our route, which brought us again to McDonald Lake and this lovely scene:

Reflections in McDonald Lake

More Reflections in McDonald Lake

We had visited Glacier National Park in 1988, but we had spent only a day or a day and a half there. The weather had been cold and dreary, and Doug had been white knuckled and weak kneed as he drove the cliff-hanging Going to the Sun Highway. This visit was so different that it was as if it was the first time we'd ever been there. And it was so great that we look forward to going again some day.

Our Second Day At Glacier National Park

We've been so blessed with wonderful weather during our trip, and our second day at Glacier was no exception. Well, the winds blowing at 40 and 50 miles per hour were a bit unpleasant, but the temperature was mild; and the day was sunny.

The famous Going to the Sun Highway is undergoing some major reconstruction at the moment. About 16 miles of the road are open from the west entrance, driving eastward. And it's open from the east, from St. Mary, Montana to Logan Pass, which is the highest point at about 6,680 feet above sea level. However, much of that eastern portion of the road is currently unpaved, due to the road work going on at present.

On this day, we drove the eastern half of Going to the Sun, stopping often for photo opportunities. We reached the visitor center at Logan Pass, which was virtually closed. There was a small staff to answer questions, but the really important part of the visitor center, the restrooms, were closed. There were, however, restrooms available in the parking lot in the form of porta-potties.

Well, a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do, even at 6,680 feet above sea level and in strong, gusty winds. Just after I went into one of the porta-potties, a major gust of wind shook the unit violently. Now, I'm not afraid to die, but I surely didn't want to go out being blown off a mountain in a porta-potty. Fortunately, whatever was anchoring that outfit (and I prefer not to think it was the weight of the person inside) held; and I made it out safely.
 

En route to St. Mary, Montana from East Glacier, Montana

Wild Goose Island-Glacier NP

Just pretty colors

View from Logan Pass

After driving back to St. Mary, we turned north and went to see Many Glacier Hotel, which was closed for the season but which is located in a beautiful spot that we wanted to see.

Many Glacier Hotel

Bald Eagle

 

En route from Many Glacier to East Glacier

Then we returned to East Glacier for supper at Luna's Restaurant and a good night's rest at the Mountain Pines Motel.

Our First Day in Glacier National Park

Well, we're no longer in Glacier National Park, which is why I'm finally able to tell you about it. We are in Bozeman, Montana tonight, and this is the first time I've been able to roam freely about the internet in days.

Anyway, we had an absolutely wonderful time at Glacier National Park. The Mountain Pines Motel was just perfect for us...very relaxing and peaceful. And there was a great little restaurant just a few blocks away. If any of you are ever in East Glacier, Montana, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend both the Mountain Pines Motel and Luna's Restaurant.

Enough talk. How about some pictures?

This was the view as we approached East Glacier, Montana

This was our home during our stay in East Glacier

The aspen were glorious

Running Eagle Falls

At Running Eagle Falls

 

A squirrel that wasn't too happy with our intrusion into his territory

This was the beginning of a trail to another waterfall

The clouds that day were very unusual

And this is what those clouds looked like at sunset

We're heading for West Yellowstone, Montana tomorrow, where we'll stay for a few days while we tour Yellowstone National Park. Hopefully, we'll have internet service so that the travelogue can continue.