Glacier

The plan is to stay in Missoula for a week. We really enjoyed this town when here several years ago. We are camping at Jellystone RV Resort with Yogi Bear on Boo Boo Lane. After a day of catching up with housekeeping we decided to take a day trip up to Glacier Natl. Park. We drove straight up from Missoula and went around the east side of the very large and long Flathead Lake.

Along the Mission Mtns

Southern end of Flathead Lake

View of lake from east side

Glacier NP is one of the most popular in the entire national system. That proved to be true on this day. The park was mobbed. There wasn't a parking spot to be found at any picnic area, overlook, trailhead or visitor center parking lot.

West Glacier Entrance Gate

The famous red busses run the length of the highway with transfer stations where passengers can get off and on wherever they like. 

Famous red bus

We entered at West Glacier and drove up the Going to the Sun Hwy. First you go alongside the beautiful MacDonald Lake. There is an old lodge there. The road goes through the floor of the valley. You approach a sheer sided mountain and the road starts a winding ascent that turns into a cliff hugging passage with sheer drops on the outside. It slowly winds its way up to and through Logan Pass.

Lake MacDonald

 

We had intended to spend some time at the visitor center in the pass but there was no finding a parking space and the aisles were also filled with waiting cars. We just had to go back down the way we had come. The road is in very good condition. The glaciers actually looked larger than when we were here 10 years ago. This is in spite of this summer being a good bit warmer than usual and last years snow pack was smaller. The day was very hazy and my camera was having trouble focusing on distant images. We went back to Missoula down the west side of Flathead Lake.