Overlanding Glacier National Park

Jenna and I met up in Glacier National Park to do some camping / overandling in the area. Jenna made it there a few hours before me and secured a camping spot for us near the west entrance to the park. We had tried all week to get one of the Going to the Sun Road passes for both of us, but I could only get one ticket. The Passes are about 400 a day and are good for a week. You need a pass to utilize the Going to the Sun Road, which spans the park from West to East. While there are many amazing things in the area, I would highly recommend doing this drive if at all possible.
We stopped along Lake McDonald to recreate an image of Jenna’s mom from when Jenna was a little girl. The smoke was pretty bad the entire trip, but we did get a few hours of clear air here and there. The day we did the full drive of the Going to the Sun Road, we stopped at the top to hike to Hidden Lake. We saw a lot of animals, chipmunks, marmots, goats, and Big Horn Sheep. Some of the most magical views I’ve ever seen, even with the hazy skies. We swam in the lake because if you’re going to hike to it, you might as well partake in refreshingly cool waters. On the way down the East side of the pass, we had to quickly stop to get a beautiful sunset view on Saint Mary Lake. We ended up staying the night at an RV park on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near the river.
The next day we had a slow start and headed to town to grab supplies and lunch while we waited to check into Under the Canvas Glacier location. I had never stayed in one of these places, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amenities. This was our “hotel” stay of the trip to get a hot shower, charge batteries, and ourselves for the rest of the journey.
The juxtaposition of the visitors who were “camping” here and our dirty, smelly selves was entertaining. My dirty, muddy truck loaded to the max with gear parked next to Denali GMC SUVs.
The one thing I had to see while we were in the area was the Trail of the Cedars. The primary loop itself is a pretty easy 1-mile hike. Still, we opted to do the additional 2 miles to Avalanche Lake, which proved a little more than our tired selves wanted, with the air quality the worst of the trip. The views and swim in the glacial lake were welcomed once we made it to the lake, however. I made my favorite images of the trip on these two trails. I can’t wait to print some of these this year!
Completely wiped by the smokey hike, we decided to relax by Flathead River to recharge for the drive home. The smoke was blown out for a few hours as a thunderstorm pushed into the area. I would love to go back in the fall or spring when there is less chances of smoke, and some snow on the mountians. Make sure to scroll through all the images to find the Vlog at the end of the post.