Road Trip to Montana: Day Four 5/28/19

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Glacier National Park is unreal. I explored for hours today and I cannot get enough. I hiked the Trail of the Cedars, hiked up to Avalanche Lake, saw giant waterfalls cascading down mountains, and witnessed a bear walking in the lake. The landscape here is so beautiful and the forests are pristine. I get why it’s called the “Crown of the Continent.” I wanted to share everything that I did today and include some great photos I was lucky enough to capture. I will probably do a separate blog post for the hike itself including directions and that sort of information. For now, I just want to keep sharing the details with all of you!

Trail of the Cedars

I really wanted to hike to Avalanche Lake as I heard it was so scenic. It seemed to be one of the best choices considering that Going to the Sun road is still not completely open and won’t be until June 22nd. I read that the trail to Avalanche Lake started from the Trail of the Cedars. I drove to the trailhead where the Trail of the Cedars began and started hiking.

The trees in this forest were enormous. They towered above me and there were small signs describing the types of trees I came across. There was also a stunning gorge and the water was GUSHING! The water was crystal clear with a tint of blue.

After walking further along the trail for a short while, I reached a sign pointing in the direction of Avalanche Lake.

Avalanche Lake Trail

The trail to Avalanche Lake from the sign is two miles. During these two miles, peaks seemed to shoot up from the ground and surround me. The trees were bright green and although I couldn’t see running water anymore, I could still hear it.

After walking further along the trail for a short while, I reached a sign pointing in the direction of Avalanche Lake.

I made sure to have my bear spray on me while I’m out here in bear country. You can see it hooked to my bag.

Avalanche Lake: I saw a Bear!!

Avalanche Lake is probably the most visually pleasing bodies of water I have ever seen. The water was a gorgeous shade of blue, mountains surrounded the lake, and giant waterfalls cascaded down those mountains. There was a beach with logs that made satisfying benches. The best part about getting to to Avalanche Lake was watching a bear walk around the far side of the lake! I had never seen a bear in the wild like this. It definitely was not fully grown, but it was still an impressive creature to observe. Here are some photos from the lake and one that includes the bear in the distance.

In the photo directly above, you can see the bear walking on a log in the lake.

In this photo directly above you can see the large waterfalls I mentioned prior. They were spectacular as they poured down the sides of the mountains.

We spent awhile hanging on the beach of Avalanche lake before heading out. I took hundreds of photos on this beach and videos as well. These are the kind of moments I want to be able to remember and look back on in as much detail as possible.

Lake McDonald

This was another destination that has been on my bucket-list for a long time! I had seen so many photos of Lake McDonald and its colorful rocks and I wanted to see it for myself.  Well, the lake did not disappoint. The rocks were very colorful and mountains surrounded it. Across from where I was standing here, I could see the results of the 2003 forest fire that burned down 13% of the park. It was a sad sight to see and a reminder of the importance of protecting our parks….Before I left I dipped my hat in the cold water and put it on my head. Ahhhh, I am still so pumped about all the things I did and saw today! Here is a shot of Lake McDonald below!

Final Note

I will have an individual blog explaining the hike with other pictures and I may or may not do an individual blog on Lake McDonald….anyway…thank you for taking the time to read about the road trip thus far and checking out my photos. I appreciate it very much. Don’t forget to hit the follow button, tap the like button, and share a comment if you’d like! I have big plans for tomorrow and look forward to sharing more!!

-Ant