9/1/09 to 9/15/09

This was our first visit to Glacier National Park, one of the largest national parks in the continental U.S. Located in northwestern Montana near the Canadian border, it runs along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. The park is known for spectacular mountains, glaciers, lakes, and a diverse variety of wildlife.

The park’s main road ‘Going to the Sun’ was closed intermittently due to construction, an inconvenience we didn’t mind since it allowed great photo opportunities.

A view down into the valley from Going to the Sun Road.

One of the many hidden lakes

Hiking the Highline Trail in reverse from ‘The Loop’ to Logan Pass (12 Miles – 3000′ elevation gain)

We easily could have stayed another week or two hiking throughout the park. It was absolutely gorgeous!

As we departed Montana, we came across 2 curiosities we just have to share with you:

‘Don King’ of the avian world

The ‘Mountain Cat’ (someone was thinking outside the ‘box’)

Heading south, our next stop was Yellowstone National Park. Camping sounded like a good idea, that was until the nighttime temperature dropped to 20 F. As to not abandon our visit, we found a nice, WARM hotel in Gardiner located just outside the northern entrance to the park.

Kathy enjoying camp before the big ‘chill’

We spent four days in the park, but it was not enough time. According to statistics, two-thirds of the world’s geysers (300 in all) are concentrated in Yellowstone. With almost 10,000 geothermal features & an amazing diversity of wildlife one can understand why it’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Center.

Our brief visit provided us a glimpse of what this park has to offer. It’s phenomenal!

The reason for most traffic jams

Some geothermal features

Upper Yellowstone Falls & Yellowstone River

We didn’t have the time to visit Grand Teton National Park located just south of Yellowstone. The normally pristine view of these majestic peaks was obscured by smoke from a controlled fire the day we drove through the area. Known for it’s beauty & great hiking trails, the park remains high on our ‘to-do’ list.

The Grand Tetons

After an overnight in Jackson & Cheyenne, Wyoming we were headed back to Evergreen for a second visit with Alden & Bernadette.