July 12-17, 2018
The sights
Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Coeur d’Alene Lake and National Forest
Beautiful spots that we didn’t have quite enough time to explore. Leaving a little note here so we don’t forget.
Bison reserve
We had Bri’s mom, Sara, with us for most of Glacier, and she spotted a bison reserve on our way to Ronan.
We immediately saw the biggest elk we’d ever seen.
He was just chilling on the side of the road at the entrance and set a high bar for the rest of the reserve. It didn’t quite live up to him, but we did see a ton of buffalo, pronghorn deer, black-tailed deer, lots of wild flowers, and expansive views. Overall a nice little stop.
Fun fact: Elk shed their antlers every year, so when you see a huge pile of them, just know they weren’t hurt in the process. (If they’re horns, that’s a different story.)
Stella’s, Ronan
Had a great cinnamon bun with cream cheese frosting and a delightful breakfast sandwich made by the Mennonite women who own the shop. Dobson’s coffee next store was also good, with homemade kombucha. One of the Dobson brothers built these crazy chandeliers that ran a cool $5K.
Flathead Lake
We wanted to spend more time here, but couldn’t. Tons of cherry orchards and cute little restaurants and shops.
Fish and Gaming Center, Kalispell
Apparently this is the cheapest spot to get bear spray. They were out when we went (and embarrassed about it), but a good tip nonetheless. And yes, you need bear spray at Glacier National Park.
Apple Barrel Produce, Calispell
Great produce. Terrible wine. You’ve been warned.
Downtown Whitefish
Real cute spot with tons of restaurants, bars, and shops. Has a particularly clever way with words.
Getting around Glacier
There’s a good shuttle system, but it does take a hot minute, and we’ve heard from a few people that they had to wait two-and-a-half to three hours. The longest we had to wait was 35 minutes, but it is slow going, and you can’t stop anywhere you want (and there are so.many.places.to.stop).
Avalanche Creek
This path had a ton of people on it, but was worth it, with plenty of pockets of solitude. You immediately see Avalanche Creek, which winds noisily, and beautifully, up the path.
The trees were also audibly creaking, and sounded like they were about to fall over.
The mountains were stunning at every turn, with a small puff of fog resting between the peaks. The lake was a glacial blue, sitting in what looked like a cul de sac of mountains and waterfalls.
Trail of the Cedars
This was at the beginning of the Avalanche Lake trail, and a touch anticlimactic. Easy to see the waterfall right at the beginning (no need to go through the whole thing).
Going-to-the-Sun Road
This road winds through the park and delivers picturesque views at every turn.
We got out everywhere.
Jagged peaks, deep valleys, waterfalls, trees, snow. All the yes.
Logan’s Pass
Got here by 7:30 AM and it was already busy. Thought we saw a weasel next to the restrooms and were straight-up giddy about it. It was a squirrel.
Hiked up the Hidden Lake Overlook trail, which was steep but short.
Ran into some snow along the way.
There were tons of big-horned sheep hanging out on the ridge underneath massive cathedral-esque peaks with different-colored layers.
The clear, reflective Hidden Lake was almost hard to see it was so clear; we wanted to go farther in but it was closed.
Saw some mountain goats surveying their territory before heading back.
When we got back down, the parking lot was packed, with people parking half a mile down a very steep, windy road to get to the trailhead. Nutty.
Many Glacier
Highly recommend making the trip over to the east side of the park, though we just had some friends get turned away because it was too busy—so maybe call ahead and confirm before making the trek.
Saw a baby grizzly right next to the road. We couldn’t really slow down and get a good shot, so you’ll just have to trust that we saw it.
Many Glacier Hotel
Pretty spot overlooking Swiftcurrent Lake, with some good souvenirs and very helpful staff. We wanted to go to Grinell Lake because we thought we could see a glacier from the trail, but there were no hikes open where you could see a glacier. In Many Glacier! Also to note: Cheap six-packs of beer are available in the downstairs cafe.
Swiftcurrent trail
This has been our favorite hike so far. A mile or so from Many Glacier Hotel, this trail has a very gradual elevation gain with stunning views of the peaks, thick forest and vegetation, tons of wildflowers, and different trees.
About two miles in is Red Rock Lake and Falls, which are gorgeous and fun to climb around.
Kept hiking to the beautiful Bullhead Lake, about a mile and a half farther. Only saw one other person there.
Also got to cross a pretty sweet one-person suspension bridge.
Twenty minutes into our return, Bri spotted a moose about 25 feet from the trail. He was incredible. Walked right by him on the trail (after much deliberation on whether we could safely pass).
Then we saw another one right by Red Rock Falls—and he was swim/walk-swimming in the water. He got all the way across before we could catch him.
Fun fact: Moose can dive up to 20 ft under water and hold their breath for over a minute!
Swift Creek Cafe, Whitefish
Had a really delicious breakfast of pancakes, vegetable hash with ricotta, and a pulled pork Benedict with pickles and avocado mash.
Montana Tap House, Whitefish
Have decided that breweries > coffee shops when you need to work.
Lake McDonald
Took the paddle boards out late after a day of errands and caught the sunset with an alpine horn in the background. The guy even played Amazing Grace, which has strong ties to Jess’ late grandfather. Freezing water. Gorgeous views.
White water kayaking
This was our first time white-water kayaking, and we were the only ones kayaking in a group of four 12-person rafts.
Our guide gave us a 50/50 chance of flipping over in the white water, and was interrupted halfway through his safety speech. We never heard the end. At one point we even asked if the paddles were flipped the right way. They were.
Went through class 2 and 3 rapids. The one lovingly called “Bone Crusher” was the craziest, highest, and most intense. But we made it without tipping over. Huzzah!
Camus Road
Known for its wildlife, this road winds along the south west corner of the park, but we saw nada. Did make a nice stop at Home Ranch Bottoms for some delicious huckleberry ice cream—and overheard a couple who had survived an “intense” bear attack. Tried to go to Bowman Lake, but the rental car couldn’t go down the rickety road. Still, a beautiful drive.
Details, details, details
Stopped for a huckleberry shake at the St. Regis Travel Center.
When we were in Ronan, we were staying in the front yard of a friend with six kids. They were very excited about the RV (maybe even more than we were), and made a point to check everything out.
And then this happened…
In a hurry to get to the kayaking place, Bri backed into the side of the road and pulled off the exhaust pipe for the generator and the rear bumper, and bent the back corner of the bottom strip on the left rear quarter panel. Those aren’t important right? The rear bumper rode with us inside for a few days until we had time to put it back on.
Now we know
Not all wine is good. Even if there’s a $5 tasting.
Burritos in Montana are not the same as burritos in California.
There’s etiquette to RV parking in a shared dispersed camping space. Don’t crowd.
Command strips are freakin’ awesome. They’re our new refrigerator locks and are working great. (Yes that’s a spatula – it was the only thing thin enough to stick the strips to the side of the fridge).
Road food
Where we stayed
Night one: Jamie’s house in Spokane
Some family friends of the Dawsons live smack in the middle of Ronan, with gorgeous views all around the house. We stayed in the driveway and were watched over by three very responsible pups.
GPS coordinates: [private]
Night two: North Fork Road
We had originally found a great spot on Blankenship Road, but it was completely inaccessible in Layla. We tried the other side of the bridge, but some guy warned us against going any farther.
So we attempted about three more spots with no luck. Were about to go back to the Super 1 parking lot when Jess spotted what looked like an old driveway, but was totally legit. Since it was close to being dark, we went with it.
GPS coordinates: 48.4641930, -114.1430410
Nights three, four, five, and six: Belton Stage Road
This spot really served us well for Glacier adventuring. Stayed here four nights, easy to level, and very close to the park. There were a few other spots to pull in on this road as well.
GPS coordinates: 48.453691, -114.033054
Just show me the pictures already
