Well here we are in West Glacier, Montana. For this stay we opted for the West Glacier KOA between 7/3-7/7/2017. What a beautiful RV park. Our site was in the back, quieter section which I much appreciated. Look at our view! This park was voted the #1 KOA of 2017.
Glacier National Park was the goal of our month long road trip. Our first day exploring was by car driving the Going-to-the Sun Road . We were very lucky since it had just opened up fully the week before. Below are pictures from our drive.
This was by f
ar one of my favorite hikes. The trail difficulty is rated as easy if you just go to the overlook. It was 3 miles round trip at about a 7200 foot elevation. From the pictures I saw, you walk on a guided path through beautiful meadows to get to the overlook. It started out this way. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As we progressed, our hike took on a much different look! Snow, and a lot of it. We were totally NOT prepared (foot gear wise) for this hike. As you can see from the pictures below, the guided path was practically non existent. A pair of hiking poles would have really come in handy.
We started up a gradual incline which kept going, and going, and going. I'm not used to walking up hill ….with sneakers…. in the snow. LOL My husband taught me how to herring bone which is walking with your feet pointing out at an angle and digging the inside of your feet into the snow. It really helps with traction, but not really a good thing for the knees. One of my goals was not to fall on my butt.
We were surrounded by a lot of other people on this hike. I usually like to hike in solitude with my husband, but this was different. Everyone was giving each other encouragement going up the snowy slopes.
Once we arrived at the overlook you looked out at the most incredible vista. Most of the snow was gone in the area where we were standing, but looking down at the lake you could see that it still had ice on it.
As we were resting and enjoying the views I was talking with two women. All of a sudden this happened. This goat just appeared! He was curious and not the least bit shy. I was able to snap a couple of pictures, but also wanted to respect his privacy.
Now for the trek back down. My goal was the same…not to fall on my butt. I'm happy to say I was successful. I just pretended that my feet were little skis! It was a fun journey.
Driving back we stopped at this waterfall (one of the many). If you look closely there are a series of falls up above as well. We also came across an extremely friendly and curious Marmot. It was apparent from his rotund physic that he was used to being fed. Something that I don't condone. If we allowed him, he would have come right up to us.
Our adventure the next day was hiking the Avalanche Trail. The trail difficulty was rated as moderate. Roundtrip the hike was 4.5 miles and about a 4000 foot elevation. The trail is easy to follow (no snow at this elevation! LOL) and you are surrounded by beautiful pines and ferns. The trail parallels a river with a waterfall and rapids. About half way in, we came across some fresh bear scat! Yikes!! It absolutely raised my awareness during this hike. There were many people around taking this hike too, so I felt somewhat comfortable.
Once you reach Avalanche Lake it is peaceful and serine. We stayed here a while to take in the all the beauty. You had a panoramic view of mountains, waterfalls, and forest, not to mention the beautiful lake. I must say that this hike tired me out, but it was definitely worth it.
If you are able to make it to this beautiful park, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I will definitely make it here again in my travels. So much more to explore here!
Simply Wendy 