Glacier National Park - Part III

San Angelo Library, Texas

 

 

    On the NE side of Logan Pass headed for Lake St Mary. (Links to Part I & II below.) [All Glacier NP photos taken on 7 July.]

 

 

 

 

 

    Since the east side cooled down faster, clouds which had disippated earlier began reforming.

 

 

 

 

 

    More clouds forming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Panning left....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A waterfall nestled in the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Like Lake McDonald, St Mary Lake is also quite large.

 

 

 

 

 

    The mountains at the upper end of St Mary Lake have "the typical Rockies look" even though they also had much glaciation as did the more volcanic Cascades or the Sierra Nevada near the west coast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Wind and water erosion much like what one sees in the U.S. Southwest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    One of the many ferries or excursion boats cuts across a seemingly-calm St Mary Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The boat approaching its mooring place in the bay to the left looks rather small in comparison to St Mary Lake.

 

 

 

 

    No simple two-ocean divide for Triple Divide Peak; rather, its slopes drain into Hudson Bay, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

    Even after sundown the view is still spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    One careless cigarette or match....

 

 

 

 

 

    Looking back toward Glacier Natl Park from near St Mary the next morn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Panning right....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The back side of the burn seen the previous evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The upper end of St Mary Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The north-eastern end (or outlet) of St Mary Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Whatever (deer?) has been nibbling on the sunflower petals decided the seed pod in the center is not as tasty.

 

 

 

 

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Links:

• My 24 July post on Glacier National Park - Part I
• My 6 Aug post on Glacier National Park - Part II
• National Park Service web pages on Glacier National Park
• Wikipedia article on Glacier National Park

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Glacier National Park - Part II

Alamosa Library, Colorado

 

 

 

    Looking up the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the Loop toward Logan Pass, which is behind "rooster-comb" Mt Oberlin (8180'). [All Glacier NP photos taken on 7 July.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Not sure which mountain reaches skyward at the top of a glacier, but the falls are certainly spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    [Click once to enlarge; press ESC to return here.] A plaque on Heavens Peak (8987'), which sits almost due north of the upper end of Lake McDonald.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    With what looks like a wall (Garden Wall) a bit up the canyon from the road, the falls make this a "Weeping Wall."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Panning downstream....

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Zooming in....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A look up McDonald Creek before it turns from SE to SW and heads for McDonald Falls and Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Zooming in....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A plaque with an excellent photo of a hanging valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    At least two falls from a shrinking glacier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Mount Gould? (9553')

 

 

 

 

 

    The south end of a north-bound mountain goat; there were two and they didn't seem to like the attention from the flock of shutter-birds which descended upon them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The last waterfall before reaching Logan Pass (6646'), where I didn't stop because there was an ambulance in the Visitor Center Parking Lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Starting down the NE side of Logan Pass, my guess is that this is Going-to-the-Sun Mtn (9642').

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Whatever its name, this mesa-like mountain-top gets sun most of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    If this is Siyeh Bend, then the mountain at the top of this drainage is Mt Siyeh (10,014').

 

 

 

 

    As I descended toward St Mary Lake, clouds became more prevalent. At one outlook I met a couple from California. When I told them I bought my F250 at Folsom Lake Ford, they said they lived a short distance from it.

 

 

 

    Plaque on the building of the Going-to-the-Sun road. The building of the road was a couple of years too early to take advantage of cheap ($1/day) Civilian Conservation Corps [the original CCC] labor.

 

 

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[To be continued in a Part III; as I've told many, I took more photos at Glacier Natl Park in two days than I took in four days at Grand Teton & Yellow Natl Parks.

 

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Links:

• My 24 July post on Glacier National Park - Part I
• National Park Service web pages on Glacier National Park
• Wikipedia article on Glacier National Park

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F 23 Aug Actual Route: Avon Walmart - Leadville USFS District Office - Lib - Twin Lakes CG

Sa 24 Aug Actual Route: Twin Lakes CG - Buena Vista P.O. - Lib - Cottonwood Pass Rd bd

Su 25 Aug Actual Route: Cottonwood Pass Rd bd - Buena Vista, CO, Lib - Chafee CR 300 bd

M 26 Aug Actual Route: Chaffee CR 300 bd - Buena Vista Lib - City Park - Salida Lib - Salida Walmart

T 27 Aug Actual Route: Salida Walmart - Buena Vista Lib - City Park - Salida P.O. - Alamosa Walmart

W 28 Aug Actual Route: Alamosa W/M - Alamosa Lib - Alamosa W/M

Th 29 Aug Actual Route: Alamosa W/M - Town & Country Ford - Alamosa Lib - Alamosa W/M

F 30 Aug Route: Alamosa, CO, W/M - Alamosa Lib - Alamosa W/M

Sa 31 Aug Route: Alamosa W/M - Alamosa Lib - Alamosa W/M

Su 1 Sep Route: Alamosa W/M - Alamosa Lib - Alamosa W/M

M 2 Sep Route: Alamosa W/M - Alamosa McDs - South Fork

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
• Free campsites website
• Info on finding BLM Campgrounds

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.

Glacier National Park - Part I

Louisville Library, Colorado

    The first of two large lakes along the Going-to-the-Sun Road just inside the west entrance to Glacier Natl Park at 3153 ft. Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and Glacier Park in Montana have formed Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park since 1932.

 

    [Click once to enlarge; press ESC to return here.] A plaque on the Robert fire, which started outside of the park on 23 Jul and spread into the park, burning until 8 Sep when nearly an inch of rain & snow finally ended its spread.

 

 

 

    Another view toward the outlet of Lake McDonald, which is 11? miles long.

 

 

 

 

 

    Yet another view toward the west end of the lake, where the Apgar Visitor/Transit Center is located.

 

 

 

 

    A look up the Lake McDonald inlet stream, McDonald Creek. Not sure whether the peak is Heavens Peak (8987') or Mt. Oberlin (8180').

 

 

 

 

 

    Looking down McDonald Creek from where the previous photo was taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A shot down McDonald Falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A view up McDonald Creek from McDonald Falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Perhaps this is Heavens Peak. But it was taken from in front of a restroom where I met a couple from Alberta, Dave & Lori, who were headed for their cabin on Swan Lake in Montana.

 

 

 

 

 

    Perhaps this is Avalanche Creek. But one thing is certain -- that this was one of the last straight stretches of road, for the climb to Logan Pass was not far ahead.

 

 

 

 

    Longfellow Peak? (8904') from "The Loop," where the "Going-to-the-Sun" stops following McDonald Creek and does a 180 to head for Logan Pass.

 

 

 

 

 

    From the Loop at 4300' a shot of the Lewis Range, which includes many glaciers.

 

 

 

 

    One of the more interesting plaques which explains why National Park Service Director Stephen Mather chose a more expensive but more picturesque route to Logan Pass. [Click once to enlarge; press ESC to return here.]

 

 

[More photos to follow in Part II once I get to the Gunnison, CO, Lib

 

 

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Links:

• National Park Service web pages on Glacier National Park
• Wikipedia article on Glacier National Park

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Return to Top of Page

F 9 Aug Actual Route: Craig W/M - Craig Lib - Craig P.O. - Craig W/M

Sa 10 Aug Actual Route: Craig W/M - Craig Lib - McDs - Meeker, CO - Rifle Colo Rest Area - Walmart

Su 11 Aug Actual Route: Walmart - Rifle Lib - Walmart

M 12 Aug Actual Route: Walmart - Parachute Br Lib - Grand Jcn Walmart

T 13 Aug Actual Route: Walmart - VA Med Ctr - Grand Jcn Lowe's - Colo Natl Monument CG

W 14 Aug Actual Route: Colo Natl Mon CG - Grand Jcn - Delta Lib - Montrose Walmart

Th 15 Aug Actual Route: Montrose Walmart - Black Canyon of the Gunnison Natl Pk

F 16 Aug Actual Route: Black Canyon of the Gunnison Natl Pk - Curecanti Natl Rec Area CG

Sa 17 Aug Actual Route: Curecanti NRA CG - Gunnison Lib - Crested Butte bd

Su 18 Aug Actual Route: Crested Butte bd - Carbondale - Glenwood Springs Walmart

M 18 Aug Route: Glenwood Springs W/M - Glenwood Sprs Lib - Carbondale Lib

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
• Free campsites website
• Info on finding BLM Campgrounds

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.