Thursday we planned to hike to Avalanche Lake. We knew we didn't want to take the shuttle from Apgar because catching a shuttle back to Apgar proved difficult the day we rode it. We drove to Trail of the Cedars trailhead and began our trek. We had hoped for a clear day, but the weather didn't cooperate.
We made our way halfway around Trail of the Cedars to reach the trailhead for Avalanche Lake. It was near Avalanche Gorge.
We took a few minutes for photos at the gorge before starting our climb to Avalanche Lake.
As we neared the lake, we could see the mountains starting to enclose the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the peaks because of the clouds.
Once to the lake, we saw that the lake was enclosed on three sides by mountains. On the far end of the lake were five waterfalls! We couldn't get all five in the same picture.
We took a moment to take our picture, but I have to tell you once we left the trees, the wind was howling!
We started to walk around the lake by the shoreline (which was all rocks).
As we neared the end of the lake we could see the detail of the base of the falls. It was a sight worth seeing.
All the waterfalls eventually pour their water in to Avalanche Lake.
We decided to take the foot trail back. It turns out the trail was very muddy and we would've been better off walking back on the rocks! We knew we were at the trail when we saw this sign! It looked like the trail continued beyond the lake, but it was just an animal path beyond the sign.
The best thing about the return hike was that it was mostly downhill!
As we neared the lake, we could see the mountains starting to enclose the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the peaks because of the clouds. Once to the lake, we saw that the lake was enclosed on three sides by mountains. On the far end of the lake were five waterfalls! We couldn't get all five in the same picture.We took a moment to take our picture, but I have to tell you once we left the trees, the wind was howling! We started to walk around the lake by the shoreline (which was all rocks).
As we neared the end of the lake we could see the detail of the base of the falls. It was a sight worth seeing.All the waterfalls eventually pour their water in to Avalanche Lake.We decided to take the foot trail back. It turns out the trail was very muddy and we would've been better off walking back on the rocks! We knew we were at the trail when we saw this sign! It looked like the trail continued beyond the lake, but it was just an animal path beyond the sign.The best thing about the return hike was that it was mostly downhill! We returned to the car and headed back to our campsite. We needed to make a plan for Friday, our last day at Glacier NP.
Friday morning dawned clear and somewhat warmer. We were going to try Hidden Lake trail behind Logan Pass Visitor Center. There was a strong possibility that we would have to go to plan B if the winds were still howling at Logan as they had the day before (25-30mph with gusts to 50).
We drove the car to Avalanche Campground to catch the shuttle to Logan Pass. Shuttles to and from Logan Pass seemed to be more reliable!
As we rode up to Logan Pass we talked with two other couples on the shuttle--a retired army couple who just started full-timing and a couple from Denver who want to full-time when they retire. When we arrived at Logan Pass and got off the shuttle, the wind was blowing pretty strong--not a howl, but not to be trusted. We immediately looked for a bus going to St. Mary. Much to our surprise, there was one waiting for us!
Near St. Mary is a ranger station from 1913. A trail loops around from the station to Beaver Pond and back to the station. We decided to walk that trail. From the trailhead we had a good view of St. Mary's Lake.
Along the trail we saw several deer. We hadn't seen much wildlife at Glacier so this was surprising!
The walk was not a very long one (about 2.5 miles). We had a picnic lunch with us so we ate looking out at the lake.
After we ate we returned to the St. Mary Visitor Center to catch a shuttle back to Logan Pass and then change for one going to Avalanche. We didn't have any trouble with the shuttles and enjoyed the ride back to the car.Once back at the car, we drove to the entrance to get a photo of the Glacier NP sign. There was too much traffic when we first arrived, but on Friday, no one was near and we got our photo.
We enjoyed our stay at Glacier--we wished the weather had been nicer, but maybe next time.
Saturday we packed up and were on the road again. Destination: Great Falls, Montana and Malmstrom AFB.
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