This will wrap up the memories of a wonderful four days in Glacier N P. We've had longer stays, but none more enjoyable than this one. The weather and the wildflowers were simply delightful. Of course, Glacier is a park for hiking, and we made a few memorable ones in the short time allotted.
One of the more popular hikes leads to Hidden Lake, a beautiful tarn at the base of a spectacular mountain. The trail all the way to the lake is about 5.5 miles with an elevation gain/ loss of nearly 1500 feet. There is a "wimp" option, which we chose, that stops at an overlook with a fantastic view of the lake. This hike is only 2.7 miles and gains only 500 feet. This was our choice since we had plans for another hike afterward. Much of the trail was covered with frozen, slippery snow, adding to the adventure,
Along the way, we witnessed two skiers climb a slope to ski down. The woman took a tumble on her first attempt, but scrambled back up and then had a very nice run. It seemed like a lot of work for not much skiing fun.
In addition to scenery, this hike has lots of wildlife, some of which came very close to us, seemingly oblivious to our presence. There were dozens of bighorn sheep and mountain goats, most still wearing much of their winter coats, numerous yellow-bellied marmots and countless golden-mantled ground squirrels.
Our second hike of the day was to St. Mary Falls, one of the prettier waterfalls in the park. The trail is about two miles with moderate elevation change. The St. Mary River drops about thirty-five feet in three tiers. The trail continues for another mile for two more waterfalls, but we saved that part of the hike for another time.
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