The weather was sunny most of the way to Logan Pass (6,646 ft. and is the summit of the "Going to the Sun Road", and the highest elevation you can drive your car). While I was waiting in the constructi
on, the clouds were rolling into the mountains. And when I arrived at Logan Pass, from the parking lot I could not see the visitor's center or the giant mountains beyond with all the cloud cover.(A cloudy look at Mt. Clements)
But I had come to hike up to the Hidden Lake Overlook, and that's what I was going to do. I think I had seen a movie titled "A Walk in the Clouds" once.....and this title seemed very appropriate. When I started up the boardwalk, you could see almost nothing, but luck was with me, and very slowly, the clouds sta
rted to open and show small spots of the beautiful blue sky. And in many ways, the clouds made the walk that much more interesting as they would part, and a mountain would appear.(Clouds clinging to the mountain)
I had been told (or maybe I read) that this was an easy hike with sidewalk all the way. I guess "easy" is a relative term, based upon your definition, your fitness at the time, and of course, the elevation. This is a 1.5 mile "walk" to the Hidden Lake Overlook with a 460 ft. elevation. So what that really means is that the boardwalk has MANY steps as you go up that 460 ft. elevation. It was really a "hike" not a walk, and I did have to stop a few times just to catch my breath, which does give you time to enjoy the fabulous vistas and mountains -- or pretend you are taking pict
ures (I have lots of this same shot). As you get about 2/3's of the way, the boardwalk stops, and you are on a trail. And in the first week of August, there were still several small snow fields to walk across as well. And you know, it isn't as easy as you would think to walk across this snow -- slippery!!(The "boardwalk" -- from this view it looks like it goes nowhere!)
(A few of the fabulous vistas on the trip to Hidden Lake. The picture on the bottom shows the famous "Garden Wall" partially hidden by the clouds. The Garden Wall is a knife-like ridge known as an arete)
You also pass by hundreds of acres of meadows, which I have heard (and I've seen pictures of) are filled with
(Indian Paintbrush)
millions of wildflowers. Most of these flowers are more "artic" plants, like the Glacier Lilly and the Indian Paintbrush. They have a very short growing season, and it looked like their season was almost over. I would think the last 2 weeks in July was probably when the flowers were at their peak.
The real "treat" to this day is seeing Hidden Lake. It is one of the most visited places in the park, and sits nearly on the top of the continental divide.
Hidden Lake is not a huge lake and is relatively protected from the high winds by its location deep down in a bowl. And it is a great fishing lake -- saw several people carrying their poles. Of course, that means you walk another 1.5 miles down a steeper trail to the lake.So.....if you visit Logan Pass, you really should take the walk to Hidden Lake. I've been coming to Glacier Park for a number of years, but never with any friends who wanted to go to the Hidden Lake Overlook. And they never knew what
they were missing. The views are just breathtaking and the mountains majestic. The lake is a beautiful blue green (as all the water is in Glacier), and is truly "hidden". And make sure you take binoculars -- so much you can't see with your naked eye.And get ready to see wildlife. Mountain goats and big horn sheep frequent the area and have become use to the people. So much so that even the many people walking up th
e trail didn't seem to bother the momma goat with her little baby goat, standing right along the trail. It wasn't until someone could almost pet the goat that they moved further away (and please don't touch the wildlife -- they are called that because they are "wild" and have big ho
rns that could hurt when puncturing your skin). There were some big horn sheep that were pretty far off the trail (hence, the binoculars) enjoying the area as well.By now my legs are sore, my ankle is hurting, and it feels great to sit in the truck (and yes, there are people waiting for my parking spot, so my relaxing is cut short). But there is another hike I've always wanted to do, and I know this one is not as far or elevated. That is to see St. Mary's Falls. It is one of the few waterfalls you can see in Glacier without having to hike into the back country.
Turn right out of Logan Pass and continue on the "Going to the Sun Road" towards the east entrance at St. Mary's. There are signs for both the St. Mary's and Virginia Falls. The St. Mary's falls are .8 miles down (and yes I mean down, although that means you go up on the way back) a trail through the forest. You hear the falls long before you see them, and you'll cross a bridge over the river. I understand that St. Mary's Falls is actually a "double falls", but in August the water levels have receded enough that there was o
nly 1 fall (the double is on the lower half of the falls) -- but still impressive. Lots of big rocks on the other side of the bridge to sit and enjoy the sound and coolness of the falls.
It is also very "colorful". The rocks in Montana and Glacier Park are a beautiful red, blue, and creme. It is the silt created as the glaciers move that gives all of the streams and lakes their beautiful blue color. And even if you order stone for your driveway, it comes as red, blue and creme stones -- rather amazing. As the river leaves St. Mary's Falls, it falls down another red shelf.
I wish I could say I made the additional .7 mile walk to Virginia Falls, as I've seen pictures and it is beautiful. I would have done this if I had not already hiked 3.8 miles (between both hikes), and my ankle was hurting a lot. It would have been another 1.4 miles added to the .8 from St. Mary's falls to get back to my truck, and I just couldn't subject myself to this -- at least not this day. Next time.
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