Glacier National Park is about 1 hour north of Lakeside and Flathead Lake.  This park is in the middle of the Rocky Mountains so the scenery is amazing – difficult to capture with a still camera.  We left ‘home’ a little late (9am) but we don’t think it made any difference – the place was crowded.  It was not as crowded as Yosemite or Yellowstone but still very busy.

Mike had suggested a couple of easy hikes – he knows we are not in hiking shape – and the ranger at the park suggested more.  The first stop suggested by both of them was Avalanche Creek.  There is a little hike on a wooden path suspended over the forest floor and then onto a paved path.  This was really nice but at the end of it there was a trail to Avalanche Lake.

The sign at the head of the trail to Avalanche Lake said it was about 2 miles and a 500 foot altitude gain.  It said the average time is 2 to 3 hours.  We took almost 2 hours to get there and only about 45 minutes to get back.  The altitude gain may be only 500 feet but the ups and downs make it seem like a lot more.  It was worth it though.

The road through the park from the east to the west side is called the ‘Road to the Sun’ and it is truly amazing.  Carol drove the Tracker most of the way but there was lots of construction – and flag people making us stop for up to 10 minutes at a time – so we decided to just go out the east side of the park and go around it on the way home.  I don’t think we saved any time but it was much smoother than it would have been going back the way we came.  Check out the photos below – put the mouse pointer on a photo and it will show the caption.