I am looking for a 4 to 5 (perhaps I could be persuaded to go 6) day hike in glacier national that is Beautiful, has fishing, a lot of wildlife , lakes with glacial silt, some high altitude, and with not much more than 7 or 8 miles a day. I am basically looking for a hike that has it all! does such a hike exist?
Answer
A couple years ago, some friends and I decided to do 5 night backpacking trip in Glacier and after reading the guidebooks and consulting the maps, we decided to do the section of the Northern Traverse trail that runs from Goat Haunt up to Boulder Pass and back.
Rather than backtrack, it would have been nice to continue to the west and come out of the park at the Kintla Lake ranger station but the logistics of that proved too challenging (it is a long long way between the trail heads). No complaints though as our trip was awesome - I have done a lot of backpacking and I would still say this ranks as my number one trip ever and it matches your requirements pretty close.
Here was our intinerary:
Started at Goat Haunt ranger station (south end of Waterton Lake, you have to go around into Canada and take tour boat across the lake to it - you need your passport on the hike because Goat Haunt is a US port of entry).
1st Day - Goat Haunt to Hawksbill camp (6.5 miles, mostly gradual climb up a pretty mountain valley past Janet Lake). Hawksbill camp is a little boring (would have stayed at Lake Frances, if a spot had been open).
2nd Day - Hawksbill to Hole in the Wall Camp (4 miles, mostly uphill). Hole in the Wall is an amplitheater carved into a high canyon wall by glaciers and now filled with little streams, fields of wildflowers and clumps of trees with jagged peaks rising all around. It is considered one of the most scenic camps in Glacier and I would agree.
3-4 Day - Hole in the Wall to Boulder Pass (3 miles with a lot of uphill) The trail works around the upper part of the bowl and into Boulder Pass on the top which feels like being at the top of the world. Boulder Pass camp was excellent with incredible views of glaciers, valleys and peaks. Another little hanging valley nearby made for excellent exploring. We spent 2 nights here so we could have a day to just relax and explore.
5th Day - Boulder Pass to Frances Lake (10+ miles, but all downhill). Lake Frances is a beautiful lake with an excellent camp right by the shore. A waterfall (coming from the glaciers and snow fields above) feeds into it and you hear it all through the night in the camp.
6th Day - Lake Frances back to Goat Haunt (7.5 miles, but mostly a nice gradual downhill through the valley).
During our trip, we saw a bear, moose, ptarmagins and marmots. We went in late August (the week before Labor Day) and the weather was nice without being too warm or cold (Glacier weather can be unpredictable though). Huckleberry and Thimbleberry bushes full of fruit were all over the place (especially along the lower valley).
Other 5-7 day routes that we also looked into at Glacier included starting at Cut Bank Trailhead, going to Atlantic Creek camp, up to Morning Star Lake camp, across Pitamankan Pass to Oldman Lake camp then over to No Name Lake camp and out at Two Medicine. We also looked at doing the Gunsight trail from Jackson Glacier trailhead (near Saint Mary Lake) up to Gunsight Lake and over Gunsight Pass to Lake Ellen Wilson, Sperry Chalet and down to Lake McDonald on the other side. Unfortunately, many of the ideal routes in Glacier are point to point and require some way of getting between trailheads (which sometimes can be much further apart by road than by trail).
Glacier is a beautiful place and whatever route you chose, I don't think you will be disappointed. Remember though that prime hiking season only lasts a few months (late July through early Sept) and so you want to get your permit reservations in as early as possible especially for the popular routes and camps which fill up fast.
A couple years ago, some friends and I decided to do 5 night backpacking trip in Glacier and after reading the guidebooks and consulting the maps, we decided to do the section of the Northern Traverse trail that runs from Goat Haunt up to Boulder Pass and back.
Rather than backtrack, it would have been nice to continue to the west and come out of the park at the Kintla Lake ranger station but the logistics of that proved too challenging (it is a long long way between the trail heads). No complaints though as our trip was awesome - I have done a lot of backpacking and I would still say this ranks as my number one trip ever and it matches your requirements pretty close.
Here was our intinerary:
Started at Goat Haunt ranger station (south end of Waterton Lake, you have to go around into Canada and take tour boat across the lake to it - you need your passport on the hike because Goat Haunt is a US port of entry).
1st Day - Goat Haunt to Hawksbill camp (6.5 miles, mostly gradual climb up a pretty mountain valley past Janet Lake). Hawksbill camp is a little boring (would have stayed at Lake Frances, if a spot had been open).
2nd Day - Hawksbill to Hole in the Wall Camp (4 miles, mostly uphill). Hole in the Wall is an amplitheater carved into a high canyon wall by glaciers and now filled with little streams, fields of wildflowers and clumps of trees with jagged peaks rising all around. It is considered one of the most scenic camps in Glacier and I would agree.
3-4 Day - Hole in the Wall to Boulder Pass (3 miles with a lot of uphill) The trail works around the upper part of the bowl and into Boulder Pass on the top which feels like being at the top of the world. Boulder Pass camp was excellent with incredible views of glaciers, valleys and peaks. Another little hanging valley nearby made for excellent exploring. We spent 2 nights here so we could have a day to just relax and explore.
5th Day - Boulder Pass to Frances Lake (10+ miles, but all downhill). Lake Frances is a beautiful lake with an excellent camp right by the shore. A waterfall (coming from the glaciers and snow fields above) feeds into it and you hear it all through the night in the camp.
6th Day - Lake Frances back to Goat Haunt (7.5 miles, but mostly a nice gradual downhill through the valley).
During our trip, we saw a bear, moose, ptarmagins and marmots. We went in late August (the week before Labor Day) and the weather was nice without being too warm or cold (Glacier weather can be unpredictable though). Huckleberry and Thimbleberry bushes full of fruit were all over the place (especially along the lower valley).
Other 5-7 day routes that we also looked into at Glacier included starting at Cut Bank Trailhead, going to Atlantic Creek camp, up to Morning Star Lake camp, across Pitamankan Pass to Oldman Lake camp then over to No Name Lake camp and out at Two Medicine. We also looked at doing the Gunsight trail from Jackson Glacier trailhead (near Saint Mary Lake) up to Gunsight Lake and over Gunsight Pass to Lake Ellen Wilson, Sperry Chalet and down to Lake McDonald on the other side. Unfortunately, many of the ideal routes in Glacier are point to point and require some way of getting between trailheads (which sometimes can be much further apart by road than by trail).
Glacier is a beautiful place and whatever route you chose, I don't think you will be disappointed. Remember though that prime hiking season only lasts a few months (late July through early Sept) and so you want to get your permit reservations in as early as possible especially for the popular routes and camps which fill up fast.
Backpacking in Bear Country?
Zombie Cat
Advice or tips on backpacking in bear country. I know a lot is common sense, hanging food and stuff. I've only seen a bear once, a cub a couple hundred yards down a trail near the US/Canada border. I'll be in Wyoming this time. Thanks.
Answer
Hang your food at camp, make noise on the trail, and carry bear spray.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/bearenc.htm
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountryhiking.htm
This is a big PDF so you might not want to click it if you have a slow connection:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/general.pdf
Hang your food at camp, make noise on the trail, and carry bear spray.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/bearenc.htm
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountryhiking.htm
This is a big PDF so you might not want to click it if you have a slow connection:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/general.pdf
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Title Post: backpacking in glacier national park?
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Rating: 95% based on 981 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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