Glacier National Park and Wild Logan Pass!

Saturday and Sunday, August 16 & 17, 2014

The bad weather forecast scared away just enough campers for us to snag one of the last campsites in the Apgar Campground near the entrance to the Glacier National Park visitor center. We literally pulled into Loop A of the nearly 300 campsite campground, and drove immediately into the second campsite, stopped, turned off the motor and didn't move for two days. Then, we looked at the literature and started to plan what to do and how to do it! We knew that our rig was too large for the 21' long by 8' wide vehicle limit for driving the “Going- to-the-Sun” Road. But, the park has a shuttle system, and we could wait for a shuttle near our campsite.

The weather forecast was “iffy” for the next day, Saturday, but we decided to risk going to Logan Pass, the highest point on the highway. The drive up in the shuttle took 1½ hours, so we could get off, do a hike, eat lunch, and catch another shuttle back down to the campground. It rained during the night, but had stopped by the time we walked to the bus stop yesterday morning. We waited quite a while for a skinny bus that would go to the top. A big, full shuttle bus pulled up and the driver told us to get on and take it to her turnaround at Avalanche Lake. There we could pick up a skinny shuttle. She said it would be a long time before a small one came there.

Greg talking to his dad while waiting for the shuttle - taking advantage of local cell reception.

We crowded into the aisle, took the bus partly up the road, got off at Avalanche, and finally boarded a twelve seater bus to go to the top. On board was part of a youth group and their leaders from a church in Wisconsin. They were getting off at “The Loop” and backpacking in the wilderness 55 miles in eight days. As they got off at their stop, the sky looked threatening, and we wished them the best for the five miles they needed to hike for their first night.


As we climbed higher up the mountain on a curving roadway cut out of the side of the cliff, the clouds closed in. We were literally driving through clouds, not fog. When we reached Logan Pass and stepped off the shuttle, the wind was blowing, the clouds were swirling around us, and the temperatures in the 60's that we left at the bottom of the mountain, were now in the 40's. Visitors were getting out of their cars to go in the visitor center, dressed in shorts and flip-flops. We quickly added layers of clothing, went into the visitor center, and right back out again when we saw the crowd. Suddenly, a cloud blew away from across the road. “Ahhhh, a gorgeous mountain! Ohhh, now it's gone again. Ahhh, now it's back!” We looked around and decided that the hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook, 1.5 miles away, might be clear enough to see something. There was a large wooden boardwalk climbing the hill behind the visitor center, so we joined the dozens of tourists in various warm and cool outfits and headed up the hill.

Logan Pass Visitor Center - when we could see it from 200 feet away.

We had to enjoy the view during the half-minute breaks in the clouds

The parking lot was jammed

The wildflowers were beautiful. They were at ground level and close, so we could see them. The rest of the view popped in and out as the clouds blew sideways across the ground and along the peaks. We passed a marmot “sunning” itself on a rock near the trail. Probably hoping for a handout. The elevation of the Logan Pass at 6,600' slowed us down a little. Once we got to a pass, the clouds were heavier and drizzly as we hiked the last stretch to the overlook to Hidden Lake. We found a deck and railing, and a placard with a photo of the lake. We took our own photo. Look for it below. Hidden Lake will forever be hidden to us!

Wildflower meadow with mountain in the background!

Everyone wants a 20-pound marmot as a lap warmer

Waterfall over 1.5 billion-year-old ripples

Greg wanders ahead in the clouds as we get nearer to the overlook.

Truth in Advertising - Hidden Lake Overlook. See the photo of it on the placard?

Kathleen fading into the cloud at a distance of 20 feet.

Red Grinnell Mudstone

Clear ripplemarks in Green Appekunny Mudstone. Red rock chunk is from the overlying Grinnell formation.

At that point it began to rain in earnest, so we started back down the hill. It was still windy and cold. Tourists were still coming up the hill in shorts, flip-flops, and a few bought plastic ponchos. Only one person asked us if we had actually seen the lake. We overheard an under dressed woman say, “There better be something to see when we get there, or you're in trouble!” It was hard to stifle a laugh!


On the way down we heard someone yelling, “Mar-moot! Mar-moot!” Some Japanese tourists had spotted the marmot in the wild weather and the Dad got out his camera. Then he made his teens pose on the boardwalk and somehow he was going to have the marmot in the picture too. The marmot was a distance off the walk, so I couldn't quite figure out the logistics. It has been very interesting watching the Japanese tourists. Everyone in the party will have a very fancy camera, but always tie up the trails because they rarely take a photo of the breathtaking landscapes alone. There has to be cutely posed friends or family members in it. The cultural differences between traveling nationalities is interesting.


At the bottom we found the only covered bench there, ate some lunch, and then stood in line in the rain, wind, clouds, and cold and waited for a shuttle down. It was a long wait. The drivers coming up unload their passengers and then park for their break. We waited while the empty shuttles piled up in the parking lot. The visitor center is tiny, and away from the shuttle stop, so without your own car, there is nowhere to get out of the weather. Also, the shuttles don't seem to be on any kind of schedule. We had a long line and had to wait through several shuttles before we could get on one. The Park Service has done a much better job in the other parks where we've used shuttles.

Waiting for a shuttle. Where did the visitor center go?

Bored while standing in line?  Take a selfie!

Only 12 passengers per bus, so we didn't get on that one.

Finally we got on a dry shuttle with heat, and legroom, and started the trip back down. We sat with a young couple who discussed their pet tarantula. They had a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula like our daughter! Finally, we descended below the clouds again and were dropped off at Avalanche Lake, where we had to wait for the bigger shuttle. It was a bit warmer, but as soon as we got in line there, the rain started again! We put the wet raincoats back on. The bigger shuttle showed up and Greg wound up standing in the far back of the bus, while I got a seat near the front.

The road back down

No room for mistakes on this road!

The closest sunshine we saw. Amazing view to valley below.

I had interesting conversations with a woman from New York, who was originally from Baltimore, a young man from Alexandria, Virginia, a woman from Chicago, and another woman with her two young grandchildren, who was from nearby Kalispell. I commented on her Alaska hoodie, and her granddaughter's pink camo Alaska cap, and she said she had just gotten back from visiting her sister in Delta Junction, Alaska, who runs the Delta Meat and Sausage Company with her husband. Rewind a few postings and you will find that we just stopped in there on our way out of Alaska. Her sister and niece waited on us. I could see the family resemblance. We had a fun conversation about Alaska! She also likes to eat lunch at the little cafe at Rika's Roadhouse State Park in Delta Junction. We just had Swedish meatballs there a few weeks ago!

My part of the end of the shuttle trip went fast. Not so for Greg, who got stuck in the back with the very “ripe” backpackers coming back to civilization after their long treks! Anyway, we jumped off at the campground and I had to fill Greg in on all the “small world” experiences I'd had in the front of the bus. Back at the rig, the rain and gloom settled in for the night and this morning we were glad to leave for sunnier, warmer climes.

This morning we packed up and drove back out of the western side of the park, and since we are not allowed on the “Going-to-the-Sun” Road, we had to drive east around the southern border and then north to reach the Two Medicine area. We entered the park again from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation side. The young ranger at the entry station had a nametag that said, “C. Longtime Sleeping”! I would love to know the origin of that native name. Greg said it was a good name for the teenager. Again we lucked out and got a campsite at the Two Medicine Campground near the lake. The sun was out when we arrived on the more arid side, but as we climbed higher to the campground, we could see the clouds blowing through the passes above us. There is still a chance of thunderstorms and showers, but so far we are having broken clouds and highs in the 60's, but windy. We signed up for two nights, and have a hike along the lake picked out for tomorrow. Then we'll head to the Many Glaciers area north of here for a night or two and another hike. The weather should be improving for the next few days. Guess if we had to have bad weather, yesterday was fine. We were dressed for it, and we saw a dramatically different side of Logan Pass than most tourists. It made for an exhilarating, unusual hike!

The road up to Two Medicine Lake

Once again, we lucked into one of the last campsites in a full campground!