We wanted to plan a week to get away from the Bay Area sometime last fall, and settled on visiting one of the United States National Parks.  We had already visited Yosemite, and I had been to Joshua Tree many years ago.  But that's it, so it was time to start exploring our great National Park system.  We chose Glacier National Park to be our first destination because of its majestic mountains and vistas.  

The National Park Service describes Glacier National Park as "a showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes."  We were sold!  In the fall of 2023 we explored Glacier National Park, one of America's renouned public lands in the heart of Montana.  

Coming from Oakland, we flew into Spokane, Washington and rented a car at the airport.  From there we drove for roughly two hours to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where we had arranged a hotel to stay the night.  We stayed at the Log Inn at Bonners Ferry, which is situated just north of downtown on Route 2.  The inn offers rooms in their main building which is attached to the office and store.  In addition, they have standalone log cabins that you can stay in too!  We stayed on one of their conventional rooms, which was clean and comfortable.  Breakfast was included, but it was more of a continental breakfast.  We were a little hungry after checking out.  

Though Bonners Ferry was formally established in 1893, gold mining had taken off in the decades prior to that in the area north towards British Columbia.  The Wildhorse Trail, which was used by minors to travel north in search of their pot of gold, passed through Bonners Ferry, and as such, needed a way to cross the Kootenai River.  Edwin Bonner, who was a merchant from the Washington Territory, established a ferry in 1864 to do just that.  In the next century Bonners Ferry became a big lumber town due to its proximity to Kootenai Valley and the river.

We ate dinner that night in downtown Bonners Ferry, which consists of two or three square blocks of small shops and restaurants.  We ate at the Rusty Moose, a rustic little restaurant and bar on Main Street.  Simple American food well prepared.  I should note that we stopped in the local casino to see if there was a restaurant there, but we thought it was too smoky to hang around long.

Our next stop was Kootenai Falls Trailhead.  From the inn we hoped back onto Route 2 north and then due east and then south, and then east again.  Route 2 is one of those highways that goes in all directions!  You'll cross into Montana, and soon after that reach Troy, which is handy if you need a rest.  A little further down the road is the trailhead.

There is not a whole lot of parking at the trailhead but we managed to get a spot.  There was a little shop where you could buy water and other sundries, and restrooms too.  The walk to the Kootenai River Falls is a pleasant one under a canapy of tall trees; it took about half an hour.  You'll have to cross railroad tracks to get there, and in order to do that you will need to climb stairs to a small bridge that crosses the tracks.  There are three flights of stairs, and no elevator.  From there it's a short walk to reach the edge of the river. Then walk upstream to the falls.

There are places to get good pictures along the river, and we even caught quite a few kayakers getting ready to hit the rapids.  Then we walked downstream to the bridge.  The don't call it Swinging Bridge for nothing.  It does sway back and forth a bit as you walk over the river, especially if there are other people on the bridge.  Nothing to worry about!

Our next stop was Whitefish, which is not far from the entrance to Glacier National Park.  We stayed at the The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River, a multi-story hotel with a view of the river.  I have to say, Whitefish was a very pleasant surprise.  It's downtown is filled with many very cool shops and restaurants.  North of downtown is the Whitefish lake, complete with its own beach area and walking paths.  I could see why people would want to live here.  

We ate dinner that night in downtown Whitefish at Abruzzo Italian Kitchen.  Their pasta dishes were supurb.  Because we stayed in Whitefish for several days, we tried a few of the restaurants downtown.  Without giving you a critique on each of them, let's just say that they were all very good.  You will have trouble finding a bad meal in Whitefish.

Onward to the Park!

After a good night's sleep, we embarked on our first day into the park.  It took us about 30 minutes to reach the West Glacier entrance to the park from our hotel in Whitefish.  You'll make a left onto Glacier Route 1 Road, more well known as Going to the Sun Road. You'll come upon a ranger station at which you will buy your park entrance pass. There may be a line of cars waiting, depending on the time of year.  Note that much of Going to the Sun Road is closed in the winter.

Once you are past the ranger station you'll come upon an intersection.  Turn right to stay on Going to the Sun Road.  Soon on the left you will notice Lake McDonald through the trees.  There are lodges in this vacinity where you can park and take a walk near the river if you are inclinded to.  When we were here in September of 2023 there was construction on Going to the Sun Road for miles starting in the lake area.  I expect the construction will go on for a couple of more years, bring your patience as you will need to wait a bit to get past it.

After driving a while and soaking in the beautiful views, we made a stop at an area that boasts two popular trail heads: The Trail of the Ceders Nature Trailhead and Avalanche Lake Trailhead.  Both are excellent hikes, but we didn't feel we had time for both,so we chose the Ceders.  The Avalanche is more strenuous, so if you are fit maybe you'll enjoy this one more. By the way, parking is ample but at the same time difficult.  We had to circle the lot a few times before we found a space.

You will notice that as you progress on Going to the Sun Road due east you will gradually go uphill until the road is literally hugging the mountain sides.  It is really an engineering wonder!  You'll be greeted by a panaramic view of the valley at Loop Trailhead.  You can park and walk around there, and most importantly, there is a rest room!  Parking was tight, so we did not stop, but instead continuted on to Logan Pass Visitors Center.  

The parking lot was full, so it took some time to find a parking space.  Inside the visitor center there is a gift shop, rest rooms, and a help desk with lots of useful information.  It is also an entrance of sorts onto the Hidden Lake Trailhead.  We decided that we'd try to walk the trail to see Hidden Lake, which is 2.5 miles up the mountainside.  Fortunately, the incline was very gradual.  The initial portions of the trail are on wooden planks, and then switches to rock and gravel.  In front of you will be the towering Clements Mountain, which stretches all the back towards the lake.  As you walk up the trail, look behind you and you will see the majestic Piegan Mountain.  When you reach the lake, you'll notice that it sits in a valley with Bearhat Mountain on the right and Reynolds Mountain on the left.  What a sight!  A beautiful blue oasis amid the spectacular mountainous grandeur.  Definitely worth the hike!

We eventually drove all the way to the end of Going to the Sun Road, passing Saint Mary Lake on our right.  The road dead ends at Route 89, which is the East Glacier entrance to the park.  There we stopped in to the Glacier Park Cafe for lunch.  A nice place to warm up, they serve a solid lunch and even have a gift shop.  

Ok, those are the highlights from our trip.  Of course I skipped describing a lot of scenic spots that you may want to visit.  Those are for you to discover on your own! 

A couple of parting thoughts.  First, you may be wondering where Going to the Sun Road got its name.  The origin points to Going to the Sun Mountain and how it was named.  There are two theories.  One is that it was named after a Blackfeet Indian legend. The other is that a local hunting guide named James Willard Shultz, while discussing the beauty of the mountain with a Blackfeet Indian named Tail-Feathers-Coming-Over-the-Hill as they sat near Saint Mary Lake, came up with the name. In any case, when the road was completed and dedicated in 1933, it was officially named Going to the Sun Road.

The other thing you might want to delve into more deeply is the other prominent Indian tribe that was situated back on the Western side of the park and beyond - the Kootenai Indians.  I leave you with a snapshot of who they were.