United States, Montana – Hiking in Glacier National Park

Two years later, back to Glacier National Park! Bears, moose, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep—hiking amidst the wildlife of this iconic Rocky Mountain national park.

Saturday, July 20^th, 2024

After the Three Forks rodeo show, we arrived at our campsite in the dark. As is always the case when we arrive at night, we discovered our surroundings only in the morning. Unsurprisingly, we found a railway track directly across the lake. We hadn’t known it was there, but it became clear quickly! The night was marked by the noisy passage of freight trains—those seemingly endless American trains that seem to go on for hours. In short, we didn’t sleep well.

We set off early with the goal of covering as many miles as possible to get closer to Glacier National Park, our next destination. The drive is long and rather monotonous, through the landscapes of Montana: fields, pastures, and wild forests. Just before 7 PM, we arrive in the village of an Indian reservation under a threatening sky. We make a stop at the gas station. Just like at the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, we need to obtain a permit to access Glacier National Park. And reservations open promptly at 7 PM! Just like last time, we manage to secure our precious permit! We download it, then head out to set up camp for the night far from the village and its cell network.

We find a campsite in the woods. The vegetation is dense around us, and we freeze in fear when we suddenly hear rustling in the bushes. We grab the bear spray and wait, all senses on high alert, listening for the slightest noise with our hearts racing. After what feels like endless minutes, it seems to be a false alarm. Nevertheless, we take the precaution of playing some music to signal our presence to any potential bear. We then sleep in the Jeep, as the wake-up call will be early tomorrow!

Sunday, July 21^st

At 6 AM, we set off for Glacier National Park. We already visited this park in September 2022. Today, it’s naturally on our route to Canada, so we decide to take advantage of the opportunity to hike. We arrive at the park at 8 AM and just manage to grab the last available parking spot at the trailhead. We then take our time to have a hearty breakfast. And while our eggs are cooking, a mother bear and her two cubs cross the road right behind us! 😊 We then set out on a beautiful 12-kilometer round-trip hike towards Grinnell Upper Lake. We stay alert, as grizzlies frequent the area. And while we like grizzlies, we prefer to keep our distance!

À la moitié du chemin, on se sépare. Rémi continue vers le glacier et moi, fatiguée, je fais demi-tour pour redescendre jusqu’au parking. Pendant que je fais la sieste à l’ombre des arbres, Rémi prend de la hauteur jusqu’à surplomber le lac Grinel et sa magnifique couleur d’un bleu électrique.

On the ascent, he encounters a moose down by the lake and some bighorn sheep high up in the mountains.

Then he arrives at the stunning viewpoint overlooking Grinnell Glacier, which has nearly disappeared, and its partially frozen lake.

Meanwhile, I spot a moose and its calf eating grass in the lake. After 20 minutes of watching, they both swim across to the other side! I didn’t know moose were such good swimmers!

We then head towards the other sector of the park. We set out on the Going-to-the-Sun Highway! Almost two years ago, we drove this majestic road, which winds along the mountainside. It’s one of the most beautiful roads in the United States! At that time, the scenery was covered in haze from wildfires. Today, everything is clear, and we easily drive up to Logan Pass. There, we leave the car and set off on a hike. We take a well-marked and very popular trail that leads us to Hidden Lake. Along the way, we spot bighorn sheep, many mountain goats, and even a grizzly, but from a great distance!

We set out in search of a campsite to take a shower, but we encounter rejection after rejection. Oh well, we leave Glacier National Park to the north and drive a few kilometers to find a camping spot. All the best spots are taken, and we end up at a site that seems to be used as a wild shooting range. The ground is littered with spent cartridges, broken pots, and even a smashed watermelon. We really don’t understand Americans’ passion for wild shooting and firearms! Rémi spends the evening picking up the cartridges, then we take a very cold shower, have a meal, and settle down in the tent for the night.

Monday, July 22^nd

Après une matinée sur la route, on s’arrête à midi pour manger au bord d’une rivière, mais surtout pour se rafraîchir dans l’eau fraiche.

Ce 22 juillet est un grand jour de notre voyage à travers les Amériques ! Presque 2 ans jour pour jour après l’avoir quitté, nous sommes de retour au Canada ! 🇨🇦 Quel grand moment pour nous que de repasser la frontière vers notre pays d’adoption, notre pays coup de cœur. On est excités et heureux d’être de retour au Canada, mais aussi un peu attristés par ce moment qui marque, malgré tout, la fin de notre voyage à l’étranger. Revenir au Canada, c’est rentrer à la maison, pour de bon. Et c’est dur à accepter !

We pass through customs in less than 5 minutes, without even having to get out of the vehicle. After all the convoluted borders we crossed during our trip, we had almost forgotten how simple it is to cross the Canada/US border. Back in Canada, but the journey isn’t over yet! Much road still lies ahead to cross British Columbia and reach the northern part of Canada, where we plan to experience more incredible moments!