For our last full day in Glacier National Park we rode horses on the Cracker Flats Trail thanks to the great wranglers at Swan Mountain Outfitters. Danya's horse Houston was fun and wanted to go fast. Eric's 37 year old mule Gus was slow and hilarious! They don't allow cameras on the ride but trust us that the views are great!

 

After our ride we had a late lunch at the Many Glacier Hotel where the sights are breathtaking. We even caught a glimpse of a bear across the lake. 

Today we drove the Going-To-The-Sun Road to hike some of the trails around St. Mary Lake. This is Wild Goose Island and is one of the most iconic spots in Glacier National Park. It really is an epic view!

 

Driving on the Going-To-The-Sun Road is really fun with the shear cliffs, tight switchbacks, and this cool tunnel.

On a nice day like today, the view is incredible!

 

Seriously, these views are insane!

 

We saw some people trekking up an unmarked trail near the Weeping Wall and wanted to give it a try. 

 

It was a challenging climb and the most difficult path of the trip but we made it to the top of the falls section!

 

Thankfully Danya was willing to hold all of this snow up for everyone else ;)

 

We next stopped next to the Jackson Glacier Overlook to hike the Continental Divide Trail.

 

There are some really interesting waterfalls on this part of the trail.

 

We hiked to this clearing for a great view of Jackson Glacier on the recommendation of a nice couple we met on the hike.

 

We ended a long day of driving and hiking with a birthday dinner for Danya at the Summit Mountain Lodge & Steakhouse. The view off of their deck is spectacular!

We decided that today would be a great day to get out on the water. So we headed to Lake McDonald and rented a row boat.

 

  

We are underway!

 

There were minimal waves in the water and the progress was steady. With views like this, rowing is easy!

 

The shore line has really interesting trees, rocks, and driftwood.

 

We decided that we should take a break and check out some of that shore up close.

 

Some of these trees look like they are going to walk right into the water!

 

We got the boat back just before the rain rolled in. Two hours of rowing was as much as we could handle!

 

The Lake McDonald Lodge is a really cozy place to wait out the rain.

 

Once the sky cleared, we grabbed a quiet bench next to a stream that flows into Lake McDonald to relax before dinner.

 

Of course Danya got to have her favorite burger again!

Today we hiked the trail to Iceberg Lake. The total hike was about 12 miles and the payoff is beyond worth it!

 

The views of the valley and mountains in Many Glacier are incredible on this hike!

 

There were a bunch of places along the hike where water streams out from the rocks and down into the valley.

 

The trail is in great shape and begs you to pick up the pace. The icebergs are close!

 

Ptmarigan Falls is about two-thirds of the way there and has a nice view from the top.

 

  It was also a nice spot to rest before the last leg of the hike.

 

There were more streams to cross but we were almost there!

 

We are here! The excitement is real!

 

Danya even got to touch an iceberg. Don't fall in!

 

The sun really came out for our hike back.

 

The Many Glacier area really is beautiful!

 

The historic Jammer Red Bus Tours are a great way to see Glacier National Park from a cool vintage 1930's bus. We learned a lot about the history of the Glacier area and about the Blackfeet Indian Nation from our tour guide Ken. The weather was overcast and rainy for most of our 8 hour tour but we did get to see some amazing sights and even got to take the top down for the final stretch!

 

One of the really interesting stops on our tour was the Izaak Walton Inn. It is a really neat train themed inn right next to the rail lines. You can actually rent converted rail cars to stay in! We learned all about the rail history of this part of Montana and the Great Northern Railway. We came back that night for dinner. It was excellent!

 

We stopped at the Lake McDonald Lodge for Lunch. Danya can definitely recommend the Elk Burger with Goat Cheese & Huckleberry Jam!

 

 We rode over the Going-To-The-Sun Road which is an exciting ride with breath-taking views and you feel like you are hanging on the edge of a cliff for most of the ride. We definitely recommend sitting on the right side of the Jammer Bus if traveling west to east. That will put you right on the edge!

 

We stopped at the Logan Pass Visitor's Center and we were in the clouds that day!

 

The views from the road are spectacular!

 

 

We had views of Jackson Glacier from the road. The weather made it pretty spooky looking!

 

We got to see a bear on our ride around Saint Mary Lake. This funny guy was right next to the road and stopping traffic so everyone could take pictures and the poor Park Ranger lady had to follow him and warn all of the tourists to keep their distance!

 

Eric got to play helper taking down the top of our Jammer so that we could all enjoy the sun for our ride through East Glacier. Thanks for the great trip Ken!

Today we hiked around Two Medicine Lake and saw 4 very cool waterfalls. We even got to walk into one of the pools at the base of one. Very Cold!

This is Running Eagle Falls which is the closest falls to the parking area for Two Medicine. It is really cool how the water has carved it's way through the middle of the rock.

 

 

About a 20 minute hike from the parking area is a place called Paradise Point. We were lucky enough to see two female moose. They were just chilling by the water.

 

The next stop was Aster Falls. You can clearly see Danya reflecting before our challenging climb ahead... 

 

So the hike up to the viewing point above Aster Falls is challenging but well worth it. The view was fantastic and really gives a true sense on the scope of the valley below.

 

There were a couple of bridges on the hike but this one was the most fun! It was a little bouncy and strictly one person at a time!

 

The trail on the south side of Two Medicine has wonderful views of the landscape.

 

Rockwell Falls was next on the hike. A bit of a hike off of the main trail but very cool and very climbable.

 

We even took the opportunity to put on our water shoes and wade a little bit. Burr it was cold!!! Danya's new Chaco's worked out great!

 

The views of the lake were really breath taking!

 

This marmot guy was just hanging out on a rock waiting to introduce himself to us. What a character!

 

The final waterfall on our trek is called Twin Falls and it was unique end to our hike.

 

The boat ride back across Two Medicine lake had some interesting views for sure but we were spent! What a journey ;)