Andrew traveled to Glacier National Park in July 2018. We asked him for his thoughts on the park, and here is what he wrote. You can learn about Andrew here.
1. What was the most memorable part of your visit to Glacier National Park?
The hike to Hidden Lake was the BEST! It was so vivid and beautiful. There were snow covered mountains surrounding us at all times. When we went on this hike, I knew this was going to be my most favorite National Park ever. I felt so lucky luck to have such wonderful and breathtaking views all around me on this hike.
2. Did you see any wildlife in Glacier National Park? If so, what types?
I saw so much wildlife at Glacier National Park, both on the Hidden Lake trail and so many other hikes. My family and I saw marmots which are so adorable. Some of them were literally having a boxing match. They were punching and biting each other for territory.
Marmot
While we were watching the marmots, right nearby there was a mountain goat eating grass and enjoying the marmot battle as if it was watching a movie.
Mountain Goat
We saw black bear mother and her two cubs crossing the river. First went the mother, then after the cubs were left behind on the shoreline they started to make noises as if they were talking. After some time, the smaller cub went first followed by the larger cub who ended up managing the crossing just fine.
What was really scary was when we saw a mother grizzly bear and one cub following us out after we stopped at Hidden Lake. Once we climbed up about 500 feet (really quickly!) we were able to see the whole scene below with different hikers trying to get by when it was safe.
We also saw so many bighorn sheep. One of them passed us on the left side while we were on the Hidden Lake hike-it was such an amazing opportunity!
Finally, we also saw a moose that was eating in a pond near Lake McDonald on the way back to where we were staying.
3. Can you describe your favorite hike in Glacier National Park?
My favorite hike was the Hidden Lake Trail. The trail is located at the Logan Pass Visitor Center. The parking lot is crazy, so get up early because the hike is worth it!). The trail stars behind the visitor center and is 5.4 miles long with an elevation gain of 1325 feet.
After heading up a trail (that was covered with snow), you get to see Hidden Lake from the Hidden Lake Overlook.
After the overlook, you have Bearhat Mountain and the lake in view the entire time. The lake is so beautiful!
My parents have a bunch of other highlights in their blog, 10 reasons to fall in love with Glacier National Park.
I also liked how much wildlife I saw on the trail: marmots, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and grizzly bears!
4. What is the level of difficulty of the Hidden Lake hike (on a scale of 1 to 10)? Why?
The difficulty is “moderate”, and I’d rate it at a 7. This is because the first part of the hike has a bunch of wooden stairs followed by a giant patch of snow. There is a narrow part of the trail where there is a cliff on the edge, but it’s not too difficult. Most of the elevation gain is at the beginning of the trail (until you have to come back from Hidden Lake.
5. What is the "must have" product that you would recommend when visiting Glacier National Park? Why?
Bear spray. We nearly had to use it on an encounter with a mother grizzly bear, and we also saw bear sign all over the place. It’s common for bears to be nearby lakes in the summer because of all of the trout and hikes are commonly closed because of bear activity.
6. Do you have any other comments or suggestions for visiting Glacier National Park?
If you haven’t been, you should go. This was my favorite park of all the 32 parks that we’ve been to as a family. We ended up going at the perfect time-after the snow was mostly melted (and Going-to-the-Sun Road was open), but before the trails were shut down due to heavy bear activity (which happens around trout spawning season).
FURTHER INFORMATION ON GLACIER NATIONAL PARK FROM JUST GO TRAVEL STUDIOS
- Dozens of fantastic hikes and activities await in Glacier National Park, and they are covered in detail in our 16+ page itinerary for Glacier National Park.
- Our epic blog on 10 reasons to fall in love with Glacier National Park covers what you need to know and look forward to in this great park.
- We covered the Iceberg Lake Trail Hike in detail in our blog post, Hiking the Iceberg Lake Trail.
- If you are wondering how to prepare for your trip, check out our list of What to Pack for your trip to Glacier National Park.
- When you get back from your trip, send us one or more of your photos and we’ll make up one of our unique, custom, vintage-style travel posters. We’ve served up thousands of these to customers and would love to work with you!
