Over Memorial weekend Kelly and I flew to Montana to visit Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. We weren't sure how it was going to go because the area had been getting a lot of spring snow and that tends to be a problem with mountain passes. Maybe Harry Potter World would have been a better choice afterall? It was all green and fine on the drive up from Helena but sure enough when we got into the mountains - bam! White wins.
Avalanche and hungry bear warnings aside, I wish we would have brought snow shoes with us. The trails would have been a lot of fun!
As it was, things were a bit difficult. There was a tiny bit of snow still on the ground.
Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed between Trail of the Cedars and Siyeh Bend which was disappointing - apparently 20 feet of snow is too much for their plows, weak sauce - but we were still able to see quite a bit of the park.
We stayed at the Village Inn which is directly on Lake McDonald in Apgar. (It's a tiny spec in the picture below.) It's an older building and I could hear our neighbors a bit, but you can't beat the view. I can't speak to high season, but I definitely recommend it for low!
Most of the trails aren't paved, but Trail of the Cedars is done up nicely for those who want a stroll without tree root issues. The weather may not have fully cooperated, but the park was not crowded. I'll sacrifice some not-so-perfect conditions to avoid the headache of high-season any day!
On our way down to Yellowstone we drove through the National Bison Range which is a 20 mile self guided drive through one of the first wildlife refuges in the US. There are quite a few types of animals staying home, home on the range (possibly even playing). When I get a front yard I might have to install an Elk Horn bush like the one at the Visitors Center. Property value adder, no?
Overall I really enjoyed Glacier National Park and would definitely recommend it. If you don't enjoy snow though I'd wait until a little later in the year, May just happened to be when we could go. I'm hoping to get back this summer to get to some of the areas that were closed and see what it's like later in the year.
Holy posts!! I haven't checked your blog in quite awhile... and dang, you've been busy!! Lots to catch up on!
ReplyDeleteGlacier and Yellowstone are on our list of places to go someday... probably once this baby is a little older. Although by that point, Carson will be in school and we'll probably have to do most of our trips on school breaks... aka high season... boo!! But this whole area of the country just looks beautiful!